DHYAN FOUNDATION

The article was published in The Sunday Guardian

State : Karnataka District : Chamrajnagar Taluk :  # Kollegal Grampanchayats affected :27 Estimated cattle which are dying due to starvation: 1.6 lakh Chamarajanagar district's Kollegal taluk is technically just 142 km from Bengaluru city but the change of scene is so dramatic that you could be in another world. On the parched earth carcasses lying everywhere.... the cattle which are still alive look like mere skeletons and are on the verge of giving up their fight against hunger, There is no food, no rain and farmers helpless as authorities are doing little in this crisis.. Dhyanfoundation  has started fodder distribution points to provide free fodder everyday. Daily tonnes of fodder is being supplied & distributed by our volunteers. We are simultaneously pushing Animal Husbandry department to act and start supplying free/subsidised fodder in the affected areas. But till government departments take concrete action we need your help to sustain this initi...

Cow shelters are grappling with problems like lack of fodder, garbage and use of plastics, Yogi Ashwini of Dhyan Foundation said. "The basic problem in all cow shelters is lack of fodder and caring staff. Garbage and plastic, which cows consume cause diseases and high mortality. Because of graft, cattle are sold off to butchers illegally from certain shelters," he told reporters here. "Although government has provided enough gau-shalas, certain corrupt officials do not take proper care and at times, sell off fodder illegally," he said. According to him, Dhyan Foundation has organised for water, glucose, medicines and jaggery to nurse cattle at Hingoni in Jaipur. Green fodder was arranged to feed sick cows as well. The article was published in India Today and Business Standard.

Back in 1993, the spread of the mad cow disease took a toll of many across the globe. As a result, many stopped consuming beef products. However, not eating beef does not guarantee an escape from the disease and infection that comes with abusing the cow. Cattle by-products today find their way into almost everything around us. Gelatine  is made by treating the bones of a cow with acid and finds its way into gel capsules, food products such as jellybeans, marshmallows and instant gelatine; as a setting agent for ice-creams and cheesecakes; as a coat on tablets and even to bind photo film. Fat from the dead cow is used in making soap, toothpaste as well as automobile tyres and also in asphalt. Glycerin derived from cow fat is used in manufacturing cosmetics. In war time, it’s used in the explosive nitroglycerine. Its hooves and horns adorn our shirts as buttons and also make up the foam of fire extinguishers. Its blood goes into making plywood and fertilisers. Its hide becomes le...