Corona effect: Cow dung, urine sell for Rs 500

KOLKATA :

DRINK urine of Indian cows at Rs 500 a litre and take the dung at Rs 500 a kilo to ensure immunity from the deadly novel Coronavirus, says a milk vendor who has set up his makeshift roadside shop to sell these bovine products in Dankuni, about 20 km from the West Bengal capital. Mabud Ali has placed packs of cow dung and jars of cow urine on a table by the National Highway 19 -- that links Delhi and Kolkata. Ali claims he got the idea from a gomutra (cow urine) party organised by the Hindu Mahasabha in Delhi. “Drink cow urine and ward off coronavirus,” says a poster pasted to the table.

“I have two cows -- one Indian cow and the other a jersey cow. I earn my living selling milk. So, after I saw the gomutra party on television, I realised I can make more profit by selling cow urine and dung. Now, I can utilise every part of cows in my business,” said Ali. However, in Ali’s stall, a litre of urine and a kilo of dung of the jersey cows come at a cheaper rate - Rs 300. “A Jersey cow is not a pure breed like Indian cow. So, its urine also is not that much in demand,” he said. Ali said the initial response has been “good”. “I’ll try to continue this trade”. Later, Mabud Ali was arrested by the Hooghly district police for “cheating and hurting religious sentiments”.

A cow urine consumption programme was organised in north Kolkata on Monday out of the belief that it will protect people from the coronavirus or cure them in case they have already been infected. A group of men organised a cow-worship programme at a cowshed at the Jorasanko area and consumed cups of cow urine. “We believe that consuming cow urine would further strengthen our immunity and protect us from the coronavirus,” one of the organisers said.