Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Bullock-Cart drivers and Chillies

Madras bullock cart drivers are among the cruelest I have ever seen.
I am a witness to the horrifying practice of punishing the bullocks by torture which they unleashed on helpless animals.

Since our house was on the arterial road to all the markets, there was a constant stream of bullock carts laden with goods beyond poor animal's capacity, that was flowing on Audiappa Naicken street. The cart drivers would sometimes load three to four tonnes of goods for two bullocks to pull. They would normally use a short cat o nine tails (whip) and if that failed, rub Guntur Chilli pods (freshly broken by them) in helpless animal's eyes. They used to have a small cloth bag tied to their waist which stored these chillies.The fiery heat would make the animals to panic and pull the goods. As a small boy, I was moved to tears on seeing such a scene.

I shudder today too thinking of those animal's agony.

4 comments:

Tombolian said...

I am growing the Bhut Jolokia here in the US (Antioch, California), and have gotten a minute amount of chili powder in my eye before. I can't imagine these poor animals agony. I had better not see anybody perform such cruelty to an animal as it might be the last thing they do.

Nichiro said...

tombolian,
welcome to my blog.
Yes, fortunately for those animals, they used to rub Sannam variety which is like Red Savina in heat twice removed. Yet it is too cruel an act.

How do you use your Bhut jolokia?
Do you like them as a regular accompaniment like me on daily twice basis?

Keep visiting here as you would find some interesting things to read and share.

Nagajolokia addict

Mrspetlover said...

First I never had heard of Bhut Jolokia. So this was learning experience for me.

Also I never knew that bulock cart people crush peppers & put them in animals eyes. That is simply animal cruely. I am a petlover and do not like any harm done to innocent animals.

Nichiro said...

Mrs. Petlover,

welcome to my blog dedicated to mu love of Hot, spicy and tasty food.
Yes, they do this even today in Madras.
This is nothing.
They starve young newborns of a cow (if they are male) to death within about a month after being born.
Then they stuff the skin of the calf with dry grass and prepare a replica of a stuffed calf. This calf is put in front of the milking cow to keep on giving milk till she dries up. If this stuffed calf is not there, she will dry up immediately.

What a crualty!!

But now, they have found another method to milk the cow till she dies of weak bones and destroyed muscles.

They give injection of OXYTOCIN daily to the milking cow/buffallow.
Over a period of two to three years , the hale and healthy animal's bones are destroyed and muscles become weak and the body becomes deformed. The animal literally dies everyday and it does finally die in short span of life after giving enough milk.
I feel sad ....very sad.

nagajolokiaaddict