Walking a Cow: February-March 2010

brunob · May 15th, 2009, 21:31

Hi everyone,
We are planning to walk our beautiful cow Lakshmi home from Pushkar in Rajasthan to Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh, about 700km. We'll take it slowly, visiting villages, temples and ashrams on the way, learning about our own connection to India, to the world, to each other and to ourselves...
We are still in the planning phase, and much will depend on the people that join us. As this is meant to be a joined effort, there is no one 'organizing' it for anyone else. Anybody that wants to join will be both 'organizer' and 'participant'. We'll plan together, work together and eventually travel together.
Maybe I should introduce myself: I am Bruno from Belgium. I've travelled, lived and worked in India for long periods during the last ten years. I speak Hindi fluently and I know the North Indian village culture quite well. My old friend and companion Radhebaba, with whom I founded a non-profit trust a few years back, will be joining us as well, and a number of other people have expressed their enthousiasm. I'm guessing we'll have a central group ready by september or october...
We would love this project to come true. Imagine: an international group of people travelling on foot, at the speed of a cow, through the villages, fields and jungle of North-India, from the desert sands of Rajasthan to the fertile Ganga valley... it seems lke a dream, but one that can come true!
If you're in any way interested in this project, please let me know... This journey could become your own journey!
Much Love
Bruno

Nick-H · May 15th, 2009, 22:49

It sounds entrancing.

It sounds like a dream --- but if you do it, then wow!

gobbledegeek · May 15th, 2009, 23:10

Novel way to kill a sweet cow.

why take the cow along?

Regards

Anne F Gorrissen · May 15th, 2009, 23:30

Keep us informed. It could be a moving IndiaMike meet up.

vireya · May 16th, 2009, 05:18

How long are you planning to take? A cow can't walk all day, she needs to spend a lot of time each day eating and chewing her cud. Apparently about 8 hours a day eating, according to this site:
http://www.mscao.com/cow%20stuff.htm
Which also says a cow spends 13 hours a day lying down. So if you put those two figures together, that gives you about 3 hours a day left for walking. I don't know how fast a cow walks (but apparently they can run at a top speed of 27 km per hour) but I don't think you will get very far in 3 hours.

How will ensure enough food and water for the cow? 40kg of food per day, 40 litres of water a day, will you carry that with you through the desert?

Be fair to the cow - send her by vehicle, and do the walk on your own. People can make those sort of choices, but it isn't right to force it on the cow.

indiaddict · May 16th, 2009, 05:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by vireya

Be fair to the cow - send her by vehicle, and do the walk on your own. People can make those sort of choices, but it isn't right to force it on the cow.

Honestly, Brunob - do you want to kill the cow????????

Cows are not make for walking!!!!!

livinhimalayas · May 16th, 2009, 13:35

Best of luck Bruno with your project.

brunob · May 16th, 2009, 15:53

If I count that right, 13 hours of lying down and 8 hours of shewing food leaves 5 hours for walking. It's a 650 km trip, so if we want to do it in two months, we need to make an avarage of 10 or 11 km a day. I guess 3 hours would do. Of course, some days we might walk a little less, some days a litle more. But 5 hours seems like enough time to avarage 11 km... We need to stop at noon for making food, and we won't walk after dark. So most of the walking will be done in early morning. We'll have a bullock cart or two joining us for taking food and water for us and for the cows and bullocks, some tents, etc. We'll pass through many villages, and it should be possible to buy some extra chara for the cow and stock up on water... We might take one or two cows more, just to make sure Lakhsmi won't feel lonely. But then we'll need a bigger supply, of course.
In the weeks before the trip, I'm planning to drive a jeep to check out the route and to see where we can stock up. If I can notify some villagers in advance, I think it will be more easy to get what we need on the spot.
I realize a good preparation will be half the work. I confess that this is still a 'fresh' plan, so all your reactions surely make me think twice about all things that need to be thougth about. I did ask many farmers and cowherds in India, though, and people there assured me that it should nood be a problem for the cow, as long as she's got enough food, water and time to rest.
Leaving the cow and doing the walk could be an option, but since it all started with her, and she's the prime reason for doing this trip, I think I should take her along.

Thanks everybody for your reactions! Keep them coming! It means a lot to me, as your questions and thoughts are really challenging and will surely help me make the right decisions!

