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Young World
Harvest time in the city
KAVITA SIVARAMAKRISHNAN
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It was the season for festivities and Kaalu had some visitors.
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Kaalu the bull was dreaming of his good, old days in the village when he was suddenly woken from his reverie. “Greetings Kaalu.” He was astonished to find his cousins, Bolu the bull and Munni the cow, greeting him.
“What a pleasant surprise to have you both here,” he remarked.
“Kaalu, our master is in good times now and has come to take you back,” said Bolu.
“We came to surprise you, Kaalu! ” said Munni.
“Remember what a great time we had, decked with ornaments, bells and flowers, with bright paint on our horns, and our foreheads smeared with turmeric and vermilion? asked Bolu.
“And with enthusiastic children riding on our carts. What a sight we were,” exclaimed Munni.
“Are the bullock cart rides enjoyed with the same fervour here?” asked Bolu.
“With so much traffic and so much pollution it doesn’t seem like a good idea anymore,” said Kaalu sadly.
“Do you mean to say that the children don’t have much fun during the harvest festival?”
“No Munni! They have their TV, computers and a lot of other gizmos to keep them company and who has got the time for such pastimes anyway in the city?”
Sad times
Bolu said “Riding a bullock cart with a bunch of merry children relishing sugar cane and sweet porridge rice was so much fun, Kaalu. It was special to us and to the children. I really feel sorry for the children here that they are missing out on some of the real joys of life.”
“Well, with shrunken playgrounds and polluted environment they definitely cannot be blamed,” moaned Kaalu. “But we also have jallikattu in the village, Munni, agitating a bull and making him run and people running behind them just to prove their manliness! How much worse could it get? ” said Bolu. “Thankfully our master has never allowed us to participate.”
“We saw some cattle searching for their food in garbage bins!” said Munni.
“That’s because they don’t have the luxury of pastures or open grounds to graze,” said Kaalu.
“And injecting these cows with hormones to produce more milk can only worsen their health!” said Munni. “Surely there is little cheer or joy for cattle and children here and something definitely needs to be done. I think the city people are completely losing themselves in the mad rush of life. I hope they do something before it is too late,” said Bolu.
Kaalu was happy to be back in his village to celebrate the harvest festival with his friends and the children in the village welcomed him with open arms.
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