TANGENTSBy Ihtisham Kabir
Can't Live <i>With Them, Can't Live</i> Without Them
Better to eat the neighbour's hay. Photo: Ihtisham Kabir
Perhaps the title of this essay led you to believe we are discussing the opposite sex. Sorry to disappoint: today our topic is the cow. They are barely noticeable in Dhaka outside of Bakra Eid time, but cows are an integral part of village life. Their uses are well-known. What is less obvious is that cows are also a nuisance for villagers. Put another way, my cow is (mainly) useful but your cow is (always) a nuisance. Why, you ask? After all, don't we all have a soft spot for this gentle creature that among other things - helped us pass essay writing in Class IV? (“The cow has two eyes, two ears and one tail.” Remember?) Why should this docile, grass-chewing, herbivorous creature be a nuisance? The answer is because he will chew the leaves of your trees before you can shout “Stop!” Let's say after months of searching you finally locate a good Thai longan seedling at a nursery in Joydebpur. So, one morning, braving traffic jams and angry garment workers, you go there to personally inspect and buy it. You have prepared the ground with a hole and some rotten cow-dung to fertilize it. You plant the tree tenderly with your own hands as visions of sugary longans dance in your head. A few days later, the neighbour's cow saunters over for a visit. He is feeling hungry from the exertion and checks out what is on offer. “Mmmm, those leaves on that little tree look yummy,” he thinks, and proceeds to chew up all the leaves of your longan tree. So now your precious tree looks no different than any other stick in the ground. This need not be a total catastrophe. If you are lucky, the attack took place during rainy season and the tree will probably produce shoots again. Because of the attack, you are likely to take even better care of it and it might grow fine. The problem is that the cow might strike again. Or he may wander over to the new jackfruit seedlings you have planted with tender loving care. There is nothing closer to the cow's heart than jackfruit leaves. So, like other villagers, you protect your seedlings with the cylindrical fences called Hupri. Not to be outdone, the cow will use his head and shoulders to ram the Hupri into the ground so he can get to the leaves. Therefore, you must continually reinforce the Hupri with stakes in the ground. There is a more drastic solution. It is called the Khoar. This is like a prison for cows in our villages. If you bring a cow to the Khoar, you get Taka 25. However, to release your cow, you pay Taka 50. If all else fails, there is always Kebabs. But be warned: this might provoke your neighbor to sneak in and chop down that Rambutan tree of yours that is almost ready to bear fruit!
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