Bahakandia Village stood witness to a strange and unique funeral procession of a bull. The bull was running around town. Suddenly, three months ago, it fell ill, limiting its travel. To treat the sick bull, the women of the village came forward. He was also given food and medication.
Despite their tireless efforts for three months, they could not save the animal. It was the last Wednesday he breathed. In honor of the bull, a procession was carried out with all the villagers taking part in it and mourning the death of the beast. Then the grief-stricken villagers agreed to give a proper farewell to the animal.
Its body was put on the tractor’s open trailer with all honors. The women, crying all the while treating body like that of a human being, applied ‘gulal’ or ‘abhir’ to the body, draped a piece of white cloth on it and then decorated the trailer with flowers and Garlands.
In a procession through the village in the midst of ‘Hari Bol’ chanting, the bedecked tractor was then taken out. At the village cremation site, the animal was then cremated, with the villagers giving the animal a tearful farewell. In memory of the bull inviting all the villagers of Bahakandia village and those of neighboring villages, the village committee is taught to host a feast.
It is also learned that within 21 days of the animal’s death, the village committee agreed to have a tomb built at the village cremation ground so that the animal would still remain in the villagers’ memories.
