15 children from Mumbai came together to feed bananas to 50 cows who live in the cowshed of Shree Raj Saubhag Ashram, Sayla. We share a few excerpts about what the children and their mothers have to say about this entire experiences.
Kinjal Sanghvi, mother of 4 year old Rajveer shares, "Children were so excited and loved this act so much that they fed the cows thrice within a span of two days. Each time we called for a rickshaw full of bananas. Rajveer has been feeding cows since the last 1.5 years. He looks forward to trips to Sayla because here he gets to feed cows, see peacocks and at the end of the day, he gets to spend few happy moments with Gurudev Param Pujya Bhaishree. On our way from Mumbai to Sayla, he starts persuading us if we could feed the cows this time too. It gives him a lot of happiness. The kids are off mobile, iPad, television for so many hours and and yet they don't remember these, not even for a moment. It is the best way for them to learn that giving to others make you the happiest."
“‘Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.””
The oldest child, 14 year old Vidhi Boradia shares, "Very few things are as thrilling and scary as you set out to feed bananas to cows for the very first time and they all come rushing to you, licking your hands. All our fear disappeared as we gradually realized 'licking' was their way of expressing love and affection towards us.
As we fed the cows, we noticed there were few cows who were very far from us and struggled to make their way to us. Children were so caring that they ran inside, made their way amidst the rushing cows and spread themselves to different corners of the shed only to ensure that not a single cow gets missed. When they noticed all the calves were in a different room, they went to the calves’ room to feed them too.”
““It is amazing how much love and laughter animals bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.””
11 years old Dharmil Boradia says that it is it is fun to feed the cows because all friends are together, he feels it also gives a sense of satisfaction and that he is always hoping that the cow will not lick his hand.
Amisha Ambani, a yuva mumuxu who accompanied the children, shares, "It's rightly said that true happiness comes by giving or making others happy and I could see the true happiness on their faces. Each child was getting motivation from one another for such a noble work. This act was sowing the seeds of jivdaya (compassion and empathy towards animals) in the gentle hearts of these children."
Vidhi also talks about how her stay in Sayla has brought her closer to her roots. She shares, “It was a totally different experience. It gave me an opportunity to come closer to nature, got to know more about village life and animals, which we don't get to see in cities. It gave me a new lense to look at things. I felt really happy. The love which we received from the cows touched me. I got to see the positive results of our selfless actions, there and then. I truly loved the experience."
When we read their reflections, happy, satisfaction, excitement, thrilled, were the emotions echoed by all the children. The reflections of these children, remind us of Trisha McCagh who had once quoted "Animals are the bridge between us and the beauty of all that is natural. They show us what’s missing in our lives, and how to love ourselves more completely and unconditionally. They connect us back to who we are, and to the purpose of why we’re here.”
