ISCOWP-MAURITIUS

cow dung to run motor bike!!!!

cidanandas@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:37:00 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jokqG1fTc-I

Vanilla from cow dung!!!!

cidanandas@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 11:30:00 GMT

Scientists extract vanilla fragrance from cow dung By Simon Pitman, 08-Mar-2006 Related topics: Formulation & Science, Fragrance Japanese scientists at the International Medical Center of Japan say they have successfully undertaken a co-operative development program with Sekisui Chemical company to extract vanilla fragrance from cow dung. According to an AFX report, Mayu Yamamoto, who headed up the project, said that the process involved heating up the dung under pressure, which leads to the production of vanillin, a major component of the vanilla-bean. Vanillin is often used to fragrance a range of personal care products - from high-end perfumes, to hair care and skin care formulations. However, in recent years vanilla beans have become an increasingly difficult commodity to source, as crops have historically fluctuated from year-to-year, leading to unstable pricing. Last year major fragrance players such as Givaudan reported that lower market prices for vanillin had hits its performance during the course of 2005, as increased supplies from Madagascar contributed to a lowering of the market price for the commodity. This problem has led to the big fragrance companies developing a range of synthetic vanillin fragrances, but with the rise in demand for naturally-derived ingredients combined with the sourcing problems, researchers have been chasing other ways to develop the extract. Although the researchers say that the bi-product could not be used in food, they claim the chemical make up of the compound is exactly the same as vanilla bean-derived vanillin. Another major advantage to personal care producers is the cost of the cow dung-derived vanillin. Yamamoto claims that, because of the availability of the dung and the simplicity of the extraction process, it is around half the price of vanilla bean-derived extract. The research work was carried out on the basis that the excrement of grass-eating animals is rich in lignin, a chemical compound that exists in plants and is used to produce vanilla aroma. In fact the solution solves two problems, as cow farmers are often at a loss as to how to dispose of the vast quantities of dung involved in cattle farming, allowing the dung to be recycled, while also putting it to use as a potential means of cash revenue. The research team is currently working on the development of machinery that could handle several tons of dung a day and may be put into commercial use in two to three years, the AFX report added. The personal care industry is no stranger to animal wastage, with a specific type of whale vomit proving to be one of the most highly treasured fragrance extracts. Ambergris, or grey amber, is actually bile secreted by sperm whales to help them digest food. Newly deposited Ambergris is said to smell absolutely foul. But following a few years of exposure to salt, water and sun, the lump eventually boasts a sweet, musky and alluring smell that many leading fragrance makers say adds a distinct and highly appealing character. But it costs. Recently a 32 pound lump of Ambergris washed up on an Australian beach and was estimated to have a market value of up to AUD$1 million ($750,000).

En francais

cidanandas@gmail.com — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 08:22:00 GMT

