Hyderabad :  The Three Day Desi Cow Utsav which kicked off yesterday has

been drawing huge crowd.  More than 6000 people have visited on the day one and similar number is seen on the day two.

The display of number of cows has gone up on day two.  The cows that are drawing huge crowds are Ongole Breed, Kapila variety in Ongole breed, Gir Breed from Saurashtra region of Gujarat.  Another start attraction on the day two was Punganur, a dwarf cattle from Andhra Pradesh.  It is the smallest cow.  The hieight which so far recorded was 3.3ft in Kerala and 3.7 in Longon.  And now the cow on display at Desi Cow Mela is just 2.6ft.  It is the world’s smallest cow.  It is soon going to be entered into Guinness Book of World Records, informed Mr. P. Srinivas Rao, who looks after the cow.  This Punganur variety cow is the miniature female cow.  It gives 3-5 litres.  And it costs Rs 15000 to Rs 1 lakh, informed Mr. Srinivas Rao.

The Punganur dwarf cow, which originated in Chitoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India, is considered one of the world’s smallest cows. It is the world’s shortest, humped cattle. The Punganur breed’s milk has a high fat content and is rich in medicinal properties. It is also highly drought resistant, and able to survive exclusively on dry fodder.

The Punganur is on the verge of extinction, with some 60 odd animals remaining. This decline is mainly due to the Indian Government’s somewhat short-sighted objective of ‘bettering’ Indian cattle breeds with an influx of Holstein-Friesian and Jersey cattle traits from developed countries, and banning the rearing of native bull breeds. The remaining Punganur cattle are being reared mainly on the Government Livestock Farm, Palamaner, Chittoor district, while a small informal group of private breeders are also working on reviving the species. It is not officially recognised as a breed since there are only a few animals remaining.

Punganur cow is a craze among the rich informed Mr. Rao.  The world’s shortest cow, the Punganur dwarf cow, now is an endangered species, is most sought after in Greater Hyderabad due its high-fat milk yield, low weight, and small size. This cow has become a new found craze, a status symbol and the moneyed class in the state.  This cow is believed to bring good luck.  Many rich, people from high society and VIPs choose to rear this breed. Among those rich and high society people who are proud owners of this variety are Nandamuri Harikrishna, Son of late Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Member of Rajya Sabha, Politician and TTD Chairman Kanumuri Bapi Raju. Even our current Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said to have shown interest in this variety.

May be because of so much craze associated with this little animal, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) said to have many Punganur cows.  It said to have about well over 200 such cows and the ghee from them is used in offering for Lord Venkateshwara.

Another Cow which was star attraction on the day two was Kapila type in Ongole breed. The pure black in colour cow is said to be costing around Rs 5lakhs to 6 lakhs. It is also carze among the many in the state informed Mr. Purnchander Rao Veermachaneni, Proprietor of VBC Livestock Agency.  Kapila cow  got its name from Kapila Rishi, is small in stature and not just its milk, but even the dung and the urine are supposed to be highly medicinal. Kapila itself is highly resistant to diseases and usually is not afflicted by fatal maladies.

Gir variety of cows from Saurashtra region of Gujarat said to be best yielding cows. They give about 20 to 25 litres of milk.  Rest of the varieties of cows such as Sahiwal, Red Sindhi, Tharparkar, Deoni, Kankrej and other give milk anywhere in the range of 6 litres to 15 litres and cost from Rs 30,000 to Rs two lakhs.

Workshop and Seminar held on Thursday. The speaker include Dr. Philip Anand Kumar, Dr. Ganga Satyam Raju, Dr. Jayakrishna, Dr. Anuradha and others.  Importance od Desi Cow Milk, Cow Products and their utility as preventive and curative subjects were addressed by these speakers.  The day too witness huge crowd from the morning,  Nearly 8000 people visited the Desi Cow Utsav and were busy booking milk, buying Cow Products, Listening to speakers, doing Saptha Go Pradakshina.  Thursday being the auspicious day for Go Pradakshina, lot of spiritually interested people seen doing pradakshina.

This first of its kind, maiden and unique event is organised jointly by Dr. BRKR Government Ayurvedic College and Charaka Dairy to spread the importance of Desi Cow Milk. The three day event which will be open to till 30th March was inaugurated yesterday by Dr. K.P. Srivasuki, IFS, CEO, A.P. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Board, Hyderabad.

Addressing the gathering immediately after the inauguration on Wednesday Dr. K.P Srivasuki, CEO, A.P. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Board said Cow in its lifespan feeds 4,40,000 people. One cow is sufficient enough to do farming in 30 acres. Desi Cow Utsav is a very laudable program to highlight the importance of Desi Cow to present generation, who may not know so much about Indian Cow. And added that Desi Cows due to flappy-neck and Suryaketu nadi absorbs cosmic energy because of which Cows have great immunity power. That is how cows are very useful medicinally.

Adding further he appealed to all those farmers and Dairy Farm owner who nuture Desi Cows also to grow medicinal plants particularly Shatavari (Asparagus racemosus), a climbing plant which grows in low jungles areas throughout India. Consumption of Shatavari stimulates milk production and nurtures the ovaries he said.  Shatavari is Sanskrit for, “she who posses one hundred husbands” and in ayurvedic medicine of ancient India it is considered the most important rejuvenative plant for women he said.  And informed that to encourage growing of Shatavari, A.P. Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Board is offering Rs 3700 per acre as subsidy.  The board has extended financial assistance to Krushi Vignana Kendra in Jammikunta in Karimnagar District to the extend of Rs 20 lakh for setting up a nursery of medicinal plants.

He added that the herb Coleus forskohlii is another important medicinal plant which has a long-standing important role in fighting obesity. And the government is preparing a plan to help farmers grow these plants in about 4000acres in the state of Andhra Pradesh.

There is no entry fee. Anybody and everybody can visit. It will be open to public from 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM. The organisers have made elaborate arrangements. Cultural programmes and spiritual programmes will be held in the evening.