GAU MATA: The Commodification of Cultural Iconography

Abstract

In India, the Cow is more than simply an animal. A cow is entwined with religion, history, culture, and politics in the current setting. The animal is given qualities of kindness, materialism, purity, wealth, prestige, and power in Hindu mythology. As a result, the Cow is known as ―Gau Mata‖ and is venerated, deified, and worshipped as such. For the majority of Hindus, its iconography is an old tradition. On the other hand, if the Cow is killed for its flesh and its byproducts, the bounds of religious symbolism stop at the borders of ethnic minorities. In order to contextualize this duality, this study examines the Cow‘s dual selves. The ―thing theory‖ may de-idealize signs and symbols by stripping them of their semiotic meaning and reconfiguring them as the ―things‖ they really are. This would recover their materiality, transform them into objects, and reimagine their cultural creations. Materiality creates new ways of thinking by stripping things of their cultural iconography and reintroducing them to the spatiotemporal reality of objectively deriving meaning from both living and inanimate elements. In order to open up possibilities for reinterpreting the depiction of cultural iconography via literature, the current study makes further applications of the idea that objects may regain their identities from connotation, iconization and meaning. The two short tales that were selected as starting points for the debate show how the authors saw the Cow as having both socio-cultural and religious importance. This essay will thoroughly explore ―Cow and Company‖ by Parashar Kulkarni, a 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner, and ―The Cow of the Barricades‖ by Raja Rao, both works rich in religious and socio-cultural symbolism that elevate Cow from the animal realm into sacred imagery. When the animals in both tales are devoid of their sacred connotations in order to be translated into tangible items, it shatters the notion of religion-cultural symbolism. Thus, the postulates of thing theory are justified by the commercialization of cultural imagery. This essay also makes an effort to go beyond the interpretation of these literary works to contemporary issues with the Hindutva Brigade‘s militancy and their meta-religiousness in protecting ―Gau Mata‖ from butcher shops and the tables of both wealthy and impoverished ethnic minorities. The Cow‘s status as a ―thing,‖ a tangible item, contradicts its iconization and encourages its monetization. In light of the very unsettling threat of ethnic cleansing in India‘s highly diverse cultural landscape, this essay will analyze the cultural materialism of the Cow and provide a forum for the discussion of commercialism vs materialism. Two literary works were selected to explore thing theory and are also suitable for a critical assessment of current affairs. I‘ll make an effort to comprehend the current trend of cultural appropriation and the rising importance of violence in the Hindutva goal of ―reclaiming‖ a ―pure‖ culture in India through the recent campaign of ―cow protection‖ by Gau Rakshaks, a self-created group of devotees. A criticism of veganism as a corollary to the process of returning the Cow from iconography to its material attributes serves as another point of start for this essay. This study aims to give a distinct perspectiv on the ―thingification‖ of the Cow and contribute to the increasin body of knowledge in thing theory.