Love to all

Bruno

brunob · May 16th, 2009, 16:17

Oh, and of course, we'll have a mobile phone to find help in case of emergency. A cow is not a chicken! She can and will communicate her distress if there is some. (Sorry if I offended chicken with this one, but my commununication with them never really took off).
We won't force her to walk more than she can and wants to. We'll keep her well fed and try to even spoil her on the way. If we cannot do this for some practical reason, I'll make sure she will get picked up and brought to a better place.
The first concern is the cow. You're absolutely right: people can make their own decisions, but if we are smart and keep the wellbeing of our fellow creatures in mind, we can make the right decisions for them, too. Even for a chicken...

Love, and please keep sending your thoughts on this one!

Bruno

paratmoshe · May 16th, 2009, 16:50

Good luck with your project.It is always so great to hear about people who dare do things that are a bit off the beaten track. If the cow takes it well and can cope it will be a great adventure!It will take a long time though! How much time have you got? All the best to you and to Lakshmi the cow!

Keep us informed how things are going!

brunob · May 16th, 2009, 17:03

I made a reply earlier in which I explained a little more about the project. In fact, that reply was made before the one that you see above. I guess it takes a little more time to approve of this reply. I hope it will be shown soon, and in the proper order (before the one shown above). Moderator, can you do this for me?

Thank you!

vireya · May 16th, 2009, 20:39

Thanks for correcting my maths. Never my best subject, I'm afraid.

livinhimalayas · May 16th, 2009, 20:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by brunob

If I count that right, 13 hours of lying down and 8 hours of shewing food leaves 5 hours for walking.

13+8+5 = 26
I know I m nit picking but a day is only 24 hours long! So I guess you will be doing only 3 hours not 5 hours of walking a day.
Doesn't matter. Walking a cow is better than transporting it in a truck where I have seen them tied in such a manner that they can't sit and get hurt due to awful driving. If you take care of the cow and walk at her pace there is not reason why this should fail. best of luck again.

jituyadav · May 16th, 2009, 22:43

Though I am less informed about the purpose of walking a cow, but I fully agree with livinhimalayas that transporting a cow is such a torture on the animal. Walking is natural to cow and there is no problem whatsoever.

mridula · May 16th, 2009, 22:53

Walking a cow and before that driving a tempo to Ladakh!

It gets discussed only on Indiamike!

May 15th, 2009, 21:31	#1
brunob Account Closed Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Belgium Posts: 6	Walking a Cow: February-March 2010 Hi everyone, We are planning to walk our beautiful cow Lakshmi home from Pushkar in Rajasthan to Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh, about 700km. We'll take it slowly, visiting villages, temples and ashrams on the way, learning about our own connection to India, to the world, to each other and to ourselves... We are still in the planning phase, and much will depend on the people that join us. As this is meant to be a joined effort, there is no one 'organizing' it for anyone else. Anybody that wants to join will be both 'organizer' and 'participant'. We'll plan together, work together and eventually travel together. Maybe I should introduce myself: I am Bruno from Belgium. I've travelled, lived and worked in India for long periods during the last ten years. I speak Hindi fluently and I know the North Indian village culture quite well. My old friend and companion Radhebaba, with whom I founded a non-profit trust a few years back, will be joining us as well, and a number of other people have expressed their enthousiasm. I'm guessing we'll have a central group ready by september or october... We would love this project to come true. Imagine: an international group of people travelling on foot, at the speed of a cow, through the villages, fields and jungle of North-India, from the desert sands of Rajasthan to the fertile Ganga valley... it seems lke a dream, but one that can come true! If you're in any way interested in this project, please let me know... This journey could become your own journey! Much Love Bruno

May 16th, 2009, 13:35	#7
livinhimalayas still learning Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: The Abode of Snow Posts: 3,341	Best of luck Bruno with your project. __________________ He that would live in peace and at ease must not speak all he knows or all he sees. - Benjamin Franklin