Provenance: www.vedicsanga.com Auteur: Claire MAZAL Hier soir, après une bonne journée de consultations, d’écriture etc, je m’installe confortablement dans le salon à l’heure des infos et j’entends sur une grande chaîne nationale : « les vaches ne sont plus désirées en Inde, on les expulse des villes comme New Delhi où elles sont devenues illégales et des cow-boy d’un nouveau genre, les chassent au lasso pour les emmener sans ménagement et les parquer hors de la ville. Craignant une révolte populaire encore très présente, les autorités s’assurent pour l’instant qu’elles soient nourris et soignés jusqu’à leur mort » …(Voir l’extrait Video du JT de 20H du 25 Aout 2009, autres articles plus anciens, relatifs au sujet sur teva.fr, funnynews, indedunord.free.fr, ) Mais jusqu’à quand …? Si l’Inde, le pays où la spiritualité est à couper au couteau par rapport aux autres nations, commence à chasser ses vaches, qu’elle a vénéré pendant des millénaires suivant le mode traditionnel du respect et de la haute compréhension que, nous donnant du lait, nous lui devions respect et protection, comme à notre mère…c’est que de grands bouleversements sont à prévoir, et pas des meilleurs… Déjà des signes d’invasion du modèle américain hantent depuis quelques dizaines d’années les murs des grandes villes indienne, vantant ça et là, soit une célèbre gomme à mâcher, soit une boisson gazeuse très répandue…(une boisson nationale à base d’urine de vache est cependant sur le point d’être commercialisée pour supplanter l’influence désastreuse du géant américain tant sur le plan de la santé que celui de la revendication d’identité nationale: LIEN) Ça et là quelques abattoirs indiens ont fait leur apparition, au grand désespoir de l’ancienne génération, qui voit avec effarement un des grands bastions de leur culture, le végétarisme, s’effriter peu à peu. Signe des mauvais temps : ce qui était adoré, protégé, considéré comme de bon augure, est maintenant pourchassé, tué pour être mangé ou relégué dans un coin. En occident, les vaches sacrés de l’Inde sont comme une image de marque, un label d’authenticité, souvent moqué, mais quand même. D’où cela vient-il ? Pourquoi cet animal plutôt qu’un autre ? L’occident a depuis longtemps relégué les animaux au rang de société inférieur à « exploiter », terme reflétant bien d’ailleurs la mentalité de ceux qui le pratique. On parle en effet d’ « exploitant » agricole, bovins, etc, sans que cela ne choque plus personne, tant l’idée derrière de pomper le maximum soit de la terre soit d’un animal sans respect de son statut est admise et rentrée dans les mœurs. L’idée de production à tout prix ayant depuis longtemps supplantée la morale, l’éthique et le respect, les dérives subtiles du langage ne sont même plus remarquées. Et pourtant… Il fut un temps où même en Europe, la vie paysanne avait plus de grâce au point d’être chantée par des poètes comme Victor Hugo, Rimbaud, Verlaine, etc Dans les années 70, un Sage Hindou venu enseigner la culture védique et tâcher de la répandre en Occident écrivait : « la vraie richesse, ce sont la terre et les vaches ». Propos qui pouvait faire sourire à l’époque, maintenant on en rira de moins en moins, au milieu de notre béton, sans pour la plupart, plus aucun savoir-faire ni moyen pour faire pousser quoi que ce soit individuellement. Enseignant la musique pendant longtemps, je demandais un jour à des enfants de maternelle de nommer des noms de fleurs, nous en avions besoin pour élaborer un spectacle. Devant leur grand silence, j’ai posé alors une question qui serait, je croyais, très simple et facile pour eux : qu’est ce qui pousse de la terre et qu’on peut manger par exemple? leurs réponses furent stupéfiantes: “des briques de lait, des hamburgers, des saucisses et des frites”… point de vache, point de pomme de terre, point de légumes ni de fruits. Ces enfants ne savaient même pas que le lait sort du pis d’une vache ! Ceci dit, à la réflexion, c’est normal, ils ne l’a voient qu’en dessins animés, ou alors coupée en tranches sous cellophane et là, ils ne peuvent donc plus la reconnaître ! Ces enfants ne savaient pas non plus ce qu’était un jardin… et pourtant ils venaient tous de milieux « favorisés » d’une école privée, d’un quartier tranquille d’une ville bourgeoise du centre de la France… Ce constat parle de lui-même. Maintenant des sorties sont organisées par l’école pour aller voir une vache, une chèvre, un âne, une salade, une fleur, dans une ferme, comme au zoo…On fait ce qu’on peut, c’est le progrès ! Les temps modernes, l’avancée technologique ! Parlons-en… Dans l’article qui suit, extrait d’un livre « Le Goût Supérieur » ed, BBT, 1993, l’auteur nous montre à quel point le fait de consommer de la viande ne sert qu’aux pays riches, et la question du choix de vie citoyenne, en quête d’un meilleur environnement, social y compris, devient alors un sujet brûlant d’actualité: ” LE COUT DE LA VIANDE: PERSPECTIVE ECONOMIQUE “Sur un hectare de bonnes terres consacrés à l’élevage, on nourrira au maximum, quatre grands bovins, qui produiront au bout de 18 mois quatre carcasses de 300kg chacune, dont 200kg de viande, soit au total, 480 kg de viande par hectare et par an. Sur le même hectare, en un an, on aurait pu produire plus de 5 tonnes de lait, ce qui eût été mieux. On aurait pu également y faire pousser 50 quintaux de blé soit, au taux d’extraction de 70%, 3500kg de farine. 480kg de viande contre 3500kg de farine, les chiffres se passent de commentaires!” Daniele Starenkyj Le Bonheur du Végétarisme LA SOLUTION AU PROBLEME DE LA FAIM Un rapport du ministère de l’Agriculture des Etats-Unis nous apprend que plus de 50% des céréales produites en Amérique servent à nourrir le bétail - les vaches, les porcs, les agneaux et les poulets. Il faut savoir que l’utilisation des céréales pour la production de viande coûte cher. Le département de Recherches Economiques du Ministère de l’Agriculture des Etats-Unis a calculé que 8kgs de céréales ne donnent qu’un demi-kilo de boeuf. Au cours d’une entrevue télévisée, France Moore Lappé, experte en alimentation et auteur du best-seller Diet for a Small Planet, compara un steak à une cadillac. “Tout comme la Cadillac est une grande dévoreuse d’essence, commente-t-elle, la production de viande implique une très forte consommation de céréales.” Dans son livre intitulé La Chimie des Protéines, le docteur Aaron Altshul constate, après avoir comparé le taux de calories d’un régime carné avec celui d’un régime de céréales, légumes et légumineuses, que ce dernier fait vivre vingt fois plus de personne. Si les sols cultivables de la Terre étaient principalement utilisés pour la production d’aliments végétaux, notre planète pourrait aisément subvenir aux besoins d’une population de plus de vingt milliards d’être humains! De telle données ont amené les experts en alimentation à souligner que le problème de la faim dans le monde n’est, dans une large mesure, que chimère. A l’heure actuelle, nous produisons assez de nourriture pour subvenir aux besoins de tous les habitants de la planète; hélas, il n’y a aucune répartition des denrées alimentaires. Dans un rapport soumis au Congrès Mondial des Nations Unies sur l’alimentation (Rome, 1974), René Dumont, célèbre économiste agronome de l’Institut National d’Agriculture de France, expliqua: “La sur-consommation de viande par les riches engendre la famine pour les pauvres. Cette forme peu rentable d’agriculture doit changer, en supprimant par exemple les étables où l’on engraisse les boeufs avec des céréales, voire en réduisant massivement le nombre de boeufs en boucherie.” Dans son best-seller L’Economie du Futur, le futurologue Alvin Toffler est optimiste quant à l’évolution de la crise alimentaire mondiale. Il prévoit que “l’apparition d’un mouvement spirituel en Occident fera diminuer la consommation de boeuf et fera augmenter les régimes alimentaires à base de céréales pour le bien du monde entier.” LES VACHES VIVANTES: UN ATOUT ECONOMIQUE De toute évidence, une vache vivante est plus rentable pour la société qu’une vache morte car elle donne du lait, du fromage, du beurre, du yaourt et d’autres aliments riche en protéines. Les vaches d’Amérique produisent tant de lait que Sam Gibbons, député de Floride, signala au Congrès américain que “les Etat-Unis avaient stocké un surplus de 220 000 tonnes de beurre, 272 000 tonnes de fromage et 382 000 tonnes de lait écrémé en poudre.” En 1971, Stewart Odent’hal, de l’Université du Missouri, fit une étude détaillée sur les vaches du bengale et découvrit qu’elles ne prennent pas la nourriture de l’homme puisqu’elles ne se nourrissent que d’herbe et de restes non-comestibles des récoltes (écorce de riz, extrémités supérieures des tiges de cannes à sucre, etc). “Fondamentalement, dit-il, le bétail transforme des produits dérivés sans grande valeur directe pour l’homme en produits d’utilité immédiate.” Voilà qui devrait balayer le mythe selon lequel les gens crèvent de faim en Inde parce qu’ils refusent de tuer les vaches. LA VIANDE COUTE PLUS QU’ON NE LE PENSE En fait, la production de viande s’avère si peu rentable que cette industrie ne peut survivre sans subventions. La plupart des gens ignorent à quel point les gouvernements nationaux maintiennent l’industrie de la viande à coups de prêts, de contributions, etc. En 1977, le ministère de l’Agriculture des Etats-Unis acheta pour 500 millions de francs (à l’époque) d’excédents de boeuf qu’il destina aux cantines scolaires. La même année, les gouvernements d’Europe achetèrent 2,5 milliards de francs d’excédents de viande aux agriculteurs et déboursèrent des millions pour l’entreposer. GASPILLAGE DU TRESOR PUBLIC Chaque année, les gouvernements jettent par la fenêtre l’argent des contribuables pour maintenir un réseau national d’inpecteurs du contrôle des viandes. Le problème divulgué des maladies animales entraîne aussi de considérables dépenses. Pour chaque animal malade tué, le propriétaire se voit attribuer par le gouvernement une indemnité forfaitaire compensatoire. En 1978, le gouvernement américain versa l’argent des contribuables, (250 millions de francs d’indemnités), pour le contrôle de la brucellose, une maladie qui s’attaque au bétail. Par ailleurs, un autre programme du gouvernement américain garantit aux producteurs de viande des prêts pouvant s’élever jusqu’à 1 million et demi de francs. Ceci est dénoncé dans un éditorial du New York Times comme “un vol scandaleux des fonds du Trésor Public.” Or, bien que ne nombreuses preuves recueillies par les services de santé gouvernementaux témoignent de la nocivité de la viande sur l’organisme, les ministères de l’Agriculture des pays riches continuent de dépenser des sommes colossales pour sa production. Dans son livre Recherche sur la Nature et les Causes de la Richesse des Nations, l’économiste Adam Smith proclame les avantages du végétarisme: “On peut en vérité se demander si la viande de boucherie constitue un élément nécessaire à la vie. Les céréales et autres aliments végétaux, avec le lait, le fromage et le beurre (ou l’huile, là où le beurre n’est pas disponible) nous offrent le régime le plus riche, le plus sain, le plus nutritif et le plus tonique qui soit. Un homme sain n’a nullement besoin de viande.” DETERIORATION DE L’ENVIRONNEMENT En Amérique du Nord, l’industrie de l’élevage oblige à six fois plus de déboisement que l’expansion humaine. De plus, les puissantes industries alimentaires du fast-food défrichent massivement de grandes forêts vierge d’Amérique latine comme celles de l’Amazonie pour faire des pâturages à bétail. Les écologistes du monde entier s’en inquiète grandement car de telles destructions menacent le fragile écosystème planétaire. La forêt d’Amazonie n’est-elle pas l’un des poumons du monde, l’un des régulateurs thermiques des conditions atmosphériques? Comme si cela ne suffisait pas, l’industrie de la viande est la principale responsable de la pollution des rares réserves d’eau douce de la planète. Dans leur livre Population, Ressources et Environnement, Paul et Anne Ehrlich constatent que 60 litres d’eau suffisent pour cultiver un kilo de blé, alors qu’il faut de 3 000 à 6 000 litres d’eau pour produire un kilo de viande! En 1973, le New York Post révéla qu’un immense abattoir américain de poulets utilisaient cent millions de litres d’eau par jour, quantité largement suffisante pour approvisionner une ville de vingt-cinq mille habitants! CONFLITS SOCIAUX La production de viande requiert de plus grandes étendues de terre que l’agriculture. Elle est depuis des siècles à l’origine de conflits économiques et sociaux. Une étude publiée dans S’alimenter Grâce aux Récoltes révèle qu’un hectare de céréales produit cinq fois plus de protéines qu’un hectare de pâturage réservé à la production de viande; un hectare de fèves ou de pois produit dix fois plus de protéines et un hectare d’épinards vingt fois plus! Ces vérités économiques étaient connues des Grecs de l’Antiquité. Dans son livre La République, Platon cite Socrate qui recommande le végétarisme: “Ce régime permettrait à une nation d’utiliser intelligemment ses ressources agricoles.” Il signale également que si les gens commençaient à se nourrir d’animaux, il faudra de nouveaux pâturages. Et pour obtenir ces pâturages, les nations iront jusqu’à provoquer la guerre. SOURCE DE GUERRE l’alimentation carnée joua son rôle dans plusieurs des guerres de l’expansion coloniale européenne. Le commerce des épices avec l’Inde et autres pays d’Orient fut l’objet de sérieux litiges. A l’époque, les européens utilisaient la viande conservée dans le sel qui finissait par lasser le goût. Afin d’en relever la saveur, ils eurent l”idée d’utiliser des épices qu’il fallut acheter massivement. Le fructueux commerce de ces denrées d’appoint devint rapidement l’objet de grands litiges avec l’Orient, car gouvernements et marchands recoururent aux armes pour avoir le monopole sur les sources d’approvisionnement! A l’heure actuelle, l’éventualité d’un conflit mondial ayant pour enjeu les ressources alimentaires existe toujours. Déjà, en août 1974, la CIA (Central intelligence Agency) publiait un rapport signalant que, dans un proche avenir, il n’y aurait peut-être pas de quoi nourrir la population du monde “à moins que les pays riches ne réduisent rapidement et massivement leur consommation d’animaux nourris aux céréales.” LE VEGETARISME: UNE ECONOMIE Selon Trémolières, auteur de “Diététique et art de vivre”, “Le gramme de protéine animale coûte deux à quatre fois plus cher que le gramme de laitage; il n’y a pas, à ce jour, de raison scientifique qui justifie une consommation de viande élevée.” Gabriel Viaud-Bruant, lauréat de la société d’agriculture de France commente: “On achète de la viande, ce produit coûteux, au lieu de consommer des lentilles, des pois, des fèves, du riz, des haricots, beaucoup plus riches en azote, en phosphore, en fer et autres matières minérale… c’est une grave erreur sociale et économique que de faire croire à la nécessité du régime exclusif de la viande, d’autant que cette nourriture incite à la consommation de tabac et d’alcool.” En adoptant l’alimentation végétarienne, les consommateurs pourront économiser des centaines de milliers d’euros chaque année. Mais rien qu’en considérant les point énoncés depuis le début de l’ouvrage, il devient difficile de comprendre que l’on puisse négliger le végétarisme, mode d’alimentation vraiment économique et sain.” (fin de l’extrait) Alors pourquoi la vache en particulier, est-elle sacrée en inde? L’Inde antique vénérait déjà la vache. Krishna incarné en gardien de vaches est vénéré par des millions d’hindou, surtout dans l’Inde du Nord, comme Gopal le vacher. Les puranas (textes sacrés très anciens) disent que Khamadenu, la vache mythique, exauce tous les vœux de celui qui la respecte et l’adore. Les sacrifices védiques célébrés par les brahmanes comprenaient des offrandes et des hymnes sacrés et une offrande sacrificielle (à base de beurre fondu généralement). La vache symbolise l’harmonie et la paix, une vie qu’on ne doit ni détruire ni sacrifier par l’abattage. Tout bon roi se devait d’ailleurs de “protéger la vache et les brahmanes”. Comme la plupart des Indiens sont des végétariens (la viande de boeuf - animal qui sert de monture à Shiva, Prince des Yogi - est pratiquement tabou) la vache a été rarement exploitée en Inde pour sa viande. Mais de l’autre côté, la vache étant inviolable, par son statut sacré, dès qu’elle ne produit plus de lait, il semble correct à son propriétaire d’abandonner cette créature infortunée à la rue plutôt que de l’envoyer aux abattoirs. En fait, une fois dans la rue, cette vache ne manquera de rien, car chaque fois qu’un repas est préparé dans un foyer hindou, le premier roti (galette de blé complet) est offert, selon une tradition ancestrale, aux animaux, et aux vaches en particulier. Et lorsque le pieu hindou aperçoit une vache dans sa rue, il l’attire à sa porte pour lui offrir les friandises préparées en l’honneur de son dieu. Les jours de fête du calendrier hindou, on offre de l’herbe et des sucreries aux vaches vagabondes en acte de piété. Par ailleurs, les veaux ont encore droit à une bénédiction religieuse, comme tout nouvel enfant dans la famille; La plupart des indiens pensent que les vaches qui déambulent dans leur villes et villages sont la personnification de tous les dieux du panthéon indien et des lieux de pèlerinages. Selon les Ecritures védiques, Surabhi, la mère de toutes les vaches, figurait parmi les trésors qui apparurent après le barattage de l’océan cosmique. Les vaches donnent cinq produits sacrés, ou panca agavya qui sont: le lait, le caillé (yaourt), le beurre, l’urine et la bouse. Le mélange de ces cinq éléments est considéré comme extrêmement purificateur pour l’âme et le corps, et nombreux sont les hindoux qui l’absorbent. Le lait: bienfait universel “Les Ecritures Védiques comme le Srimad-Bhagavatam(8.6.12), nous enseigne que le lait est comparé à du nectar que l’on peut boire afin de devenir immortel. Bien entendu, le simple fait de boire du lait ne rend pas l’être humain immortel, mais cela peut accroître sa durée de vie. Dans la civilisation moderne, les gens ne pensent pas que le lait soit important. Bien qu’en cet âge les êtres humains puissent vivre jusqu’à cent ans, leur durée de vie est réduite parce qu’ils ne boivent pas de grandes quantités de lait (…) Au lieu de boire du lait, les gens préfèrent abattre un animal et en manger la chair. La Bhagavad-Gita recommande le go-raksya, c’est à dire la protection de la vache. La vache doit être protégée, le lait recueilli et préparé de façons variées. Il faut consommer une grande quantité de lait, car ainsi pourra-t-on prolonger sa vie, nourrir son cerveau, pratiquer le service de dévotion, et finalement obtenir la faveur de Dieu, la Personne Suprême.” Commentaire de A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Marvin Harris, anthropologue américain qui a travaillé dans les années 70 sur ce thème, estiment que ces vaches étaient utiles pour produire les bœufs servant à l’agriculture, pour produire les précieuses bouses de vaches qui serviront d’engrais ou de combustible, et pour consommer certains déchets alimentaires de l’Homme. Ces vaches mangent peu des végétaux destinés à l’homme et débarrassent les trottoirs, rues et marchés des déchets végétaux avant qu’ils ne fermentent, sans vraie concurrence pour l’Homme. Les vaches sont en Inde libres de se promener dans les rues et jusque sur les autoroutes. Elles n’ont pas de vocation à être mangées avant leur mort naturelle. Leur lait, le lait caillé (yaourt), le beurre et le ghee (beurre clarifié), leurs bouses et même leur urine étaient utilisés. Une fois morte de vieillesse, accident ou maladie, leur peau est utilisée par certaines castes pour faire du cuir. En ville, dans les zones pauvres et sèches où elles manquent de nourriture, ces vaches peuvent être très maigres. Elles empêchent la circulation et crées des accidents, c’est pour cela qu’on commence maintenant à vouloir les chasser. Quelques dictons populaires: “Protéger une vache, la caresser sous le cou, c’est accomplir beaucoup d’activités pieuses. “Quand on mange une vache ou un boeuf, on s’engage à renaître autant de fois qu’il y a de poil sur le corps de cet animal.” Ceci fait sourire ici, au pays des incrédules. Et pourtant, de récentes analyses scientifiques démontre que l’urine de vache (video, article)a des vertus antiseptique (anti-sceptique???), l’on comprend alors pourquoi elle est utilisée depuis la nuit des temps dans les rituels brahmanique. Encore une fois, la réalité rattrape le mythe…(cf article sur www.mediamedium.net: “krishna, mythe ou réalité) et qu’il va bien falloir accepter un jour, que cette réalité taxée ici en occident avec nos convictions toute faite comme étant dépassée, est pourtant celle qu’il nous faudrait, parce qu’elle est vraie et utile tout simplement. Claire MAZAL

