Vijayapura: Muslims of the District are ready to celebrate the Eid-ul-Adha also commonly known as Bakrid on Sunday July 10. However, this year too, the festival is expected to remain a low-key affair after the ruling BJP Government banned the slaughtering of big cattle by enacting prevention of cattle slaughter act in the State after coming to power.
Big cattle are largely preferred for sacrifice during the festival as they are affordable and they provide a large quantity of meat which helps in distribution among the needy of the society. But since the Government has banned the slaughtering of big animals, the demand for sheep and goats has sharply increased.
The price of goats and sheep too has increased significantly in the District. While the rich people could afford to buy goat or sheep, the middle and lower middle class people are either buying a small sheep which costs less or decided not to sacrifice at all due to the high price of goat.
Meanwhile, the farmers who raise cattle and sell the aged and unproductive cattle are unhappy with the Government decision.
Since the festival is one of the opportunities for them to sell their old and unproductive cattle to make some money, the ban on slaughtering has acted as a big hurdle.
“ What shall I do with these aged and unproductive cattle? The cows no longer give milk and the ox has become too old to work in the farms. I was hoping that the animals will be sold for Eid which will fetch me some price. But nobody is coming forward to buy my cattle for the fear of law. Now, I have no choice but to simply keep on feeding three of my cattle for no monetary return,” said Sangappa Dalawai, one of the farmers of Jumanal village.
Similar is the situation of other farmers as they are in distress. They neither are able to sell their unproductive cattle, nor can afford to keep them for no reason. The farmers normally used to sell old cattle and purchase milk, giving cows to earn money by selling milk. But the new law has dealt a major blow to their earnings.
Amid this, the District Administration has given strong warning of taking tough action against those who violate Government norms and slaughter big cattle during festival.
Meanwhile the clerics explain about the importance of Bakrid festival.
According to them, the festival is celebrated as a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail to Almighty. The festival is celebrated on the 10th day of Dhu Al-Hijjah, which is the 12th month of the Islamic calendar. The festival falls after 70 days after the month of Ramzan which is considered a holy month for Muslims, and celebrated after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. On this day, Muslims sacrifice animals which have been deemed as Halaal or fit for sacrifice. They not only eat the meat themselves but also distribute it amongst their neighbours, relatives and poor and needy people.
While Eid-ul-Fitr is considered to be one day, Bakrid is supposed to be three days, with the prayer being on the first day. During this day, people of Muslim community wears new clothes, prepare sweets and greets each other.
