44-year-old man runs a free shelter for injured cattle

This is the birth place of Mahatma Gandhi. But 44-year-old Rajubhai Odedara knows little about his beliefs and work. Yet his reverence to cows in particular and cattle in general, and his spirit of service to them, seem straight out of Bapu's set of beliefs. On the outskirts of Porbandar, at Bokhara village, Rajubhai runs a panjarapole (shelter) where he and his family tend to accident-hit cattle and nurse them back to health.

"If we come to know from phone calls or any other source that a cow or any member of bovine population is injured in a road accident, we rush to the spot by our ambulance to provide first aid and bring them to our panjarapole for further treatment, including surgery. This is done for free, at our cost. We go as far as Jamnagar, Kodinar and Junagadh to save injured mother cow and other animals," Rajubhai told DNA the other day.

Though he and his family members are 'gau sevak 'out of their religious conviction, it all started from Rajubhai's compassion for cows when he worked as a rickshaw driver 12 years ago. "I was moved by horrible scenes I used to witness while crossing the main jubilee bridge over the creek, specially in monsoon when the cow or its calf got stuck in the mud and while trying to come out of it were sometimes hit by passing vehicles," he said, adding that he first started by removing them to safe places.

Recalling his decision to devote his life to 'gau seva', Rajubhai said, "Once, I received a call that my wife had given birth to a baby boy which was terribly underweight, just 450 grams. While rushing to hospital, I came across an accident-hit cow writing in pain. When I reached the hospital, everyone was weeping, thinking that the baby won't survive. I just prayed to god that if I had really served 'gau mata' sincerely, my child should survive."

"And he did. It was then that I decided to devote the rest of my life to 'gau seva', and I gave up my job of rickshaw driver for ever.''

Raju Sarma, a social worker who is a close associate of Rajubhai Odedara, said, "I have never seen a 'gau sevak' like him. He even sold his property to start the panjarapole. Seeing his good work, many non-resident Gujaratis from Porbandar give donations to him during their annual visit to their home town. At local fairs, he collects a rupee each from every donor."

He said today there are 200 cattleheads in the panjarapole.

Though 20 to 25 staff help him look after the cattle, Rajubhai faces problem of medical staff.

"I have learnt a few things about medical treatment of cattle, but problems arise in case of surgery when no veterinary surgeon is available for free service," he said.

DV Maheshwari/ DNA-Daily News & Analysis Source: 3D Syndication