Cow dung stove...

cidanandas@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:49:00 GMT

Designing a Clean-Burning, High-Efficiency, Dung-Burning Stove:

Lessons in cooking with cow patties.

Mark Witt, Kristina Weyer, David Manning

February 2006,Aprovecho Research Center, ASAT Lab, contact: mark.witt@trincoll.edu

Dung drying on tree in Mysore, Karnataka, India.¹

Introduction

People around the world use wood and biomass as their primary fuel source. From China to Kenya, Guatemala to India, half of humanity cooks over biomass fires. There has been much effort in the past in improving stoves that burn wood or charcoal, but a great number of people do not use or have access to wood fuel. Many of them use dung as their primary fuel source. However, not much work has been done on improving stoves designed specifically for burning dung. Testimonies from the field state that the burning of dung is a smoky and inefficient process. Aprovecho Research Center has begun efforts to design better dung-burning stoves and just like with wood-burning stoves it is believed that with the implementation of advanced combustion techniques significant improvements in efficiency and emissions can be gained. In fact, dung can be as good or better than wood as cooking fuel. The contents of this report lay out our efforts thus far, but first an introduction to the history and practice of cooking with dung.

Background

For many people worldwide, dung is the only available fuel source. Deforestation and erosion have contributed to great fuel wood shortages in many areas of central Asia, south Asia and Africa.

2: Dung drying on wall, Turkey. 3: Dung drying in piles, north India.

4: Dung drying in pile, Armenia. 5: Storage of dung in home in Turkey.

Great quantities of dung are dried and burned, often very inefficiently, yet very little focus has been made in the area of improving dung-burning stoves and most stoves are built without consideration of advanced combustion principles. Chulah-type stoves that are simple u-shaped combustion boxes are used throughout north India and Nepal (Fig. 6). This model does nothing to improve air flow or raise combustion temperatures and likely burns as a smoky, inefficient mess.

Figure 6, Chulah-type dung stove.

In India, the hara stove is widely used in rural areas of Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. As can be seen from the diagram below (Fig. 7), the pot sits directly on the dungcakes. Presumably, this generates many problems, including creating a great deal of smoke by reducing air flow. There is nowhere for burnt ash to escape. Both the ash and the pot act to smother the flame. It is worth noting that hara stoves are primarily used for the slow heating of milk without boiling over a few hours. Thus, an inefficient smoldering fire is useful but the same task can also be accomplished without the high emissions and inefficient fuel use.

In Tibet, where climates are colder, stoves are used for both heating and cooking. Yak dung is the primary fuel source. Notice the stoves in Figures 8 and 9 are equipped with chimneys which should significantly reduce the levels of indoor air pollution in the home. However, there is room for improvement, especially in terms of heat transfer efficiency. From these photographs, there is evidence that with minor modifications, significant reductions in fuel use could be achieved.


Figure 8, Photo of cooking/heating stove, Tibet.	Figure 9, Photo of cooking/heating stove, Tibet.

Considerable debate remains over fixing a value for available energy in cow dung fuel, whereas most other fuels agree within a reasonable degree across the published literature. This could be due to a wide variety of compositional ash content in dung, thus significantly affecting the energy content. Published values for ash content range from 20-50 percent. Accordingly, published values for the firepower of dung range from about 50-75% that of wood reflecting the discrepancies over ash content. Table 1 shows heating values for three fuels. Notice the consistencies across sources for ricehulls and wood, but the disagreement over energy in dung.

Table 1: Available Energy in Biomass Fuels, Dry

	Heating Value¹, Btu/lb	Heating Value¹, kJ/kg	Heating Value², kJ/kg
Wood	8750	20335	20000
Dung (Cow)	7400	17198	10000
Rice Hulls	6000	13944	13000

Prototype Design

Utilizing the design principles developed by Larry Winiarski and Aprovecho, Kristina Weyer has developed a prototype dung-burning stove with high draft, high firepower, and great flame activity with relatively little smoke. Yes, a dung-burning stove can sustain a flame!

