Express News Service
RANCHI: A day of rest after nearly a week of hard work is something that we all cherish. But, what about farm animals? They are often put to work for days on end in most places. But, two dozen villages in Jharkhand, where people give their cattle a weekly off day when no work is demanded of them, is a notable exception.
Cows and buffalos are not even milked on their ‘off day’. It is a day for rest and leisure, not to mention good food. According to the elderly, animals remain healthy and energetic if they are given a day of rest at least once a week. The practice is followed by all cattle owners in the region and it is considered a sin if villagers make their cattle work on their designated holidays.
It may sound a novel initiative but it is not. The villagers claim the practice has been in force for over a hundred years. Sanjay Ganjhu, a resident of Turisot village under Chakla Panchayat in Latehar, said the tribals don’t take work from cattle on Thursdays, while non-tribals do so on Sundays.
“On Sundays, we don’t put our cattle at work, no matter how urgent it is. It has been considered a sin to take work from our cattle on Sundays,” said Rameshwar Singh, former head of Heth-Pochra Panchayat.“It is being practiced since ages which are also being followed by them without any question,” he added.
District animal husbandry officials too confirmed that it has been a long-observed practice in the villages to give cattle one day off per week, when they get extra care. The practice reportedly began after an ox, which was put to regular work, collapsed and died while ploughing a field. According to villagers, it began in one village and spread to the adjacent villages.
