Festivals are designed to bring joy, a sense of togetherness and respect for life. In Haryana too, however, this sad incident has called into serious question the way we embrace celebration. When a cow was made to drink liquor during Holi festivities, a video went viral. Many people have denounced what some people treated as "fun" as cruelty and disrespect for animals.
The video, which is said to be from Haryana, shows a group of drunken men pouring alcohol into a cow’s mouth. Then they forced the animal to pull a cart as a means to celebrate, so‑called. The men were laughing, they were cheering as if the act were entertainment. The footage spread rapidly on social media, triggering outrage from viewers around India.
Animal rights activists and common people wrote on Facebook and Twitter expressing outrage and sorrow. This was not only cruelty, many said, but also an unsavoury exploitation of a sacred animal. According to Indian culture cows are the symbol of respect and purity. It's pretty unspeakable and cruel to make a cow drink liquor. Social media users demanded strict consequences for offenders on those platforms, demanding strict enforcement of animal protection laws.
India has laws like the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 which prohibits causing unnecessary pain to animals. If an incident's perpetrator is confirmed by law enforcement, the event would attract legal action on them by those who caused the animal damages. As the incident points out, though, it also reflects another general problem. In celebrations at times, things reach a breaking point from the legal aspects, people may be involved in abuses. Real joy should NEVER come at the expense of someone else's dignity.
This is about more than one cow. This reveals a culture of entertainment over compassion. If society takes on those acts of “fun,” then humanity needs to be redefined. Festivals should be about kindness and respect, and sharing happiness. Animals harmed for entertainment is no longer appreciated.
But the Haryana incident is a reminder that cruelty must never be part of a celebration. That’s neither tradition nor joy: forcing a cow to drink liquor is abuse. As citizens, we must refuse to participate in acts like this, to speak out about these acts and to ensure the law is enforced. No, humanity is not measured by each other individually; it's also measured by the voiceless creatures who populate our world.