The prototype employs a modified rocket stove design for encouraging draft. Notice the high draft-promoting chimney in Figure 10 of the prototype. The prototype dung stove follows the design principles used in rockets made for burning wood, but the unique characteristics of dung made two main modifications to the standard rocket necessary. First, dung is usually fed into stoves in small chunks, which means feeding it through a long opening, as is appropriate for wood, is not feasible. The prototype thus has a slot for top-feeding the fuel through a removable brick. Earlier prototypes had the feeding slot farther away from the insulated chimney, which required the flame to move some distance horizontally before getting to the insulated chimney. These designs did not work well: the draft was not strong enough to keep pulling the flame sideways, and smoke seeped out through every crack around the combustion chamber. Thus, we learned it was helpful to feed the dung directly under the insulated chimney: even a few inches made a huge difference. One potential problem with the removable brick idea in a real-world dung-burning stove is users choosing to leave the brick off, since replacing it will probably be considered an inconvenience. Replacing the brick after each fuel addition is necessary to achieve the lowest emissions. When the brick is not in place, there is a large opening for cold air to enter the fire and cool it off. Figure 12 demonstrates the use of the removable brick.

The other main modification to the standard rocket is made necessary by the the large ash content of dung: in the range of 20-50% by weight. The dung ash tends not to break down into fine pieces and powder; it stays about the same size as the original dung piece unless agitated. In early designs, ash easily clogged the stove, blocking the pathway for primary air and resulting in a smoky, air-starved fire. Even when the dung was placed on a grate with very large openings, the ash did not fall down through the grate on its own. For these reasons, designing a mechanism for handling the ash while the stove is operating is essential. In this prototype, the design provides a convenient way to clean out ash while the stove is operating. In the dropped floor of the combustion chamber, just below where the dung is burning, a tray catches dung ash to be easily pulled out. Figure 14 shows this tray. This space also serves as the pathway for primary air, and serves a second purpose of pre-heating the air as it flows over the hot ashes on its way to the fire. Moving the dung ash from the combustion chamber down to the tray in this prototype requires agitation from the stove user in the form of a metal rod. Another possibility for dealing with the ash could be providing a large enough ash holding area such that the stove needed to be cleaned out less frequently, perhaps only a few times per day.

Prototype Testing

The dung stove prototype was tested under a hood using the Water Boiling Test at Aprovecho’s ASAT Lab. Aprovecho has proposed benchmark parameters for measuring and comparing the effectiveness of efforts to improve fuel efficiency and emissions among different cooking stoves. These benchmarks are not compulsory but only offer some guideline goals for measuring the relative health and economic gains of implementing one stove over another. These benchmarks hold for different fuel types for emissions between stoves but because fuel types vary in available energy the benchmarks must be modified to reflect that for amount of fuel used. The benchmark for fuel used for dung derives from a ratio of the heating value of dung at 17000 kJ/kg to that of wood. The figures below compare the dung stove prototype to the open wood fire and a variety of improved wood-burning stoves.

To date, no testing has been performed on unimproved dung stove designs. Thus, a fully adequate statistical marker for level of improvement cannot be obtained. Nevertheless, in most respects, a comparison to wood-burning stoves will suffice. The wood stoves chosen here represent a similar design to many unimproved dung stoves in use including the hara and chulah stoves in India in that they do not contain an insulated combustion chamber. The only one that does contain such a chamber is the WFP rocket stove which is included to show a comparison to that type of stove which is similar to the rocket elbow contained in the dung prototype.

Figure 15 shows the amount of fuel used to cook 5L of water. Notice that the benchmark for equivalent wood-fuel used was not met. However, improvements could be made to reduce fuel used including a shorter chimney above the combustion chamber or modifications in operator technique. Furthermore, the amount of fuel used in an unimproved dung stove is likely much greater.

Figure 16 shows the amount of carbon monoxide emitted to cook 5L of water. Notice that, once again, the dung stove prototype did not meet the proposed benchmarks. Nevertheless, the CO emissions were significantly lower than in any of the other wood stoves save for the WFP rocket with a 44% reduction in CO as compared to open wood fire!

Figure 17 shows the amount of particulate matter emitted to cook 5L of water. Notice, that the dung prototype does meet the benchmark for PM. Just barely! Once again, no other improved stove included herein met the benchmark save the WFP rocket. The improvement in PM emitted over the open wood fire was a whopping 37%!

Conclusions/Recommendations

While not meeting two of the three proposed benchmarks, the dung stove prototype demonstrates a marked improvement over most other simple, chimney-less, improved wood stoves. The benchmarks were developed as a means for comparison and as incentive to continue the great work on improving stove designs around the world. This stove has demonstrated that dung can, in fact, be burned cleanly and efficiently. Much of the carbon monoxide was emitted during the low-power simmering phase of the cooking test due to the instances of reductions in flame intensity which is crucial for completely combusting CO into CO₂.

Thus, there is room for improvement and with continued prototype development or modified operator technique those other two benchmarks could be met. This project demonstrates the need for expanded efforts in improving dung-burning. Furthermore, great potential exists for reducing exposure to harmful pollutants and reducing the economic or physical strain of high fuel use.

References:

Avallone, Baumester, Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 10^th Ed., pgs. 7.9-10

EPA, “Greenhouse Gases from Small-scale combustion devices in developing countries,” June 2000

Goyer, Ken, Rotary Fuel Efficient Stove Program in Turkey & Armenia, November 2005.(Fig 4)

Travelblog, http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/64226.html. (Figure 8)

UNHCR, “Cooking options for refugee situations”, pg. 45.

Weyer, Kristina, Photographs in Turkey and India, Turkey. (Figs. 2-3)

Witt, Mark, Odyssey in India, November, 2006. (Figure 1)

Footnote References:

¹ : Avallone, Baumester, Marks’ Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, 10^th Ed., pgs. 7.9-10

² : EPA, “Greenhouse Gases from Small-scale combustion devices in developing countries,” June 2000

Bricks from cow dung!

cidanandas@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 07:43:00 GMT

Inhabitat

ECO FLOORS MADE FROM COW POO!

by Emily Pilloton, 03/20/07

While some may look at cows as sources of meat, dairy, or leather, researchers at Michigan State University have found a more sustainable (and abundant!), yet equally useful bovine by-product: you guessed it, manure. Surprisingly, the material, when sterilized, is entirely odorless and offers some wonderful characteristics for the production of a variety of fiberboard building materials. The manure essentially replaces the role of sawdust in the production of particle boards, which would cut wood usage as well as posing a creative solution to the huge problem of agricultural waste disposal (1.5 to 2 TRILLION tons of you-know-what per year!)

The Michigan State experts say that the cowpies’ fibers are even stronger and more self-binding than their wooden counterparts. Who knew such a stinky and (rightfully) overlooked material could be so useful! Now that’s what we call “green.”

While we love the idea of using cow manure as the basic ingredient, we do have some concerns about the continued use of chemical resins as the binding agent. We’d love to see some alternative ideas so that the end product might be as green as possible. On the plus side, due to the sheer abundance of the raw materials, costs of production are literally dirt-cheap. The Michigan State researchers are currently continuing their research and development of the cow manure fiberboards thanks to a grant from the Michigan Biomass Energy Program.

+ Via MSNBC

12 Responses to “ECO FLOORS MADE FROM COW POO!”

Richie Says:

March 21st, 2007 at 8:42 am

Where do we draw the line ? As William Burroughs said in ‘Naked Lunch’, if Aliens came to our planet and observed us… they’d see us as the ‘Cow parasites’. So finding commercial uses for their dung just seems like a continuation of the ‘Bad karma’ trip we’re on with cows. We don’t grass feed most of them, which is how they’d graze in nature. Instead, we feed them cheap cooked grains laced with super high does of antibiotics and ‘rendered’ cow parts. Then we keep female cows pregant and take away their babies at birth so that they mourn their loss. Male cow babies are put in the dark in small crated in enclosures, so that they become veal. This is just a brutal and sad state of affairs. And now we’ve found a way to even ‘parasite’ their dung ? Great. Just great.

We can do better. Lets ease up on the cows, pigs and fowl. Why don’t we back off of the perspective of them being ‘products’ to be ‘havested’ as completely as possible ? And if we’re going to be so complete in our ‘use’ of their once living bodies… why do we discriminate ? Why don’t we take this approach to Human bodies as well ? That is to say why don’t we get real and use Human Milk instead ? And why don’t we use Human Flesh for ‘Leather’ ? I mean, why WASTE ANYTHING ? That’s not ‘Green’ right ?

We reap what we sow. If we create so much death and suffering amongst animals… how can we be surprised if we experience so much misery in our own experience of the world ? We get back what we put forth, or program into, the multiverse. So what will it be ?

Eric Says:

March 21st, 2007 at 11:17 am

Richie, I am all for the ethical treatment of animals, but taking their feces and making it into viable building materials is an excellent if not astonishing development. I mean, regardless of what they eat, they are still going to poop, and that poop could one day be the wall of someones house. No need to shed negative light on a development that in no way affects the animals well being.

Ali Says:

March 21st, 2007 at 11:32 am

I find it silly that these MSU students are being heralded as great inventors and forward-thinkers when cow manure has been the primary building material for many indigenous villages around the world for centuries. Villages of India use cow manure as the primary building material: forming walls, floors and roof binders. Many American visitors to the villages were appalled, but now that an MSU grad “invented” it, their perceptions have changed?

I find this sort of proclamation of achievement arrogant.

Lee Says:

March 21st, 2007 at 1:59 pm

Richie, you better check some facts, Feeding cattle feed containing Cattle is illegal( that how mad cow spreads). Using manure is probable older then domestic cattle every thing from fertilizer, fuel, those little flower potts and as Ali points out houses. I thinks it great that these students have made a flooring product or would you rather use just leave the manure in a big toxic pool that seeps into the cattle’s water supply.

As for the MSU students “inventing”, I think they mean the process of sterilizing and forming the planks not, the idea of using manure. Me personally living a hollow pile of cow manure falls in the gross idea pile. sterilization would make it more then acceptable.

