Gomatha’s Near and Dear – Sheik Jameel

Courtesy :Reports by K.S.Sarathy, Eenadu, Adilabad and M.Manikeswar, ETV-2.

HUNDRED COWS….. just escaped knives of killers!! Famished and miserable no more- they are able to get stomach full of green fodder. Able to have cool shade today.  All this is due to that punyavan – Jameel of Adilabad. He swears he does this because of his chemistry with the cows! Jameel belonged to Nagalkonda village near Narnoor of Adilabad district. He is a peasant child.  Never went to school.  Tended cows ever since he was 10.  He was the cowherd for the 30 cows that their family owned. He did agriculture when he was older. Then he came to Adilabad looking seeking better pastures.  He learnt tailoring while staying with a relative Syed and opened a tailoring shop. Later he started selling steel cabinets and graduated into real estate business.  Over the past 20 years he has settled well in life.

 

All this was his journey in material world. Wherever he was, his heart never moved away from Gomatha! Whenever he went to the village, he used to hug and caress cows at every opportunity. He used to visit the cow fair in Adilabad.  During the 2008 fair, he came across two cows being sold off by a farmer to the beef merchants  and was deeply disturbed. Cow is a noble beast, equal to mother…. who he holds dear to heart and could not stand their sale to the slaughterhouse.  He paid Rs.12,000 on the spot and brought them home. The following week, he took Rs.50,000  and bought 15 cows from the cattle sellers. At the same time he made a small fortune in the real estate business. Jameel attributes his favourable luck directly to the boundless love he shows towards Gomatha. Since then he used to buy atleast 10 cows every month. To accommodate them he bought one acre land on Ankoli road, two km from Adilabad. He arranged for a borewell, started growing grass in one segment, employed 5 persons to mind them. A veterinarian comes everyday to inspect the cows.  Today 100 cows and 30 calves are under his care.  Of these 20 are bull calves. He buys dried fodder and feed too.  His yearly expenses come to Rs.5 lakhs per annum.  When confronted with the question if all this is not financial burden, he smilingly replies, ‘it is a bargain for love and immense satisfaction which nothing can match’.

 

Farmers usually sell cows to slaughterhouses because they are no more financially remunerative. Some sell because it is tough to care for them during summer and some are sold because they are diseased. Jameel buys them and gets their health assessed.  All cows coming here will invariably be famished.  Some are administered saline injections.  Initially they are fed green fodder more.  If necessary they are taken to government veterinary hospital in the district headquarters. One cow needed a major surgery once.

 

Jameel’s day starts at 5 am when he is present at the Goshala, stays till 8 am and supervises provision of feed and water to all the cows. Again he visits the Goshala at 5 pm. Jameel doesn’t look for any financial return from the cows and calves there. He doesn’t even allow their milking and leaves it for the calves – a testimony of his large heart! He has a buffalo at home for his dairy requirements. “ I believe God rewards those who care for the Gomatha, I don’t look for an iota of financial benefit from their upkeep. Calves will stay here for eternity, bull calves are sold to farming community for their work.  I haven’t decided that I will carry this work for a limited time, I will continue this task as long as I am financially self-supporting” says Jameel. He stores feed requirements for 2 months’ period. All the family members of Jameel household care for the cows during their vacations.

Gandhiji said that a nation’s greatness and morality is reflected in the love it’s people show on the voiceless animals.  Sheik Jameel is a beautiful example for this!

 

 

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