Did you know that cow slaughter can cause earthquakes (refer Bajaj, Ibrahim and Singh, 1995)?
How about the reason why Indian cow milk is coloured light yellow (it has gold in it—refer West Bengal BJP President Dilip Ghosh)? How would you fare in a game of “Which Dignitary said what about Cow”?
If you are unsure of the answers to the above questions, don’t attempt the upcoming national-level ‘gau-vigyan’ exam, proposed by the Rashtriya Kamdhenu Aayog (RKA) chairman Vallabhbhai Kathiria , scheduled for February 25 this year.
An annual, voluntary exam, the Kamdhenu Gau-Vignyan Prachar-Prasar Examination can be taken by students of primary, secondary and college levels as well as by the general public—for free. And in case you were wondering, all the above questions were referenced in the exam's syllabus posted online.
The exam will feature 100 objective-type questions (multiple-choice questions or MCQs) and you will get exam results immediately—as well as a certificate. “Meritorius candidates will be given prizes and certificates,” Kathiria added.
A note for prospective students: Don’t attempt to research these topics outside of the RKA’s own literature—a 54-page PDF available on the RKA website—you may find many of its claims debunked in other literature.
Consider the claim then, in a section on differences between the Native (desi) cow and the “exotic” cow. “Whenever any unknown person comes near desi cow, she will immediately stand,” claims RKA in its reference material. However, were you to approach an exotic cow, “No emotions displayed by her” would be your tragic inference.
This claim is easily refuted by the existence of the subreddit, /r/happycowgifs, which features many posts of exotic cows, indeed, reacting positively to human presence.
The department of animal husbandry and dairying (under which RKA falls) has not commented on whether this exam will have any bearing for would-be applicants to DAHD—a formal degree in animal husbandry is often included as the requirement for posts related to the same at the ministry. The National Dairy Research Institute conducts a Diploma in Animal Husbandry and Dairying, with a far more rigorous and scientifically vetted syllabus.