Bill Says:

March 22nd, 2007 at 12:56 pm

I found a product called ‘Bovine Board’ several years ago. I don’t belive it is still in development. I have recieved a sample, from Iowa State University. I’d check the CV of the lead prof. at MSU. Maybe the same person?

Nitin Says:

March 22nd, 2007 at 2:01 pm

In buffalo and cow dung cakes have been used for generations as fuel. It is also used in India as a surfacing material and actually is very pleasant, cool in the hot summers.

Eduardo Athayde Says:

March 23rd, 2007 at 10:50 am

We are interested to partner with MSU for researches and experiments on “Eco floors from cow poo”, specially with green biding agents.
Eduardo Athayde
UMA-Atlantic Forest Open University
Director
Worldwatch Institute – Brazil
http://www.worldwatch.org
phone 55-71-81811695
e-mail: eduardo@uma.org.br

Stef Says:

March 30th, 2007 at 10:20 am

Fantastic innovation – curiuos to know if the process is PATENTED ?

Dan Wodarcyk Says:

April 1st, 2007 at 2:17 pm

The even greater breakthrough will be when the resins are eliminated, but important work nonetheless.

Stef Says:

April 2nd, 2007 at 10:18 am

Does anyone know how the floors are made ?

kim Says:

July 29th, 2007 at 4:40 am

My 11 year old son is writing a speech on global warming & we were researching the effects of cows on the environment. Whilst surfing we found your article & think it is a fantastic advance in for the disposal of cow poo. Keep up the good work & hope that one day all particle board is made using it.

gary segal Says:

September 6th, 2008 at 11:26 am

Please can some one help me I am looking for the method on making these cow Dug floors I would greatly appreciate if someone can help me
Greetings from Africa

govinda Says: Your comment is awaiting moderation.

December 17th, 2009 at 2:30 am

These techniques have been around for centuries-India/Asia….and now re-discovered in USA!

There should be no patent……all free knowledge…..it’s actually easy…

plse protect cows!Our mothers!

iscowpmauritius.co.cc

gougram on Youtube

cidanandas@gmail.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:21:00 GMT

http://www.youtube.com/user/gougram#p/u/57/Ngv1QI8i8VI

Kush grass: a great asset for farmers.

cidanandas@gmail.com — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 08:15:00 GMT

Vetiver Systems for Rural livelihood and Prosperity

by Media@Gougram.org ~ September 19th, 2009.

Usheera Grass

Usheera or Lavancha is known to Indians for at least five thousand years. But this less explored Indian grass went abroad just 25 years ago. Now people from more than 25 countries are teaching us to how to use it for organic farming to Tsunami prevention.

Ramayana stories teach us how twins of Lord Rama were brought up by sages. They were named after two living beings of Nature. The word Lava literally means a type of small bird. Kusha is a grass type. Even today an aromatic rooted grass Vetiver, having a shape of Darbha grass is called as Khus grass in Hindi. The original word derives from it’s Sanskrit root Kusha. The Hindi word Khus means joy and happiness. Thus the aromatic root of Vetiver is considered to be not only useful in Vedic rituals but also as grass to bring happiness. As a matter of fact this grass has number of functions to conserve our nature. It is a life saving drug. It is a panacea for all problems of Environment and farming.

A grass which can have its aerial blade growth up to two meters can have its root as deep as 10 meters! People often call it as living nail. This is a fact without any exaggeration. Imagine a height of one coconut tree under the ground. This is the depth of matted grass reach underneath the ground! Thus the soil binding and water harvest capacity of your land is facilitated by planting Vetiver in your village or farming land. Even bulldozers can not uproot its strong deep root systems. So this can definitely work as a “living nail” particularly in sea coasts not only to prevent Sea erosion in Monsoon months, but also dreaded Psunami currents! Many experiments with the cultivation of Vetiver to prevent land slides has also yielded. It keeps soil intact. Cement uses reduce greatly.

Other uses of Vetiver plant is hereunder:

The well grown plants yield lot of herbage in the form of leaves. This is very good material for mulching.
The tender leaf is a wonderful grass. It can be used as a very good fodder for livestock. It enriches quantity and quality of milk.
The grass blade is used for thatching roof at villages. Such friendly sheds and houses are very useful to prevent cement use in excess.
The grass blade is a good source of raw material for handicrafts. It can also be used for making hand made paper. Thus it is good resource for rural employment generation.
The root systems are very powerful to rejuvenate soil. It can improve soil fertility. It can also convert fallow lands in to fertile in course of time.
Vetiver grass can be grown in contaminated water. It can definitely work as a natural water purifier. So heavy metals of water can be purified using Vetiver. This is good in case of industrial sewage water flows in to fertile land.
Aromatic oil distilled from root is very expensive. It has good market potentials.
Roots are considered as a very good medicine in Ayurveda. It is used in Human and livestock medicine. Hyperacidity, piles, Bleeding disorders, Skin diseases, any problem with urinary tract is cured by employing various medicines containing Vetiver root.
Senegal farmers are finding very good yield, increased out put in many horticultural crops which are mixed with cultivation of Vetiver grass. Mr. Tony Cisse, a farmer says that the fruit trees are to be covered with this grass in the ground. This facilitates increased absorption of nutrients. It also helps for optimal water conservation.
Vettiver can sustain any hostile climate or situation. It can be grown in rain shadowed area also in view of making land fertile. Even mine dump can facilitate the growth of this soil. Thus the mined soil can be converted as useful soil gradually. Water clogged area, seacoast can also be ideal. Even if fire destroys the areal part, roots can generate shoot system.
Diluted Vetiver root oil is working as a very good pesticide. It can be employed to prevent many plant pathogens. It is also good termite repellent. Leaf concoction is also mild fungicidal. Roots can also be used to prevent microorganisms. It can be used in the form of fumigation.
Leaf of this grass is very good raw material for vermi compost.

Aditi Organic Certifications Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore – Dr. Sathyanarayana Bhat & Mr. Narayana Upadhyaya

Cow slaughter - India

cidanandas@gmail.com — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:50:00 GMT

illegal Cow Slaughter

I have over two hundred letters on my table complaining about illegal cow slaughter. Many of these complainants are groups who have stopped trucks stuffed with cows and calves , many of them dead of suffocation and injuries , only to have the police take a bribe and let the animals go. Uttar Pradesh has become one large slaughterhouse for cows with Mulayam Singh’s government giving licences for meat export slaughterhouses by the hundred. Rampur, Ghaziabad, Moradabad , Aligarh, Agra , this is the Muslim belt and thousands of cows are brought in daily to be killed. From Rajasthan they pour in to Mewat which is a 90% Muslim district . From the other side of Rajasthn they go in the thousands to Gujarat where they are killed in Porbandar. Daman and Diu and then the meat is taken to Mumbai. Thousands go from all over Maharashtra to be killed at Deonar illegally. From Orissa and Bihar they are herded to West Bengal and go through to Bangladesh which has a beef export of 1 lakh tones a year without having a single cow or buffalo. From Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka they are taken to Kerala where they are killed in the dozens of slaughterhouses on the border and then exported as meat to the Middle East. From Punjab , buyers with illegal certificates saying that they are for agricultural purposes bribe Laloo Prasad’s railway officials and stuff them into bogeys and take them to West Bengal.. Delhi has 11,000 illegal slaughterhouses , small shanties in the slums that kill hundreds of cows brought in from Haryana. There a genocide going on with over two lakh cows being killed per DAY. This killing is happening hand in glove with the police and district magistrates who give false certificates every day allowing cows to be loaded onto trucks. The law is clear – not more than 4 cows can be carried in one truck. Everyday , my organization catches trucks that have more than 50 cows in each.

Government looks the other way and boasts that we have the largest leather and meat export in the world. The fact that the entire leather industry is made from the skins of illegally killed cows or that the meat has come from young milch cows and their babies is irrelevant to them. The police are delighted with this crime – each truck pays the chungies and each policeman takes home thousands of bribe rupees every day from this killing. Everytime we stop a truck , it is the policeman who defend and release the truck with its suffering cargo of squashed animals. Every week there is a cow selling fair in each district , supposedly for farmers. No farmer goes there to buy. The slaughter mafia bring their trucks and pick up hundreds of animals . One person who tried to stop this in Haryana was arrested by the police on the complaint of criminals , that she was stopping their work.

Go to Bihar – most villages have no cows in them. In Andhra Pradesh rustling is a major crime – people who hold up villagers at gunpoint and take their animals for slaughter. One old woman who tried to stop a cattle truck in Gorantla, Anantapur was beaten up in full sight of the village and the police. No one intervened as the men had guns. Within ten years we will have no cows. The story of the tiger is being repeated. The government kept giving false figures to the world – we have 9000 tigers or more. When an actual headcount was done , we have less than 300 and the killing continues. We have more tigers in the zoos than in the wild. The same with the cows. Government has convinced itself that we have the largest cattle population in the world with one crore cows. Do a headcount there will be less than 20 lakh left. Anybody in rural India can tell you that. Find me a cow in Punjab or Rajasthan or even Madhya Pradesh.

