Black, But Beautiful

O, Buffalo, you are black but beautiful.

You are black, but you give white milk.

You became our home animal,

When we were starving for meat and milk.

You became our tilling animal,

When we needed your labour power.

When we built our Harappan civilization,

You became our source of health and wealth.

You built our nation on the back of your body.

Alas, the forces that hate you treat you as a devil,

Never realized your beauty, love, and labour.

I do not want you to fight another animal,

Since they worship her as their goddess.

But you must fight for your rightful place in history.

Cows and bulls exist in all nations.

You exist as a household animal only in India,

Yet you do not exist in their books.

You are mother of the motherless,

By feeding them milk every day.

You adapted to the heat, cold and rains,

Of this tropical land, like glove to the hand.

You scorned at their ignorance,

When they refused to write on your skin scrolls.

You are not a Western animal,

But a worthy daughter of the East.

You are not an emotional animal.

You are a vegetarian being, as they are.

Yet they crucified your history on their sacred thread.

You gave them milk and protected their children.

You are as graceful and compassionate as Jesus was.

Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd is a political theorist, social activist and author. His latest book is The Shudra Rebellion.