DONKEYS’ DAY OF GLORY.

The elephants, majestic animals they are, always lived in luxury. History records that the elephants apart from forming a major part of the armies of several kings and emperors were also used for pageantry. On such occasions they were decorated all over with Gold ornaments and carried a huge canopy with velvet cushioned seats to carry the VIPs. The caparisoned elephants were a common sight on the roads of Delhi and various capitals in our country.

When the Imperial durbars were held In Delhi the emperors and kings small and big arrived sitting atop these caparisoned elephants. In fact a caparisoned elephant was a status symbol in India for long.

The tradition slowly died a natural death after independence and today we see these elephants in all their glory only at some important festivals of the temples in some pockets of Kerala. The remaining has been consigned to do the drudgery of carrying heavy logs in places like the North East and A& N Islands.

Next on the totem pole are the horses which even today receive special treatment. The stud farms, trainers and race courses are doing business in millions and even in villages the big landlords prefer to go in horse drawn carriages with the horse decorated from head to toe and the carriage painted in bright hues. The horses also sport special jingle bells which produce wonderful music as they gallop on well paved roads. Even in west the horse shows draw big crowds and the horses come to the show in special vehicles. Even their tails are nicely braided like that of a South Indian bride. The owners take immense pride in their steeds and collect handsome prizes of trophies and cash. Dressage is a colourful and popular item in summer Olympics.

The dogs have always had a good time and were pampered to no end by people of all nationalities. Apart from being watch dogs, they are being used as guide dogs, sniffer dogs and for various purposes including racing. Mostly they are used as friends and family pets. The dog food industry in the west is worth some billions of dollars and the care shown by the owners to their family pets is to be seen to be believed. The dog shows draw big crowds and the best looking/well trained dogs win handsome trophies. Dogs are the main stars in some movies.  Instances of rich tycoons bequeathing fortunes to their favourite dogs are not uncommon.

Even the street dogs which are fit for nothing and make a habit of snatching even babies from the hospitals are receiving wide attention thanks to some animal activists. The learned judges have restrained the Municipal Corporations from killing these animals and permitted only sterilisation to check the growth of their numbers.

The cats of limited utility get attention disproportionate to their size and utility. The cat food industry also is doing very well thanks to the cat lovers.

The only animals sadly neglected by mankind despite their utility are the donkeys. Despite the proliferation of washing machines the dhobis continue to eke out their living by employing the donkeys to carry huge bundles of clothes to and from the Dhobhighat which is used mainly for washing clothes. Unfortunately these animals are treated with disdain and often provided with no good food except grass. Today their name is synonymous with idiots and they are often made the butt of many jokes.

Now some people have realised that the species of donkeys is getting a raw deal and also slowly getting extinct. They have now decided to make some amends.

The Cypriots living in the panhandle of Cyprus are the first to recognise the valuable contribution of donkeys to the society and started a rally to form a special park/sanctuary for the endangered species. The Cypriots used Face book and other tools of the Internet to drum up support for these neglected creatures. Writer and poet Jenan Selhuk said “it was not just about donkeys, it was about preserving traditions and nature”.

Taking cue from the Cypriots the Mexicans have been organising a special festival in which they put the donkeys through races and special colourful   pageants. They also award prizes to the animals for their grace, looks, speed and agility. They provide ceremonial harness, make them look like caparisoned horses, parade   them, crown the beauty kings and queens amongst them and present fat purses.

The Mexicans also accord special status to the donkeys and use them like horses in the Rodeo shows in the ranches of USA and the bulls in the bull rings of Spain. They are planning to make this pageant an annual feature and reserve one day in their calendar especially for these festivities with the beleaguered animals. Some of their bards are planning to pen verses singing paeans to these creatures.

Unfortunately the animal activists in our country seem to be taking no hint from these countries and any interest in these animals.

The days of Glory of the Donkeys have finally arrived and we all should learn to be more sympathetic and show deference to these beasts of burden. The first step is to delete all derogatory expressions using the name of this animal,

Next time please don’t call your friend a donkey no matter what idiotic utterances he makes and when you see a donkey on the road try to befriend it   keeping safe distance and well clear of its legs. If you do, you would have taken a giant step forward in preserving the environment which is the need of the hour.