The cows in the gaushalas are not any better off. Most of the gaushala managers who have been gifted the land by the government to protect cows, now run them as dairies for their own milk. The Balkeshwar gaushala in Agra has a tie up with butchers who take the non milking cows every month. In Mathura, the home of Krishna and the cows, you cannot find a single calf in any gaushala as they have all been sold because the milk of their mothers is for the gaushala managers. Hundreds of cows were sent by the Uttar Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister to Lakhimpur Kheri – supposedly to clear the streets of Lucknow. Most of them were sold by the truckers on the way to butcher shops. The few that arrived were immediately brought from the government gaushala by the meat traders, under the benign eye of the district magistrate. In Rajasthan , in Sirohi, the district magistrate gives false certificates every day to the cow traders and if the trucks are caught by activists , they are beaten by the police.

In Mumbai, the Muslims like eating only pregnant and milking cows. I have film footage of cows that are being milked ten minutes before their heads are sawn off. Their udders are sold with the meat so that the buyer knows he is eating the flesh of a mother.

The Minister for Agriculture, Sharad Pawar, who owns piggeries and poultries himself and calls himself a “modern” farmer dismisses the entire killing as the disposal of useless animals. When people try and justify animal slaughter and meat export on the basis of earning money, it would be wise to look at the actual economic contribution of these so-called useless animals that you kill. A study by the Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering put out the following figures five years ago.

Our 73 million ( this number is of 1990)draught animals work equivalent to 27 million megawatts of energy which means not only savings in terms of coal and other raw materials but also in terms of land for power projects and in pollution from noxious gases, effluents and flyash.
They provide approx 100 million tonnes of dry dung a year costing Rs 5000 crores which saves 50 million tonnes of firewood which again means that many trees saved and more environmental damage prevented. It is calculated that if these 73 million animals were to be replaced, we would need 7.3 million tractors at the cost of 2.5 lac each which would amount to an investment of 180,000 crores. In addition 2 crore, 37 lakh and 50 thousand tonnes of diesel which would mean another 57,000 crore rupees. This is how much we owe these animals, and this is what we stand to lose by killing them.

Loss of cattle deprives us of dung for fuel and fertiliser which means loss of biogas and trees cut for firewood.In 1994, India for the first time had to import cow dung from Holland. While chemical fertiliser import has gone up from about 1 crore in 1960 to about Rs 450 crores in 1990 to triple that in 2005.
Look at our other imports of animal products: Import of milk and milk powder has risen from 6 tonnes in 1950 to 65 tonnes in 1990 while butter oil has gone from half a tonne to 16 and a half tonnes. Again triple that for 2006.

16 lakh litres of water are needed daily to keep ONE moderate sized slaughterhouse clean. That is drinking water for 30 lakh people

Can a water and energy starved country like India really afford to kill cattle anymore?

- Maneka Gandhi

go gram yatra-update

cidanandas@gmail.com — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:11:00 GMT

Massive response to Gou Gram Yatra in Haryana, Punjab Yatra turning into a mass movement By Pramod Kumar A unique initiative of cow protection in Bathinda The Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra is educating the people of the experiments going on in different parts of the country for cow protection. The people who are doing new experiments are encouraged to share their experience at the Yatra halt. A similar unique initiative was reported in Bathinda, Punjab. Shri Goushala here has started a scheme—Ek Gaya Mere Parivar Ke Nam—for the last two years. Under this scheme a person resolves for feeding a cow in the memory of his/her family member or relative. He provides fodder or Rs 100 per month to the Goushala. According to Shri Rajendra Baba, treasurer of the Goushala, about 300 gobhaktas are presently associated with the Goushala under this scheme. The Goushala has also arranged carts in Bhahad to collect waste fruits, vegetables, remaining food, etc. It is taken to the Goushala everyday. The Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra has turned into a mass movement in its initial days itself. The enthusiasm developed among the people by the Yatra has started agitating the people. The speeches of the saints are infusing confidence in the people. The subyatras being taken out in many states are also awakening the people at the grass-roots level. The groups of workers are educating the people about the need of cow protection and preservation. According to Shri Hukum Chand Sanwala, vice president of the Yatra, on the first day of the Yatra itself, the people waited for hours at the places fixed to welcome the Yatra in bright sunlight. The Yatra is normally proceeding late due to unprecedented reception being accorded to it by people at different places. People stop the Yatra in mid-way and do not allow moving further till they welcome the saints, perform goupuja and express their commitment for cow protection. People in villages appear to be happier, as they feel it is for the first time that somebody is fighting for their cause. People from all sections of the society including children, youth, old and women are participating in the Yatra with full vigour and fervour. The Yatra has also cleaned the image of Indian youth who are depicted as having a penchant for anti-Indian culture by a section of the media. The youth were seen highly energetic for cow and village protection. The way the villagers extended welcome to the Yatra in Punjab is a clear indication that they are ready to fight for their rights and also for cow protection. “The Yatra is not only mobilising the common man for cow protection but is also establishing the fact that the forces committed to restore the pride of the nation have not yet weakened. Women in Hisar, Haryana, distributed more than 10,000 food packets to the gobhaktas. An emotional wave engulfed the areas of Punjab where the Yatra visited. It also received a warm welcome while entering into Jammu on October 6, which is considered highly sensitive from security point of view,” said Shri Shankarlal, secretary of the Yatra. Describing the cow as an integral part of every Hindu family, leading saint of Haridwar Swami Akhileshwaranand termed it an irony that there is a strict ban on cow slaughter in Muslim-dominated state of Jammu & Kashmir and the people are fighting for it in the Hindu-dominated states. He said if the cow is properly protected today, the Indian economy would defeat the US economy in coming 20 years. Acharya Baldev, Haryana Prant president of the Yatra and state president of Arya Samaj, described the cow slaughter as a mark of disgrace on the face of entire Hindu society. Gokarna Peethadhishwar Shankaracharya Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji said he would fight till his last breath for cow protection. It is to be noted that Shri Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji is the only saint in India who has successfully preserved all the surviving 33 breeds of Indian cows. In the year 1947, there were over a hundred breeds of Indian cows in the country but today we have only 33 breeds and some of them are at the verge of extinction. Describing the Yatra as an effort to fulfil the dreams of Gandhiji, Akhil Bharatiya Gram Vikas Pramukh of RSS Dr Dinesh said the Yatra would prove a milestone in strengthening the cow-based agriculture, social and economical structure. He was addressing a gathering at Shri Ramaclub Charitable Park in Sirsa on October 2. Citing the statistics he said at the time of Independence 90 per cent people used to live in villages, but today, due to suicidal policies of the government, the number of the people living in villages has declined to 70 per cent. People are migrating to cities due to lack of employment. Villages are turning desolated and deserted while cities are becoming overcrowded and the most unfortunate aspect of it is that our policymakers describe it as ‘development’. Drawing the attention of the gobhaktas to cow slaughter he pointed out that there are about 36,000 slaughterhouses in the country where lakhs of cattle are killed everyday. Addressing the gathering in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sewa Pramukh Shri Sitaram Kedilaya said the Yatra is an effort to establish Bharatiya swatva. Since the policymakers did not pay adequate attention to Bharatiya prakrati and sanskriti after Independence, it damaged our traditional social structure. “This Yatra will inspire the people for atmachintan and atmadarshan. It is due to negligence on the part of policymakers that farmers today do not prefer farming. The condition of agriculture will change only through the cow and her progeny. It will not only increase the fertility of the soil but will also make the people healthy and prosperous,” he said. Sant Swatantra Pal Singh of Namdhari sect said people today seem more religious but dharma has vanished from their life. He said both Indian taste and sight have changed due to Western influence. The people of Bathinda extended a warm welcome to the Yatra on October 4. The Yatra had entered into Punjab from Sri Ganganagar. People of Abohar also extended warm welcome to the Yatra. Swami Akhileshwaranand administered the people an oath for cow protection at Malaut Mandi in Muktsar. The saints also honoured three policemen at this function for liberating 18 cows being taken for slaughtereeing. Addressing the gobhaktas in Barnala Sant Surya Pratap Singh said the reason of growing suicides by farmers is the declining number of cows. Sant Chitprakashanand and Mahant Ramprakash appealed to the people to make the cow herding a habit. Addressing a massive gathering in Amritsar veteran saint Swami Parmanand said villages are becoming internal colonies of cities. “India is becoming a slave of foreign forces while our villages are becoming a slave of cities. The fact is that villages are getting backward only because of negligence of the cow and her progeny,” he said adding that self-reliant villages are necessary for healthy development of the country and a self-reliant India is necessary for welfare of the whole world. Prior to it, the Yatra received a warm welcome at Hargovind Nagar in Phagwara. The Yatra reached Bhahar city of Ludhiana in the morning, where it was welcomed with flowers by the people. A grand function was organised at Shri Gobind Goudham situated at Hambada Road. Describing the Yatra as the voice of 80 crore people, Sant Surya Pratap said protection of the cow is protection of the nature and is like visiting many pilgrimage places at one time. Namdhari Sant Shri Harpal Singh also addressed the gathering.

cow parade-india

cidanandas@gmail.com — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:52:00 GMT

Battle for Cow Protection has Began[ from dandavats.com]

By Rajaram Dasa

With the continuous ten-minute shankhnad (Blowing of Conch) by world-renowned shankhwadak Shri Shavantha, the 108-day Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra began from historic Kurukshetra on September 30. About 50,000 people including leading saints from different parts of the country such as Madhava Sampradaya, Pejawar Mutt H.H. Vishveshteertha from Udipi, H.H. Bhakti Raghava Swami, ISKCON Guru and a leading proponent of Varnashrama Dharma & Cow Protection, and others, including prominent scientists, environmentalists and agriculture experts, not only expressed their total support to the Yatra, but also firmly resolved to protect the cow, village and nature on the banks of the holy Brahma Sarovar. Beginning from Kurukshetra the Yatra will conclude in Nagpur on January 17, 2010.

