Puri : She has royal blood in her veins. But, she has dedicated her life to the service of cows.
Chinmayee Deo, a member of the Bonai royal family, has no hesitation in attending to stray cattle in distress.
Chinmayee’s love for cows and calves began when she was only three years old. “Bonai palace had a huge cowshed. I used to visit the cowshed with my mother and play with the calves,” recollected Chinmayee, who along with her family had migrated to the Holy City from Bonai some years ago.
Initially, Chinmayee was attending to cows at a cowshed at Gobardhan Peeth, the seat of Puri Shankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati. “My family has been supporting me from the beginning. They have never objected to my preference to serve cows,” she said.
Chinmayee had joined Srijagannath Goseva Sansthanam, a cowshed at Bagha Akhada math, soon after its establishment October 28, 2017. She has also successfully completed a course on cattle care and obtained a certificate.
Chinmayee usually reaches the cowshed at 10 am everyday and attends to cows and calves till the evening. “I prefer to travel to the cowshed from my house on foot. Whenever I come across any cattle in distress, I try to help them. I receive immense satisfaction while nursing injured cattle,” said Chinmayee, who often carries a first-aid kit for cattle in her vanity case.
According to her, cows have many human qualities and they need affection from human beings. “It is believed that as many as 33 crore deities dwell in a cow. Only women can understand the pain and pleasure of cows. I request all women to spare sometime from their daily schedule and take care of cows and calves,” Chinmayee said.
Srijagannath Goseva Sansthnam secretary Govind Prasad Mohanty too appreciated Chinmayee’s dedication and love towards cows. “I hope that people learn something from her and render their service to the bovines,” he said.
