U.P. farmer performs last rites for ox, follows Hindu rituals, organises feast

An Uttar Pradesh farmer set a novel example before people by performing the last rites of his ox as per Hindu rituals and organised a feast for as many as 1,000 people 13 days after the death of his bovine (tehravi Ceremony).

Ramu, the bovine of farmer Pappu Yadav, who is a resident of Sikrora Bhur village under Gunnaur panchaya in Sambhal district, was suffering from a prolonged illness for the past few months. Yadav loved Ramu like his own child, and provided him with every every possible medical treatment in a bid to restore its health, but the bovine succumbed to his illness 12 days ago.

Yadav not only cremated the bovine as per Hindu rites, but also organised a prayer meet where hymns of the Ramayana were read out and organised a feast for 1,000 people on the 13the day after its death.

The aggrieved farmer also got condolence cards printed and appealed to villagers to join in the condolence prayer and feast.

Yadav described Ramu as his family's breadwinner, adding that the bovine was working with him for ten hours at a stretch every day till the day it fell ill.

Ramu was one of the two oxen the farmer had bought 12 years ago.

After taking advice from his family and the village elders, Yadav organised Ramu's 13th day ceremony and decided to erect a memorial for the bovine.

Yadav said that he had invited nearly 3,000 people, including politicians, for the condolence meeting.

His family said that by organising Ramu's last rites as per Hindu rituals, they wanted to send out a message to those who are cruel to animals.

"We reared the ox for so many years, and when it died, we cremated him and performed his last rites, organised an 'akhand paath' and a feast, as people organised tehravi for the peace of the departed soul. We invited 3,000 to 3,500 people for the feast from the district and other places. Our relatives came from Delhi and Ghaziabad and other places to join us in this moment of grief," said Pappu Yadav.

"We were very attached to Ramu, and thus, we also erected a memorial for him. We performed all the rites and organised a prayer and a feast to send out a message to those people who don't love animals and use them as tissue paper. As long as bovines work for them or provide milk, they rear cattle as their child, but when cattle are not in condition to provide service or fall ill or stop giving milk, people abandon them. We want this practice to end. I performed all those rites of the ox that I had performed for my departed father, Yadav added.