A huge 160-foot-long dais was erected, which had three parts. On the middle part, there was a huge statue of our mother cow. At the right side, there were religious leaders, while on the left side, leaders from social organizations were seated.

This Yatra is an endeavor to present the whole issue in the right perspective before the countrymen so that the nation can move in the right direction. It is a fact that the protection of the human life lies in the protection of the cows and villages.

Shri Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji, who is the main guiding force behind the Yatra, said the cow slaughter is going on due to ignorance. “The farmers are not aware of the significance and usefulness of the cow. They do not know that they can earn more money from the cows that do not give milk than the cows that give milk. It is due to this ignorance that they sell the non-milk-giving cows to butchers. The day they understand it practically they will automatically stop selling them to butchers. It will be the most effective way of protecting the cow,” he said adding that the Yatra is an initiative to educate the people about this economic aspect of the cow. He further said the answer to all the problems the country is facing today is to return to the cow-centered way of life.

Madhava Sampradaya Saint H.H. Pejawar Swami Shri Vishveshteertha stressed the need to protect four things— Gou(Cow), Gram(Villages), Gita( Bhagavad Gita) and Gayatri.( Gayatri Mantra symbolizing Brahminical Culture). He said the Gita and Gayatri symbolize the spiritual power of the nation while the gram and gou symbolize the economic prosperity. He demanded to declare the cow the national animal. “One of the reasons of growing terrorism in the country is that we have tiger as the national animal. The tiger symbolizes ‘terror’, while the cow symbolizes peace and prosperity. Therefore, we must declare the cow the national animal forthwith to restore peace and prosperity in the country.”

Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswati said the Yatra would prove a milestone in protecting the cow. He further said protection of the nation lies in protection of the cow and it should be the duty of all. He reminded that great rishis and saints have said many times that till the blood of the cow will continue to fall on the earth, no religious activity will be fruitful.

Former CBI Director Sardar Joginder Singh informed that during the regime of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, if there was death sentence for any crime, it was for cow slaughter.

Rajaram Dasa
Member of Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yatra Coordination Committee
Executive Member of Andhra Pradesh Goushala

Kenya news.

cidanandas@gmail.com — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 15:11:00 GMT

//allafrica. com/stories/ 200909221344. html Herders Hard Hit as Skies Refuse to Open Up Mwangi Ndirangu 22 September 2009 Daily Nation Nairobi - When Mzee Tompo ole Ngolia drove his emaciated animals to Mt Kenya forest in June, he hoped the desperate move would save them. But for three months, he has watched in anguish as one animal after another succumbs to diseases associated with the harsh climate in the region. When he arrived at Gathiuru forest with his two wives and nine children, he had 102 head of cattle but today he has only 18. Now he is wondering what else he can do to save the remaining animals from certain death. "I had decided to sell the remaining animals but when I called a buyer, he offered to pay Sh800 per cow which in normal circumstances would fetch Sh14,000," he told the Nation recently. Mr Ngolia is among hundreds of pastoralists from Laikipia, Isiolo and Samburu who find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. With every passing day, they gaze at the clouds for a sign of rain so that they can go back home. However, the skies do not offer any hope and together with their families, they have continued to endure the harsh mountainous climate. In the last two weeks, rains have been pounding the mountainous area but where the pastoralists came from, it has remained dry. The rains and the cold weather have combined to make the lives of the herders more miserable as they are used to warmer weather. "We know our children are suffering and diseases may eventually wipe out our entire herd. However, driving back the animals to where we came from is not a solution because there, they will die of hunger," said Mr Gabriel Lepeorish from Samburu. According to veterinary officials, more than 30,000 animals have died since June because of tick-borne diseases and pneumonia. Though veterinary officers have tried to treat the animals, they are overwhelmed by the work and the cattle have continued to die. Animal carcasses litter the forest floor and an terrible stench welcomes visitors. Due to the large number of deaths, the herdsmen no longer remove the skin of the dead animals as is their tradition. "So many animals are dying in a single day and we have no time to remove the skins," said Mr Napishu, pointing at five dead cows next to his temporary dwelling deep in the forest. He said the dead animals fell sick within a day and all died the next morning of what he believes is East Coast Fever, a diseases spread by ticks. "I suspect the animals collect the brownish ticks when they venture deep into the forest to graze, an area inhabited by buffaloes and other wild animals." Another herdsman, Mr Leterian Moire has been forced to go back to his home village of Makurian in Laikipia North District after all his 17 animals died in 45 days. After losing his only source of livelihood, the father of four has joined millions of other Kenyans seeking relief food from the government and donor agencies. But his is a desperate situation as his name is not on the list of identified beneficiaries. "When the list was compiled, I was left out because I was considered a rich man because of my cattle," Mr Moire told Nation at Kiwanja food distribution centre last week. He said even if the much anticipated El Nino rains do come, he did not know where he would get money to restock. "It was horrible in Mt Kenya forest. We watched helplessly as thousands of our animals collapsed and died. Sometimes we were forced to feed on the carcasses," he said. Veterinary officials, however, said the pastoralists were partly to blame for the trouble they find themselves in. They accuse the herders of ignoring advice to dip the animals, preferring to spray them with anti-tick chemicals. "Spraying is not an effective method of killing ticks. But the herders stuck to their guns and ignored our advice to take the animals to community cattle dips next to the forest," said Laikipia East veterinary officer Kiguru Mwaura. Dr Mwaura said the Ministry of Livestock supplied free dipping chemicals but the pastoralists insist that they should be distributed to individual herdsmen. Early last month, veterinary officers from Nyeri and Laikipia held a meeting where dip committees comprising locals and the herdsmen were established. Locals, who have fewer livestock, offered the herdsmen the use of their dips for a small fee. But the pastoralists argued that the animals were not used to dipping. "Back home, we have no cattle dips and we do not intend to introduce this new concept now," said one of the herders at the meeting at Maragima village in Nyeri North District. The herders said that in any case, the animals were too weak and would die if they were dipped. But they continue to watch as their animals die, convinced that the ultimate solution will only come when the skies open up and they can start the journey back home. Some had walked for more than 200 kilometres from Wamba in Samburu East District and a huge number of animals died on the way. And the recently introduced offtake programme where pastoralists can sell their animals to the government through the Kenya Meat Commission does not seem to offer a solution. The herders feel the scheme has come too late when they have lost thousands of animals. Leaders from the pastoral areas have urged the government to increase the number of livestock it is planning to buy during the programme. Former Laikipia County Council vice- chairman Ntinai ole Monto said each of the 10 locations could only sell 10 animals at Sh8,000 per beast. Mr Monto said that hundreds of children dropped out of school to help their parents drive the animals to Mt Kenya forest. A recent survey conducted by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) and a community-based organisation estimated that about 600 children from Samburu, Isiolo and Laikipia are in the mountain. The international development agency has urged the government to intervene and ensure that the pupils resume learning. The agency has been supporting pupils from the pastoralist communities to access education through local community-based organisations. "Some of the children in our support programme have dropped out of school and are herding cattle in the forest," said SNV official Ms Lorna Atieno. "We have established that there is an estimated 600 children who have dropped out of school. Unless the government makes an urgent intervention, they may never go back to school," said Ms Otieno. END FIRST ARTICLE //www.wfp.org/ stories/kenyas- herders-devastat ed-long-rains- fail Kenyan Herders Devastated As Long Rains Fail WFP / World Food Programme 25 August, 2009 Kenya's drought has forced herders to roam further and further with their animals in search of pasture. Cattle are dying, pushing pastoralist communities into hunger and swelling the numbers of Kenyans needing food assistance MOUNT KENYA -- The smell of rotting carcasses hangs in the air. Dozens of dead cows lie scattered underneath the pine trees. Herders have migrated to this fabled mountain with thousands of cattle, desperately searching for water and pasture -- both scarce with the devastating drought. Perewan Lesakat lives about 60 kilometres away. Normally, he would never have needed to walk to Mount Kenya. But when several of his cattle became weak from hunger, he drove them further afield to graze. Now, unused to the mountain cold and already weak, his cattle are dying of pneumonia and tick-born diseases. Once numbering 120 cows, his herd is less than half that size Number of hungry surges With the failure of Kenya's 'long rains' season, the number of drought-affected people has surged to 3.8 million, compared to 2.6 million previously. Pastoralists and small-scale farmers have been hit hard. By the season's end, experts predict, half the goat and cattle population in the country's pastoral areas will be lost due to the direct and indirect effects of the drought. WFP Seeks Urgent Assistance As Kenya Sinks Deeper Into Crisis "I will continue on the way, looking after cattle. When they all die, I will go back home. I have six camels at home, I don't know what else to do, so I will go back home and look after my camels," said Lesakat. Lesakat has been here since July tending his cattle. The traditional blanket he wears seems meager protection against the mountain chill, but he is prepared to go though almost anything to ensure his animals survive. They represent almost all his wealth and are his means of living. Long-term effects Pastoralists like Lesakat also have been affected by high maize and cereal prices. Pushed up by shortages, the price of the maize, the staple food here, has doubled over the past year. To buy a 90 kilogramme bag of maize, a pastoralist would have to sell four to five goats, compared to only two previously. As long as there is hope of feeding and watering their animals, pastoralists will continue to climb Mount Kenya's slopes. But when the drought is over, the overgrazing and deforestation will scar the mountain. Indeed, the drought's costs -- the environmental degradation, the loss of people's savings and livestock -- will be felt for many years to come. END SECOND ARTICLE --

forum

cidanandas@gmail.com — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:54:00 GMT

http://iscowpmauritius.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentForums.forums

Dung best for cremation!

cidanandas@gmail.com — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 09:06:00 GMT

Cow dung cremations catch on in Bihar

The new mode of cremation has achieved widespread social acceptance

By Amarnath Tewary
BBC News, Patna, Bihar

In India's remote north-east, the people of the state of Bihar have devised a novel and environmentally friendly way to cremate their dead.

