Is killing Sacred Cows in India the solution to an Economical Rise?

Two Indian artists in the state of Rajasthan were detained by the police recently for their art installation involving a life-sized cow hanging in the air. The incident reflects a sign of growing religious intolerance in India -- however, it may come as a surprise to most that what lies at the heart of the conflict is the sacred cow. Cows in India are revered and honored. They are respected for their gentle nature which also happens to be the main teaching of hinduism. This is why 80% of India does not eat beef. Despite this, India remains one of the world’s biggest exporters of beef.

In the year of 2015 so far, India has exported a whopping amount of 2.4 million tons of beef. According to a USDA report, it is believed that global beef exportation in India will rise to an outstanding 10.2 million tons, 3% higher than the forecast for October 2014. This is probably due to the fact that cow slaughtering greatly contributes to the economy. OMG facts states that there are more than 280 million cows in India -- surprisingly far exceeding the number of cars in America. “After understanding this fact, I believe that slaughtering cows for money can be a great way for an economy to rise. The world is eating beef.” said Ishaan Singh. This might be a good way of making money, but does this mean that Indians will kill their own sacred animal?

The impacts of cows slaughtering are deadly. These tragic events will continue to rise over and over again. Cattle slaughter in India is influencing many others to follow and do the same thing, to look for a better way and easier way to make money, by killing sacred cows. Ishaan Singh believes that the most influenced types of people would likely to be poor people. “ They would definitely be the ones looking for an easy way to make money.” he added. Cattle slaughtering can cause conflicts between people who still respect their sacred cows and people who are willing to continue to kill cows for a better financial status. In fact, conflicts have already taken place.

An example of a recent cow slaughtering tragic event involves Indian muslims and Hindus. A Indian Muslim was spotted leaving raw beef outside an Hindus house. This had frustrated the hindus. The hindus later found the man, and beheaded him in the temple. It is therefore evident that cow slaughtering is not a sustainable way for economy growth if it leads to conflicts. “This is a poor strategy for economic growth.The related conflicts would lead to the decline of the economy in other sectors,.” Ishaan Singh added.


The adverse impact on the environment is probably the most important reason why consumption of beef needs to fall. It is not the right way of making money if it just going to kill the planet. Brahma Chellaney, a noted author and strategic expert recently said,”'Meat production is about ten times more water-intensive than plant-based calories and proteins. For example, one kilogram of beef requires 15,415 litres of water to produce. Furthermore, meat consumption actually leads to more greenhouse-gas emissions annually than the use of cars does.” Brahma Chellaney’s recent talk on cow consumption sheds light on why cow consumption should be banned, and is therefore not a sustainable way of making money.

Health is another issue that people should be concerned about. Cattle slaughter for a better economy does not only kill cows, but can actually harm human health too. Beef products are loaded with saturated fat, artery- clogging cholesterol, and gives the chances of inheriting diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis, arthritis, alzheimer’s disease, asthma and also gives chances of developing impotence. This is not the end. While prone to eating beef, you ingest bacteria, hormones, and even some toxic that can accumulate in your body for years.

India are also the world's biggest indisputably dairy industry. Last year India had produced an outstanding 100 millions tons of milk, also surprisingly 15% more than the United States. It is often imported to Vietnam which is its current top importer, as well as saudi arabia, malaysia, and even egypt. How will India sustain their dairy industry, when the cows population continue to decrease as more and more are slaughtered for their meat? According to Pawan Kumar, a rabobank analyst, “The animals are needed to keep India's huge domestic dairy industry going. This information tells us that India will soon face a tough decision to either choose to stop beef exportation, or having lesser dairy products made when the population of cows continue to decrease.”

The next steps that India should take is to take the path of selling dairy products, and to end beef production. This path would stop conflicts from taking place. It would save the Earth. It would prevent the economy from crashing. Selling dairy products would also benefit religious Hindus as it it does not involve killing cows. It is also a great way of making money, and it will continue to keep the Indian economy going, without having to kill their own sacred animal.


Will India decide to do things differently? Or will economy continue to control people’s minds, with hell continuing to break loose?





By: Ishaan Singh