The Cows of Mumbai

By Claudia Farhart

When you first arrive in Mumbai, you’ll notice a lot of things that seem a touch odd. The absolute lack of beef on restaurant menus, the occasional mound of dung lining the footpaths, and particularly the hoards of cows freely roaming the inner-city streets.

In Hinduism, cows are honoured and worshiped. There is a great deal of touching symbolism behind this — the cow is selfless, representing one who provides instead of takes, gives instead of leaches, and sustains instead of drains. While the cow only takes grass and water from the earth for its own survival, it endlessly gives life to all humanity through the milk it provides, like a mother.

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