Social media appeal ‘bales’ out cow shelter in Mannargudi

An farmer’s appeal for hay to feed cows goes viral

A farmer’s appeal for hay to feed 33 cows at a ‘gaushala’ (bovine shelter) maintained by the Sri Rajagopalaswamy Temple in Mannargudi attracted a significant response and plenty of bales of dried grass was got thanks to the social media, even though the shortfall was eventually replenished by the shrine’s authorities on its own steam.

“I was saddened to hear about the shortage of hay for the cows at the shelter, and decided to put out a notification on our local WhatsApp group for farmers, on the night of January 4. Within two days, we had many people and shops calling in about sending bales,” U. Ravichandran, a paddy farmer and head of the Mannargudi farmers union, told The Hindu. “The heavy rains in recent weeks have led to a shortage of hay in our area,” said Mr. Ravichandran, who also donated bales worth ₹10,000 for the cause.