May 16th, 2009, 15:53	#8
brunob Account Closed Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Belgium Posts: 6	Thanks for the concerns! If I count that right, 13 hours of lying down and 8 hours of shewing food leaves 5 hours for walking. It's a 650 km trip, so if we want to do it in two months, we need to make an avarage of 10 or 11 km a day. I guess 3 hours would do. Of course, some days we might walk a little less, some days a litle more. But 5 hours seems like enough time to avarage 11 km... We need to stop at noon for making food, and we won't walk after dark. So most of the walking will be done in early morning. We'll have a bullock cart or two joining us for taking food and water for us and for the cows and bullocks, some tents, etc. We'll pass through many villages, and it should be possible to buy some extra chara for the cow and stock up on water... We might take one or two cows more, just to make sure Lakhsmi won't feel lonely. But then we'll need a bigger supply, of course. In the weeks before the trip, I'm planning to drive a jeep to check out the route and to see where we can stock up. If I can notify some villagers in advance, I think it will be more easy to get what we need on the spot. I realize a good preparation will be half the work. I confess that this is still a 'fresh' plan, so all your reactions surely make me think twice about all things that need to be thougth about. I did ask many farmers and cowherds in India, though, and people there assured me that it should nood be a problem for the cow, as long as she's got enough food, water and time to rest. Leaving the cow and doing the walk could be an option, but since it all started with her, and she's the prime reason for doing this trip, I think I should take her along. Thanks everybody for your reactions! Keep them coming! It means a lot to me, as your questions and thoughts are really challenging and will surely help me make the right decisions! Love to all Bruno

May 16th, 2009, 16:17	#9
brunob Account Closed Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Belgium Posts: 6	In case of emergency Oh, and of course, we'll have a mobile phone to find help in case of emergency. A cow is not a chicken! She can and will communicate her distress if there is some. (Sorry if I offended chicken with this one, but my commununication with them never really took off). We won't force her to walk more than she can and wants to. We'll keep her well fed and try to even spoil her on the way. If we cannot do this for some practical reason, I'll make sure she will get picked up and brought to a better place. The first concern is the cow. You're absolutely right: people can make their own decisions, but if we are smart and keep the wellbeing of our fellow creatures in mind, we can make the right decisions for them, too. Even for a chicken... Love, and please keep sending your thoughts on this one! Bruno

May 16th, 2009, 16:50	#10
paratmoshe Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Luxembourg Posts: 91	walking a cow Good luck with your project.It is always so great to hear about people who dare do things that are a bit off the beaten track. If the cow takes it well and can cope it will be a great adventure!It will take a long time though! How much time have you got? All the best to you and to Lakshmi the cow! Keep us informed how things are going!

May 15th, 2009, 22:49	#2
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,213	It sounds entrancing. It sounds like a dream --- but if you do it, then wow!

May 15th, 2009, 23:10	#3
gobbledegeek Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Pune, india Posts: 280	Novel way to kill a sweet cow. why take the cow along? Regards

May 15th, 2009, 23:30	#4
Anne F Gorrissen Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: New York City Posts: 28	Keep us informed. It could be a moving IndiaMike meet up.

May 16th, 2009, 05:18	#5
vireya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 425	How long are you planning to take? A cow can't walk all day, she needs to spend a lot of time each day eating and chewing her cud. Apparently about 8 hours a day eating, according to this site: http://www.mscao.com/cow%20stuff.htm Which also says a cow spends 13 hours a day lying down. So if you put those two figures together, that gives you about 3 hours a day left for walking. I don't know how fast a cow walks (but apparently they can run at a top speed of 27 km per hour) but I don't think you will get very far in 3 hours. How will ensure enough food and water for the cow? 40kg of food per day, 40 litres of water a day, will you carry that with you through the desert? Be fair to the cow - send her by vehicle, and do the walk on your own. People can make those sort of choices, but it isn't right to force it on the cow.

May 16th, 2009, 17:03	#11
brunob Account Closed Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Belgium Posts: 6	Previous reply I made a reply earlier in which I explained a little more about the project. In fact, that reply was made before the one that you see above. I guess it takes a little more time to approve of this reply. I hope it will be shown soon, and in the proper order (before the one shown above). Moderator, can you do this for me? Thank you!

May 16th, 2009, 20:39	#12
vireya Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 425	Thanks for correcting my maths. Never my best subject, I'm afraid.

May 16th, 2009, 22:43	#14
jituyadav Humble servant of the self Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Delhi Posts: 613	Though I am less informed about the purpose of walking a cow, but I fully agree with livinhimalayas that transporting a cow is such a torture on the animal. Walking is natural to cow and there is no problem whatsoever. __________________ I started with nothing and I still have most of it!

May 16th, 2009, 22:53	#15
mridula Sair Kar Duniya Ki Galib , Jindagani Fir Kahan ... Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: India Posts: 2,587	Walking a cow and before that driving a tempo to Ladakh! It gets discussed only on Indiamike! __________________ Mridula Travel Tales from India

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