Learn Journalism of Impact
Jodhpur, Rajasthan: In the dusty lanes of a village near Jodhpur in Rajasthan, a group of young refugees is doing what was unimaginable in their country of birth – running a ‘goraksha’ or cow protection group.
They call themselves Sindhu Gausewak as they all hail from Sindh in Pakistan. For weeks now, this group – comprised of five teenage boys – has been serving and protecting stray cows.
Residents of a basti that is home entirely to Hindu minority refugees from Pakistan who are living in India on long-term visa (LTV), they have been collecting meagre funds from the basti dwellers and carrying out the following activities: tying reflector belts to cows so they don’t get hit by moving vehicles at night, treating sick or accident-injured cows, and serving stray cows with fodder and water. The group also calls ambulances to take severely injured cows to gaushalas for treatment when needed.
In Pakistan, cow slaughter is legal and often encouraged, especially during Islamic festivals. Reverence for cows – deeply embedded in Dharmic traditions – is not just discouraged but in many areas openly ridiculed or punished. For Hindu youths in Pakistan, cow protection is a dream stifled by fear and systemic hate.
Vijay Bhil, who started the group, hails from Sanghar district in Sindh. He came to India as a four-year-old along with his family a little more than a decade ago. He is just 14 and studies in a government school. He told Rashtra Jyoti that the feeling of gau sewa was stirred in him after he realised that stray cows end up on roads only because irresponsible dairy farmers abandon them after they stop giving milk – something that was not the case for centuries when cows were revered for their milk and treated as part of the owners’ families.
Avi Kumar, four years older and also a core sewak, says he feels it is his Dharmic duty. Mukesh Kumar, Naresh Kumar and Sagar Bhil complete the team. “In Pakistan, we couldn’t even imagine being gau sewaks. Here in Bharat, we proudly call them Gau Mata and serve them without fear,” says Sagar.
All the youths are, incidentally, from the tribal Bhil community and live in Gangana village located on the outskirts of Jodhpur city.
Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, a social organisation known for its work with vulnerable communities, especially displaced minority Hindu people from Pakistan, recently found out about the group and agreed to fund their sewa work. Moved by their spirit, the Foundation has provided funds for reflector belts and fodder for more than 200 cows in the first drive.
The work began on Saturday when over 40 cows were covered in the initial phase. The team aims to cover over 200 in the coming days.
Swati Goel Sharma, founder of Sewa Nyaya Utthan Foundation, said: “What these boys are doing is not just an act of compassion but also a cultural resurgence. From being persecuted in Pakistan to becoming protectors of Dharma in India, they represent the spirit of civilisational continuity.”
This initiative is part of the Foundation’s larger refugee empowerment mission, which includes a free martial arts training centre and a vidya kendra for Pakistani Hindu refugee children. The goal is not just to provide relief but also to restore purpose, identity and dignity, says Sharma.
This work has been covered by local media in Jodhpur as well. A report is attached below:
SUPPORT
CLICK TO PAY
Enough documenting. Time to strike back and dismantle the forces that weaken Bharat.
Rashtra Jyoti is a media-education initiative built on Real Action and Real Disruption. Subscribe to our content by making any voluntary contribution. Your support fuels investigations, interventions and impact.
Learn. Lead. Disrupt. Shift reality. This is your Yajna.
