Telangana: Butchers most sought-after

Hyderabad: Though thousands of butchers from various towns and villages in Telangana state arrive in the city a day before Bakrid, the number is simply not enough. 

On Bakrid day, the phrase one hears most is “Khassab mila kya?”

People are ready to shell out even Rs 1,000 per sheep for the butchers, as long as they get to make the sacrifice early. 

If a household sacrifices three or more sheep, butchers will charge around Rs 700, but if it is a solitary animal, they demand much more. 

Cost of animals 
Rs 14,000 - Rs16,000: 
A pair of sheep weighing 18- 20 Kgs 
Rs 70,000 to Rs 90,000: Jamunapari breed goats 
Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000: Each bull weighing a quintal 

“Generally, we go the houses where three or four sheep are sacrificed,” says Ravi Naik, a butcher from Mahbubnagar who reached the city on Friday.  

Before Id prayers, these outstation butchers are seen hovering near masjids, Idgahs and cattle markets. 

As soon as the Id prayers end, they are hardly seen, having been “bagged” by the more active of customers. 

For those people who are unlucky to have missed the first ‘catch’, it’s a long wait, since they will have their food only after the sacrifice is done.

Getting a butcher in the first place is not so easy. One has to chase them from house to house. Some people even go overboard and snatch the wooden blocks of the butcher so that he has no choice but to follow them home. 

“It is all part of the celebrations. At the end of the day, the butchers are happy as they not only get their wages but also a packet full of meat to take home,” says Arif Hussain, a businessman from Hussaini Alam.

“Earlier, only a handful of us came to the city. But now more and more butchers are coming to the city owing to the huge demand,” said a butcher. 

 “Several butchers come to the city but not all are perfect. Only the local ones who regularly handle the task are good at chopping the meat,” said Anzer Suleiman, a paramedic from Moghalpura.