How a widow from Tamil Nadu led a revolution to save Naatu Kuttai cows and women like her

Fifty-seven-year-old Navaneedham Narayanasamy drapes a sari around her slender body with her hair tied in a bun. Her hands are rough, with scars on her palms zig-zagging across the ‘fortune lines’. The scars are reminiscent of wounds ensured due to back-breaking hard work that have healed over the years.

In 2004, Navaneedham, then 37 years old, found herself all alone with three children to bring up, and 30 cows to take care of. The family had relied on the cows to sustain them but the sudden death of her husband Narayanasamy left Navaneedham clueless on how to take care of the bovines.

Taking care of cattle in Navaneedham’s village of Panaiyur, 100 kilometres from Chennai, was a men’s domain. But on the third day of her Narayanasamy’s death, Navaneedham bravely, albeit unknowingly, initiated a revolution, which over two decades has transformed not just her life but that of hundreds of women in the area.

The grazing initiative taken up by Navaneedham encouraged many unmarried women and widows to bank on cows as their main source of income. Interestingly, in finding a way to sustain their own lives, the women also saved the lives of Naatu Kuttai (short-sized), country cows that are facing the risk of extinction in Tamil Nadu. But the work hasn’t been easy.

Grazing involves tending cows from home to grasslands and back home after almost eight to nine hours in the sun. Navaneedham had to cut off thorny bushes to ensure the cows could move easily.

“I did not know where to start and how to tend my cows. It was a big challenge to bring all my 30 cows together back home before sunset on the first day. An elderly man who saw me struggling taught me the tricks of the trade. I had to fight back gossip, criticism and much more while raising my kids and cows. I am glad I could inspire many through my own journey and also help conserve a country breed cow,” Navaneedham recounts with a smile.

‘Cows gave it all’

Navaneedham used to sell cow dung, milk, and took loans to buy new cows, pledging new born calves to the collection agents. When the herd turned to 50, she gained confidence.

“I built a house, married off my daughter and son, met all expenses only with the help of my herd. I sold over 50 calves,” she says with pride.

Now, women in Panaiyur village, are finding empowerment through cows. Since many families give away cows as wedding gifts to brides, it has helped women to keep the income generated through the cows for themselves. This way women have been able to generate incomes without needing any seed money.

Researchers from the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) who studied the decline of the Naatu Kuttai cows in the state last year were surprised when they recorded 4,500 cows in Panaiyur village. The total population of the Naatu Kuttai cow across the state stands at 1.50 lakh only.

Why Naatu Kuttai cows are women’s first choice

Professor N Venkatapathy of TANUVAS says the uniqueness of the cow with its heat and disease resistance has helped women maintain cows without hassle.

“Many poultry farmers invest in foreign jersey breeds for high milk output. Women in Panaiyur continue to keep Nattu Kuttai as pure breed as this cow variety yields calves every alternate year. Jersey cows need big investment, upkeep facilities, medicines, and artificial insemination. This country cow is, however, much shorter and also easy to maintain. They can graze in the village grasslands and do not require targeted feed like jersey cows,” he said.

Explaining the differences in the features of Jersey cow and Nattu Kuttai cow he said, Jersey cows are much heavier and taller than the latter.

“A Jersey cow weighs around 200 to 250 kilograms. A Nattu Kuttai cow will be 130 to 150 kilograms only. In terms of height, jersey cows will be around 110 to 130 cm, whereas, Nattu Kuttai will be around 90 to 110 cm. Since Nattu Kuttai cows are shorter and weigh less than foreign breeds, women can easily tend them,” he said.

Priceless cows

Chandra Natarajan (45) is another woman from Panaiyur who has scripted a success story through Nattu Kuttai. Chandra, however, was not aware that her cows are priceless.

“When researchers visited our village and congratulated us for maintaining the cows, we were clueless. We did not even know that we were raising cows which are in danger of extinction. They told us that the Nattu Kuttai cow will soon be recognised as a separate breed like Gir, Alambadi, Tharparkar cows in other parts of India,” Chandra, gathering her herd of 10 cows for the morning round of grazing, told The Federal.

She says with lack of education and nobody to support any entrepreneurial activity in the area, grazingcows came as the sole livelihood option. “We had tough times during the rainy season. We cannot take cows for grazing during heavy rains. It will be tough to bring hay or grass for cows. We women gather as a group and ensure our cows are fed with some liquid food and pay for a tractor to bring grass from a nearby village,” she said.

TANUVAS set up the Naatu Kuttai conservation centre in Kattupakkam at a cost of Rs 86 lakh last year. Researchers bought over 50 cows from women of Panaiyur.

“Naatu Kuttai cows are suitable for extreme weather conditions. As we gear to face the challenges of climate change and unpredictable weather in the future, it’s a great initiative to conserve our native cattle which accommodate extreme weather patterns. The milk of this breed also contains high fat content compared to jersey cows,” said M Murugan, said another researcher and professor.

Inspired by the efforts of Panaiyur women, researchers are concentrating on increasing the number of cows in the research park which would act as a source of income for women from other regions of Tamil Nadu to take up grazing. A semen bank will also be set up in the research park to meet future needs.

The work initiated by Navaneedhanam bravely in the face of need has illuminated the way for women trying to earn livelihoods and live with dignity. It has also ensured an animal species thrives. The legacy of these women shines brightly, paving the path of hope and resilience for generations to come. In their steadfast devotion to the Naatu Kuttai breed, they stand as custodians of tradition, prosperity, and as guardians of a timeless bond between humans and animals.