Photo by: Sharath G

‘Gaia’ or Cow is often referred to as mother as per our scriptures and tradition. It is also said that the various demigods reside in a cow’s body and thus, worshipping a cow daily is equal to the worship of 33 crores Hindu Gods. According to Bhagwat Gita, taking care of cows is synonymous to serving Lord Vishnu. Cow in Hinduism is a symbol of “mother earth” and hence ‘Maia’.

The cow is so vital to life, the virtual sustainer of life for many humans. Cows  are primarily used for agriculture in India, one of the major sources of livelihood with more than 60% of the population engaged directly or indirectly in the ecosystem. Cows are used for activities right from farming, irrigation, milking cattle, and providing organic fertiliser (manure) to Biogas for family sustenance. The cow only gives – and demands so little from us! 

Boondein is on its mission to protect and care for this divine creature by supporting and enabling the trusted Gaushalas, community cow shelters and Cow Protection NGOs that are working at grass-root levels and be a part of the Cow Protection movement. The various initiatives taken by Boondein are focused towards:

Photo by: Mathaye

When a Gaia Maia (Cow) gets old and cannot be used for any commercial purpose, they are often left to wander on streets without any food/water. Even many of the farmers are unable to take care of their ageing cows due to financial inability and debt. Many times they are either left to the mercy of the local butcher or worse are injured by the heavy movement of vehicles across the cities.

We at Boondein want to protect these cows and take care of them. Under this initiative of Gau-Seva, Boondein aims and promotes protecting as many cows as possible and sending them to our partner Gaushalas for:

Photo: Shruti Singh

As per our scriptures and Vedas, feeding cows is one of the noblest deeds , helping one to ward off evil and get ahead in life. Depending on a person’s planetary influences and situation, different food items are recommended that should be offered to cows to help alleviate a grievance. From a nutritional perspective, cows require different types of proteins and fodder at various stages of life. These specific food items are also known to increase the good karma of the giver and enhance the wealth and prosperity, such as:

Apart from the astrological benefits, these foods provide the extra nourishment that cows need (rather than just plain grass and water) and Boondein helps you to bridge this gap with effective and assured last-mile food-distribution to cow-shelters. Special arrangements/donations specific to astrological conditions can be made available too.

Photo: Lyndsey Abel

Gaushalas have existed since the time of Sri Krishna and are a part of our Indian culture and heritage. However, due to urbanisation and with time, we are moving away from our culture and forgetting the values that were instilled in us, one of which is taking care of animals. 

Boondein has partnered with various Gaushalas across India and enables them to be more effective in their mission to take care of cows. It seems easy from a distance, but it takes a lot of effort and resources to manage these gaushalas, especially for the non-milking cattle, and each cow needs an average of about INR 100/day for proper upkeep. We act as an aggregator to help these Gaushalas flourish, by mobilising funds and ensuring their proper last-mile distribution and effective usage. To that end, any donation that is made can be traced to one of the partnered Gaushala with details of implementation and progress reports. 

Apart from these programmes, various workshops and training programmes are in the pipeline which will be in the following areas,

Photo: Vikram S

Adopt a cow – and help to rehabilitate and nurture the Gaia Maia – which otherwise would become “stray” and get subjected to unimaginable living conditions. Boondein as a team has decided to work on this and is enabling an army of volunteers and animal/cow welfare enthusiasts to take care of the stray, abandoned cows and attach them to partner gaushalas for their protection and welfare. Besides adding good karma, take away the satisfaction of doing a noble deed for one of the noblest and most giving creature on the planet.