Calf naming ceremony to be held to promote desi Kasaragod Gidda cow

Mangaluru: A cultural foundation in Mangaluru has decided to hold a naming ceremony of a calf to promote Kasaragod Gidda, the Kasaragod dwarf cattle, breed that gives mineral-rich milk.
The Mangaluru based Kalkura Prathishtana will organise the namakarana or naming ceremony for a newborn of a desi breed cow. Devaki, a Kasaragod Gidda cow, gave birth to her second calf recently in the home of Prathishtana president S Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, former president of the district Kannada Sahitya Parishat.
The campaign will be held under the aegis of the Prathishtana at Vadiraja Mantapa in Kadri Kambala on March 7.
Kalkura said: “The naming ceremony is aimed at the promotion of desi breeds of cows, especially the Kasaragod Gidda. I started rearing the desi breed cow during the pandemic. The five-year-old Devaki, who was brought from Manjeshwara, has given birth to a male calf and we named him Krishna. On Monday, a second calf will be named Subhadra and her pet name will be ‘Subbi’.”
The programme will begin with a yakshagana song titled Dharani Mandala Madhyadolage to be presented by artistes of Sri Vageeshwari Yakshagana Kalavardhaka Sangha. “We need to promote the desi breed of cows and the programme is aimed at inspiring farmers and animal lovers towards it. Sri Vishwaprasanna Tirtha Swamiji of Pejawar Mutt and Sri Yogananda Saraswathi Swamiji of Sri Nithyananda Yogashrama, Kondevoor, will bless the occasion. Kasaragod Gidda, Malnad Gidda and the Vechur breed of cows are the three major dwarf cattle breeds in India. Kasaragod Gidda is mostly found in the Kasaragod district of Kerala, he added.