This is something that I encountered in India a few months back. Not exactly fresh news, but something I just can't help but talk about -- my encounter with a MIRACLE COW!
This was the vehicle that brought me the greatest experience of the trip. I heard tinny chanting through those speakers and came running, camera in hand.
The driver (in saffron) was some sort of holy man. He immediately drew a crowd with his spiel.)
As he spoke, he gestured to the passenger I hadn't previously noticed, a festively attired cow .
That's when I noticed the painting on the side of his vehicle, a particularly grim Krishna aside a cow with what appeared to be a surgical glove pinned to her ass
Apparently, this was not merely a holy cow; it was a DEFORMED holy cow. And one painted over with lucky SWASTIKAS! Of course the extra appendage looked more like a sock full of meat than what was advertised in the painting, but I was ECSTATIC
And still there was MORE! There was a chance to directly CONNECT to this great miracle! Money was being blessed by the MUTANT SWASTIKA COW! I tore bills out my wallet and blindly waved them through the crowd.
Expecting nothing more than the honor of seeing my personal bills resting in blessed proximity to the cow, I then noticed that each donation bought a smudge of holy pigment, a tilak smeared as a holy memento of the encounter. Sadly, I don't have a self portrait with the mark on my forehead, but i proudly bore it throughout the rest of the day, in as far as sweat would allow.
This all happened in the Rajastahni town of Jaisalmer, but I believe it is sort of a mobile phenomenon, so you couldn't necessarily count on bumping into this oddity. But wherever that mutant-cow-swami goes, my blessings go with him. I can't think of a more gratifying way to exploit a freak of nature.
When Shiva gives you lemons, make lemonade!
Labels: anomolies, morbidity, personal, travel
Oh, look at this, and just tell me it's NOT the color of orange juice squeezed in HEAVEN! 
