Who deserves to live?

The classroom is in chaos as the bell rings for the next class. It is an extra activity period wherein the students of class 10 will be told about their next outdoor activity. Krunal, an upper class Hindu boy coming from a family with a strong political background, is the class monitor. The teacher enters and announces, "Students, tomorrow you will be taken to a cow shed which accommodates more than 100 cows and buffalos . Everyone will closely observe the milking process and other details and prepare a report on the same which will be marked for your mid term evaluations."

The teacher left the class after making the announcement and everyone was excited. Coming from a Brahmin family, Krunal was a big cow lover. It was a tradition in their family to worship cows as they were considered holy. He even remembered how back in 2015, there was a huge protest against the killing of cows and that his family was an active member of the protest. The mob was especially against the beef eaters and within the span of 4 years more than 150 people had been lynched who were suspected of the cow killings. Krunal who hadn't heard the viewpoint of the opposition was totally in favour of these lynchings. With all this still running through his mind, he went back home. As soon as he reached, his mother forced him to drink a glass full of buttermilk which he did not like but had to accept it  for the fear of his mother. He told his mother about the trip and that tomorrow he would see the preparation of butter milk as well. 

It was a long night for him and he tried his best to sleep but could not. Finally, the sun rose and the students of class 10 gathered in the school playground. The teacher in charge explained, " First, we will be going to a cow shed which is the largest shed of the state, then we will be going to the milk factory where dairy products are prepared. All of you are instructed to stay together as it is difficult for two teachers to manage a class of 150 students." They all sat in a bus and reached the shed which was an hour's drive away. While most students wanted to go to the factory directly,  Krunal and only a few of his friends were excited about the cows. Like they were told there were many cows and buffalos there and everyone started writing in their notebook whatever new they observed about the cow shed. Where many of them mentioned the large room with only a few high windows and no proper source of ventilation, only a few realised how the animals were ruthlessly tied with chains in their shed. Krunal's report also mentioned the quality of food which was being fed to these animals was miserable. While everyone made a move to the industry where milk products were made, which was only 15 minutes away, Krunal was still in conversation with the worker at the shed.When Krunal was done with his questions he proceeded towards the factory but since everybody had already left, he couldn't find his way. He somehow walked towards the opposite side, where beef was being chopped and packed. He was immediately raged at the sight. Never before in his life had he seen such a heinous view with so many dead cows. The worker at the shed immediately took notice of this and dragged him away. Krunal was too upset to react but the worker had the answer to the question that he was not able to ask. The worker told him, " Those cows and buffalos are given proper care and nourishment as long as they are providing milk but…

It was the day when the students had to present their reports in front of the class. This time everyone except Krunal, who never made it to the industry, was excited. When it was his turn to present and the teacher saw that he had not completed his report, she became really angry and scolded him. However, he was still given a chance to present whatever he could and by the end of his presentation everyone was in tears. He began with the basic details that everyone had mentioned but as soon as the mention of beef came in, everyone was interested. He said," on one hand we are told that cows are holy and should not be harmed but on the other hand, they are constantly impregnated to produce milk and when their health gives up, they either die of sickness or are killed and the beef is packed for exporting. I remember how a few years back, my family was actively taking part in the mob lynchings of the people who were suspected of killing the animals for their meat but never in the last 15 years of my life, has my family, even for a day, gone without consuming milk". With numb eyes he looked up towards the teacher and his batchmates and a shiver ran through everyone. They were all culprits of what they were trying to stop. Not only was killing another human, inhuman but they were to be blamed for the whole ruckus. The men who were lynched were only supplying the meat of the animal who were anyway dead, but the blood of the murder of those cows were on the hands of the people who consumed the milk and started the entire chain in the first place.

This little piece of information was too much for Krunal to handle. His world had been disrupted, from being an animal lover he somehow felt savage himself. He had always taken pride in being a sensible member of the society who believed in co-existence of all but the reality had crushed him. He had no one to talk to because deep down everyone agreed with him and were guilty of wrongly analysing the situation. No one had the consolation he was looking for. He who had become a criminal from a victim, in his own eyes, within 24 hours, could not find justice. The constant thought that ran through his mind was " what was the fault of the animal or the man who died who was only selling a dead animal", the solution for which he couldn't find.