- Tuesday, March 04, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), a statutory advisory body advising the Indian government’s ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, has withdrawn the appeal to people to celebrate February 14 as ‘Cow Hug Day’.
In a fresh notice, it said, “As directed by the Competent Authority and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying the appeal issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India for the celebration of Cow Hug Day on 14th February, 2023 stands withdrawn.”
Earlier, the AWBI had issued a notice appealing to people to hug cows, considered sacred in Hindu religion, on February 14, the day which is widely celebrated as Valentine’s Day across the world and in India.
The board slammed the “dazzle of western civilisation” and said vedic traditions were “almost on the verge of extinction due to the progress of west culture over time.”
It also opined that celebrating February 14 as Cow Hug Day will bring “emotional richness” and raise “individual and collective happiness”.
The appeal had also received backing from Giriraj Singh, the rural development minister in the Narendra Modi government, who said everyone should love cows.
When asked about the advisory issued on the direction of the ministry of animal husbandry and dairying, Singh, called it a good initiative.
Valentine’s Day, which originated as a Christian feast day, has become popular in India over the decades and people, particularly the youngsters, celebrate the occasion with flowers, gifts, chocolates, etc. which also receives a big boost from mass-marketing campaigns.
However, the muscular variant of Hindu national politics opposes the celebration alleging that it promotes corrupt values and there have been several occasions where Hindu right-wing elements have been found physically and verbally targeting young couples celebrating the day romantically.
Shops selling Valentine’s cards, decorations and gifts have also been attacked.
Many attacks by the moral police have been targeted at women as it has been said that Valentine’s Day encourages female promiscuity and vulgarism.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of India led by prime minister Narendra Modi has been promoting a policy of revering cows across the nation. Several states of the country have already banned slaughter of the animal and sale and consumption of beef.
Besides, a proposed national examination on the subject of ‘cow science’, devised by the National Cow Commission as part of the BJP’s revised curriculum, was deferred in 2021 after it was accused of promoting religious pseudoscience about the animal.