Where traditionally only the wood from a mango tree was used to fuel the funeral fire in this part of India, now people are making do with cow dung as an alternative source of fuel.

It may sound outlandish but this unique local innovation is not only catching on fast but has achieved widespread social acceptance.

Annual flooding in two districts of of northern Bihar has meant that access to mango trees is restricted.

Entire mango orchards have been swept away by the flood waters.

The new system is known as the "goraha" way of cremation. Cow dung is fashioned into a long rod-shaped cake, locally known as goraha.

Goraha is easily available and coming from herbivorous cattle, acceptable in sacred terms too. All this has helped Biharis opt for this new method of cremation.

Flooded forests

There are many factors behind the new development.

The new method is said to be more environmentally friendly

The ritual of the funeral fire consumes on average an entire mango tree.

Besides being less cumbersome and environmentally destructive, the use of cow dung cakes is also more economical.

"With the stringent restrictions over cutting green trees, the mango woods have become costlier and it even becomes difficult during the flood season to get, especially when the whole area remains chronically waterlogged for months," Professor Vidyanath Jha told the BBC.

Professor Jha, a botany professor in Darbhanga, has conducted extensive research on the goraha method of cremation in north Bihar.

He says that the perennial flooding in the area has led to a rapid depletion in forest cover. This is what ultimately forced rural people to search alternative fuels for cremations.

Only 7% of Bihar is forested. North Bihar has a meagre 1.92% forest cover.

"There are waterlogged areas like Kusheshwarasthan where mango orchards have completely been wiped out," said Professor Jha.

Under the new method of goraha cremation, people dig a large pit and arrange long rod-shaped cow dung cakes in rows set in three tiers.

The lowest tier comprises three horizontal rows arranged in a scaffolding pattern and an additional fourth layer is added when the soil is moist.

Pressure is exerted on the lower layers which breaks into smaller pieces and help absorb the soil moisture.

The lowest tier serves as the podium on which the corpse is laid in a sitting posture to minimize the surface area. A small space is left between tiers to light the pyre through performing the rituals.

The flame gradually reaches the lower layers and sets the whole body alight instantly.

Cheaper cremation

Forest cover in Bihar is rapidly disappearing

About 200kg of cow dung cakes are used for burning a corpse compared with about 240-280kg of mango wood.

"Under this system the whole body gets disposed of within one-and-half-hours, whereas in the traditional system mourners needed to be at the funeral site for three to four hours".

One has to spend only 400-500 rupees ($6-$8) in the goraha system as opposed to between 3,000 - 4,000 rupees ($62-$83) in the traditional mango-wood cremation of a dead body," said Shambhu Ram, a college employee who cremated one of his deceased relatives using the goraha one year ago.

"It's easy, cheap and consumes less time for us who are waterlogged in flood waters for three to four months every year in monsoon season," Mr Ram says.

But what happens when there is no dry area when flooding is at its worst?

"We put a kothi (earthen container) on the front portion of a country boat and then take the corpse inside it and follow the same process as in goraha. When the body gets burnt over we push the kothi in flood water," explains Shambhu Ram.

Kothi is generally used for storing grains.

"As about 40% of people in these northern districts have now opted for this new system of cremation it has become socially acceptable too," Professor Jha said.

Environmentalists say this new trend of cremation also saves mango trees from further depletion - something this flood-prone region has been distinctive for.

Greatest cow parade-India!

cidanandas@gmail.com — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 09:56:00 GMT

Kuruksetra,India.

In order to make people aware of the importance of thecow in society, the greatest

spiritualists of India,including Ramdev swami,Mataamrtaji, are participating in the greatest go-yatra ever organized in history: 20,000 kms of march...more

http://gougram.org

Immediate Purpose of the Journey

Formation of representative committee for cow protection with members from all religious sections.
Start of safe havens for cows at tehsil and district levels.
Demand to declare cow as the national animal.
Demand on the central government to formulate laws to preserve various breeds of Indian cows.
Demand for a separate ministry to handle the issues related to cow.
Demand the state governments to take responsibility of cow protection and development activities.
Demand to protect the purity of Indian breeds of cows by stopping cross breeding.
Signature campaign resulting in an appeal to the President of India with crores together signatures.

Press Coverage

16 09 09, DNA, Bangalore

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra A movement to restore smile of farmers – Swami Raghaveshwara Bharati

Sunday, July 19th, 2009

Courtesy : Organiser Weekly, New Delhi-12 July, 2009

Swami Raghaveshwara Bharati made it clear that the movement would be kept away from politics and the common man of the country would be exhorted to preserve the priceless gift of the God to the mankind. “We know the cow cannot be protected merely by enacting a central law. Basically, the countrymen need to be mentally prepared for her protection,” he said.

“The Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra is an initiative to put Indian villages on the path of sustainable development by focussing on the cow-based way-of-life. It is a massive national movement to restore freedom to the cow to live and die with dignity. It aims to bring back the smile on the faces of Indian farmers and is a pilgrimage to regain the lost soul of the nation,” said the head of Sri Ramchandrapura Math, Karnataka, and the guiding force behind the Yatra Shree Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji in New Delhi on June 27. He was talking to mediapersons at Constitution Club. Noted yoga scientist and national working president of the Yatra Samiti Dr HR Nagendra was also present on the occasion.

A comprehensive website (www.gougram.org) was also launched on the occasion to provide detailed, fast and updated information about the Yatra in Hindi, English and Kannada languages. It is worth mentioning here that the Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra will commence from Kurukshetra on September 30 and traversing through the length and breadth of the country in 108 days will conclude in Nagpur on January 17, 2010.

Swamiji informed that the Yatra is a joint endeavour of all the saints, environmentalists, scientists and scholars who wish to do something concrete for the protection and preservation of the cow and also to save the farmers from the clutches of untimely death. He announced to launch the world’s largest signature campaign for the protection of the cow demanding declaration of the cow a national animal, enactment of a central law for cow protection and stopping all kinds of cruelties on the cow and her progeny. He said millions of people belonging to even the far-off areas of the country would give their assent to the memorandum, which would be presented to the President of India Smt Pratibha Patil on January 29, 2010. A positive ambience will be developed across the country through more than 400 big public meetings to be organised at prominent places of the country, he pointed out.

He made it clear that the movement would be kept away from politics and the common man of the country would be exhorted to preserve the priceless gift of the God to the mankind. “We know the cow cannot be protected merely by enacting a central law. Basically, the countrymen need to be mentally prepared for her protection,” he said adding that the cow may be slaughtered at the slaughter-houses but the preparation for slaughter begins at the level of the farmers. Therefore, we have to create an atmosphere where the farmer is no longer compelled to sell the cow to butchers.

Dr HR Nagendra said the demand of the Indian cow is growing worldwide due to her wider usefulness. It has scientifically been proved that the milk of Indian indigenous cows decreases the cholesterol level in the blood, while the milk of cross-breed or foreign-breed cows increases it, he informed. He said the Yatra is a wake-up call given by the spiritual leaders of the nation to save the cow, the village, Bharat and the world through a positive action. Describing the village as the soul of Bharat, he said the farmer and the cow are its life. But today the farmers’ over-dependence on chemical fertilizers, pesticides and machines has led to the neglect of the indigenous cow and the bull, he lamented. The foodgrains the farmers produce have become toxic, the land has turned infertile and the ever-mounting loans drive them to death, he stated.

“It is a matter of great concern that the Indian indigenous cow is on the verge of extinction. Only 33 breeds, out of the hundreds of varieties, survive today. There is a dire need to save and protect them. We have to wake up to this urgent need and work out a comprehensive plan to rehabilitate them,” he said adding that the answer to all such problems lies in returning to the cow-centered way-of-life. The cow and the farmers are the two eyes of the nation. They have to move together if we have to live a happy life.

Talking about the action plan to save the cow and her progeny, Dr Nagendra emphasised that the farmers need to rear indigenous cows and bulls for ploughing, manure and transportation. Cows should be reared not just for milk but also for dung and urine so that cow keeping becomes economically viable. Artificial insemination and cross-breeding of the cow should be avoided. Gavya industries should be established in villages to manufacture health care and cosmetic products. It will generate additional income for the farmers and will make the cow-rearing a profitable proposition. The farmers should adopt eco-friendly methods of cultivation, organic farming and preservation of nature, he suggested.

By Pramod Kumar

Cow-protection International launches

cidanandas@gmail.com — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:26:00 GMT

Cow-protection International, a free website powered by Terapad.com (http://www.terapad.com/) was launched today featuring online shopping, forums, image gallery, event calendar, blog, and more.

Cow-protection International can be accessed at http://iscowpmauritius.terapad.com/.

ISCOWP-MAURITIUS

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Press Coverage

16 09 09, DNA, Bangalore

Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra A movement to restore smile of farmers – Swami Raghaveshwara Bharati

Cow-protection International launches