Is the yathra an unavoidable journey ?

Yes, it is not an imagined need. It is the need of a nation which has reached the stage of do or die. The modern man is torn between opposites and contradictions :

Peace Vs. pleasure, natural Vs. mechanical, empathy Vs. selfishness, nature Vs. human, long-sight Vs. short-sight, holistic benefit Vs. financial gains, agriculture Vs. industry, cow dependent agriculture Vs. mechanised agriculture, village Vs. city, quality Vs. quantity, wholesome meal Vs. junk food, sound sleep Vs. intoxicated slumber… Compared to the consequence of such a strife, external terrorism is insignificant.

Farmer is trying to suck its essence from the land. He considers home grown seeds, the cows and manure from his cattle shed as useless. He approaches international corporations for hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, and farming equipment. For a few years he gets an illusion of prosperity with better yield and larger income. He educates his children in cities, preparing them to distance from the villages and farming. Over the years, with the use of distorted farming methods, his land increasingly loses its nutrients. His yields reduce, debts and miseries increase and he takes the extreme step of suicide.

This is not an isolated story, but the fate of common farmers who represent 70% of our population.

From another point of view, humans are better.

• Wild animals which used to be counted in thousands are now in hundreds.
• The surface of earth is getting barren; it is a surprise that some forest still survives.
• The cow population, the life-support of farmer, is diminishing.
• Only 33 of more than 70 species of Indian cows have survived. In some of these remnant species, we can count only ten or twenty cows in all.
• In 60 years, the count of slaughter houses has increased from about 300 to 35,000.
• The nation has lost 80% of cow population since independence.

A lasting correction to the sad situation is the imminent need and challenge. Our best choice is Cow Centred Village Life. Mutual dependence, care, respect, and concern for common good of all the living beings is the core of this philosophy. This truth becomes evident every moment of life.

‘Vishwa Mangala Gou Grama Yathra’ will carry these sacred messages to the nook and corner of India. Please reflect on its importance.