Skip to main content

The Sacred Cow




Scene-1


A middle class family of Father, Mother and a son, at the comfort of their home.


F(father) - (while  reading newspaper) That's  definitely a right move. We should return to our culture. We must revive our original culture.
M(mother) - What is it? (Voicing from kitchen)
F - Govt is trying to launch a ban on beef.
M - Why, all of a sudden?
F - You don't understand the real implications of this move. Cow is a venerable creature in Hindu culture. It is our "gow matha". How could we allow maltreatment towards such an animal? She is life giving & sustaining force. Some people show no respect and feel no remorse in making it their menu. It’s a disgrace. We should react.
M - Yes, you are right.
S(son) - You know dad, there are some kids in our school who bring beef. But they don't reveal it. They used to lie, as chicken or mutton.
M - Oh my god, that's disgusting.
F - Such people should be thrown out of our country. If they want to be in here, it should be on our terms and conditions.
M - Yes, I agree. They should at least respect our beliefs.
S -(checking his phone) yup, I m with you, mom.

Scene - 2

Outside the house: There is a crowd, people formed a circle, around something, in their park.  Something is going on.


F - what is it? Son, go and have a look.
[He run to the park and try to insert himself through the crowd, to take a look.]

M - what is it?
S - Nothing serious mom. It’s just a stray cow. It has a big stomach. I think it is pregnant. And it is so ugly too.
F - What are they doing? They should not let that cow deliver on our park.
M - It will make a mess.

[Father walks towards the crowd. Someone from the crowd shouts at him,
Come on now, help us to get the animal out of the park. Its condition is very poor. It may die in here. I don't think it will survive this delivery.]

F- Okay, let’s do this.  You give a push from the back. I will push from the side. Don't let the cow lie down on ground.

People started to push it, by making noise to scare the animal. The cow was trying to lie down. At last the animal got irritated and limped out to the road. It looked at them, making painful sound. Tears were running down from the eyes.  The animal was in great pain.

Scene-3

Inside the house: Father is washing his hands and legs. After that, he takes a seat at the long comfy sofa set in his living room.

S - (While watching TV) Is it gone, dad?
F - Yes, We somehow pushed it out of the park.
M – After all who does all this, right? Such animals should be kept tied at owner's house.
S - But I think it’s a stray one, mom.
F - Our streets are full of such stray cows and dogs. Sometimes I feel like running over them.

[Suddenly newsflash scrolls through the TV, "Beef banned in MAHARASHTRA"}

F - Yes, that's it. One by one we should take such remedial measures. We should rebuild our country's cultural dignity. Now it's clear to people that cow is not a menu item. It should be respected and protected. If you differ you should go.
M - (Run from the kitchen to see the news details)(panting) Good decision.

END




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The bloodsucking Yakshi

When I was a kid, April and May fell in the list of my favourite months. Not because it's going to rain and there would be mud all around, but those are the months my cousins would be here at our family house, in our hometown in Kerala. Those are the memories I would cherish forever. My grand-mother has 5 offsprings, 4 boys and a girl. My father is the second eldest of five. Then, he was the only one staying in Kerala and everyone else was in different parts of India, a Pan-India Family one could say. We were all present, it's like Parliament, shouting, laughing, scolding children, people everywhere, busy doing their chores. An outsider entering the home can still go unnoticed. Life was less complicated then. We were just ........just ourselves. Everyone you valued dearly is with you. It's like, the world has shrunken to a square block of bricks and mortar. Now it's all feel like a fairy-tale, one of the best things about joint-family. We are all tired of day's

THE EPIC - where to draw the line?

India is the land where history and myth get intertwined in such a way that you cannot say which is which. One of India's gift to the world of literature is her majestic epical wonder " Mahabharata ", attributed to some one(might be one person or many) called Vyasa or Vyas ( Ved Vyas ) which literally means one who dissected 'Veda' (religious and philosophical writings of Hindu religion). Research on this great epic revealed that many appendage had been done to the original text , before it became whole. Mahabharata's impact on Indian psyche is so profound that people consumed every word of it as such.  Characters were being worshipped as role models, like modern day Bollywood stars. As the generations passed by, line which divides the story and reality started blurring. Stories told and retold, appended stories that were not present at the beginning happened, kind of regional versions. Many dynasties and empires came and gone everyone tried to leave t

Dream Catcher

Baby was cooing subtly while lying in her bed. Her eyelids are twitching quickly, and she seems fidgety. making tiny noises as though she's dreaming. Her tiny, chubby arms and legs are up in the air, perhaps grasping for something. "Don't worry, little one" a cool breeze swept the room, whispering softly to the baby. The dream-catcher that was hanging on the door began to cling to the wind. Baby's face is now serene. Her tiny legs and limbs are now at rest. She let out a small smile and a chuckle. She is enjoying her dream. She can hear dream-catcher singing to her. "   Oh.. creator of this  mighty   universe,      Please watch over her in your righteous way.      Be with her now, and guard her smile for eons to come   "