Former dairy man strives to save Punganur cows from extinction

HYDERABAD: Every morning, Ramadas Kudala, 61, a retired AP Dairy general manager, clad in a dhoti, walks his ‘little ones’ while his neighbour walks his Saint Bernard through the streets of Boduppal. The neighbour would mock Kundala,  referring to him as a ‘cowboy’, while the cattle owner would refer to the dog’s parent as ‘saint’.

Kundala’s ‘little ones’ are Punganur cows, the world's shortest breed of humped cattle, originally from Chittoor district. They measure under 3 feet and are slightly taller than the Saint Bernard, and on the verge of extinction. Only about 180-200 Punganur cows are believed to remain.

Kundala is the proud owner of around 40 Punganur cows, which graze on lovely green pastures in his ‘goshala’ spread over two acres in Maryala in Bommala Ramaram, Bhongir, after relocating from his Boduppal residence when the narrow setback space in his 250-square yard plot appeared to be insufficient to accommodate the growing numbers.

Kundala has named all of his ‘little ones’. He introduces them as one walks through the goshala with him.

“I spend every weekend with these Chinna thallis,” he said, pointing to Mahalakshmi. “This is Kamakshi,” he said, before pointing out the others lazing around – Meenakshi and Chamundeshwari. “This is Gowri standing there. Next to her is little Chidambareswar, who is Gowri's son,” he said.

Chidambershwar is the calf being licked clean by its mother Gowri, a fawn beauty, while two younger cows slept snuggled up close by. “Brinda is the milky white one quietly sitting in the corner. In front of her is Shambhavi,” he said. While the cows were named after various manifestations of Goddess Parvati, the bulls were named after her male consort, Lord Shiva — Nishkalank, Mahakal and Om Namah Shivaya.

They are small in size but they pack a powerful punch. They are also expensive, costing up to Rs 20 lakh, and their milk costs around Rs 300 per litre.

“They eat little, produce about three litres of milk rich in fat (8 per cent fat), high in nutritional (9 per cent  SNF) and medicinal value. Their life span is approximately 25 years. Big things come in small packages," Kundala said with a laugh as he knelt and offered sprouts, bananas and jaggery to some of his ‘little ones’, some of which lick his fingers in appreciation.

"Cows are happier and healthier when they are kept in large open spaces. You can greatly extend their lives by keeping them away from crammed and crowded spaces,” said Kundala, a native of Pulivendula in YSR Kadapa district.

When he was a member of the AP Diary (management information systems department), Kundala made an unusual request to then Chief Minister, the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy (YSR), who was also from Pulivendula: He wanted Punganur cows.

Stunned, the then CM is claimed to have said, "People ask for contracts, land, and a variety of other things. You're asking for a cow!!"

When Rajasekhar Reddy directed his officials to bring Punganur cows to Kundala, they said it was impossible. "Reddy garu joked, ‘What would he think if a CM couldn't present this gentleman with a cow?’ The cows were delivered to me a month later. That's when my love for cows began," Kundala recalled.

His love for cows is so strong that when politicians and movie stars approached Kundala for a cow, he politely declined, stating that it would be unfair to separate a parent from her children.

The 'cowboy' claims to be in talks with the Telangana government about signing an agreement to provide Punganur cow milk from his goshala for Nithya Kainkaryams and ‘naivedyam’ to Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy in Yadadri, just as its milk is used for Lord Venkateswara Swamy in Tirumala.