Cow Parade Indian Style, a photo from Madhya Pradesh, Central

Photographer's Note

Since the 1990's public art exhibitions known as "Cow Parades" have been arranged in a number of cities around the world. Sculptures of cows, usually made of fiberglass, have been painted by local artists and displayed in places like major streets or public parks.

But this photo is from India, where there would be no need to use fiberglass since there are so many real cows available. But the decorations on this white cow seem to indicate somebody's artistic ambitions.

I took this photo in Bhopal, capital of Madhya Pradesh state in central India in November 1991. That autumn I travelled across the interior of India, starting in Bombay on the west coast and ending in Calcutta in the north-east.

Bhopal is probably one of the major Indian state capitals to receive the lowest number of foreign visitors. I got an impression that it was almost totally off the tourist tracks. I stayed there for almost three days and hardly saw any other foreign looking tourist.

There are three pages of photos registered as Bhopal on TE, but only a handful of pictures clearly taken in the city.

Internationally Bhopal is probably best known for the disaster of early December 1984. Thousands of people died and tens of thousands were affected when poisonous gas leaked from a pesticide plant owned by Union Carbide India Limited. Possibly this gave the city such a bad reputation that most tourists avoid it.

In my diary I described my first impressions of Bhopal as "incredibly decrepit, paltry and dirty". I partly changed my opinion during my stay, because it was not such a bad place after all, even though there were few sights to attract foreign visitors.

But there was one major exception. My main reason for visiting Bhopal was to see the city's museum for contemporary Indian art, probably the best of its kind in the country and host of a famous biennale. I enjoyed my visit there and found it worth the efforts of going to Bhopal. I was very disappointed to find it closed the following days because of a major holiday.

Maybe this cow had used the opportunity to take a day off from the museum's section of modern sculptures and installations. Who knows?

Two very ordinary street views from Bhopal, featuring no cows at all, can be found in the WS. All photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides.

Fis2, pajaran, ikeharel, macjake, ChrisJ, PaulVDV, pierrefonds, jean113, alvaraalto, jhm, Royaldevon, clic, COSTANTINO, papagolf21, ricardomattos, adramad, ktanska, CMJC, worldcitizen, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Fis2 (169731) 2020-10-07 0:40

Witaj Gert my neighbour today again:)!
Another curious reportage from street.
The pictures make impression.
Excellent framing and colors.
Well done.
Warm regards.
Krzysztof

pajaran (114915) 2020-10-07 0:46

Pozdrav.
Interesantni pogledi i trenuci, dobro pokazano sa lepim bojama, kontrastom i dobrim tekstom. Lepe fotografije u radionici i secanje.
Lepe scene na ulici, lep deo grada.
Zelim vam lep dan, sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greeting.
Interesting views and moments, well shown with beautiful colors, contrast and good text. Beautiful photos in the workshop and memories.
Beautiful scenes on the streets, a beautiful part of town.
I wish you a nice day, all the best.

ikeharel (112439) 2020-10-07 1:19

Wouldn't be too sure the cow in white was happy to be painted, Gert, but they seem fit and content with their perspective of daily life there...
Three pictures well depicted the ongoing on the streets in this town.
Have a nice new day,
Ike

macjake (98262) 2020-10-07 1:22

Hi Gert
we're both posting India shots now. love the note. you described the city as decrepit, paltry and dirty - thats exactly what i'm SEARCHING for hahaha. and you're right, I've never even heard of this large city before, it must be way off the tourist map - but now I want to go. Looking at this scene here in the BG, there are so many street photos to be had. Poor cow, he has no idea what's happening to him haha. wonderful street view, lots to look at . cheers
Craig

Silvio1953 (220605) 2020-10-07 2:21

Ciao Gert, lovely composition with fantastic couple of cows in FG, splendid light, excellent clarity, fine details and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

ChrisJ (171222) 2020-10-07 3:12

Hi Gert

Yes it's a little run down & seedy but at least the road is paved & there are no open sewers like Ive seen in Dhaka or parts of Indonesia. The white cow has been decorated artistically with pink circles. Good daily life scene from this hitherto unknown town, unless it's THAT Bhopal of Union Carbide infamy. Your note confirms that it is. Tfs!

PaulVDV (62802) 2020-10-07 3:19

Hello Gert,
Indeed, the first time I heard of Bhopal was in 1984 when the terrible disaster occurred.
I can well imagine that for a certain time foreigners tried to avoid this city. But honestly, I've never met a traveller who has been to Bhopal. So I suppose this city isn't immediately located on the route between two other interesting locations ... I think you must be on an alternative route in India before you will have Bhopal as your destination. I could be wrong, of course. Maybe people visit it in combination with Orchha?
Both pictures in the WS show interesting Indian street scenes. At the same time we spot a beautiful upper part of an old facade (left side of the street on the second photo) and a beautiful (wooden?) facade (right side of the street on the first photo).
I've a bit mixed feelings with the upright cow on your main picture. In Belgium, that artist would be charged by an animal rights organization. But this is India of course and the photo was taken in 1991, already a while ago. Yet when I see this cow, I think of animal suffering rather than art. The other one looks good.
The upright cow seems to me more likely to have an unknown disease than to have met an artist. I don't feel sorry for animals very quickly, but in this case I do.
So I focus on the passers-by, the bicycle rickshaws, the large signs with text in Hindi, the traffic jam and the large number of cables in this typical Indian street.
But it's good to hear something about Bhopal. In 1991, did you still see consequences of the disaster that affected so many inhabitants?
Best regards, Paul

pierrefonds (113590) 2020-10-07 4:46

Hi Gert,

THe presence of the persons is adding life to the scene. The point of view is showing the details of the cows. The light is giving good colours output. Have a nice day.

Pierre

dta (98848) 2020-10-07 4:47

Hello Gert,
Not an oldie , but already 30 years!
A fine typical scene of India , with the sacred cows in the FG.
May be more cars nowadays!
Regards

Miguel82 (47110) 2020-10-07 4:50

Gert, Bhopal is sadly famous for the indutrial catastrophe that happened at the begining of the 80's. The holy cows are roaming freely in the city center. Its coat has red traces probably after a festival. Nice daily life scene. Fine colors, good sharpness, regards.

alvaraalto (42804) 2020-10-07 5:30

Hello Gert,
The name Bhopal is still directly linked by many to the disaster in 1984.
Of course, such an association does not immediately invite this city to be included in a tourist itinerary.
You need a curious journalist who also likes art.
Excellent presentation
Have a nice day, groet Rob

jhm (211734) 2020-10-07 6:19

Hello Gert,

What a lovely picture with the decorative cow, pleasant to look at.
Almost we can see all detail, also a neat street.
Nice sharp and clear photographed.
Composition and presentation are superb.
Very well done, TFS.

Regards,
John.

BennyV (34742) 2020-10-07 8:31

Hej Gert

The pattern reminds me of Chinese/Vietnamese massage (you know, with those fire bowls creating a vacuum)...but I doubt that the cow had any. Holy cow, though!

Cheers

Benny

Royaldevon (85606) 2020-10-07 8:31

Hello Gert,

The most interesting thing about your photographs is spotting what is so different here, to what we would find at home. Really, the differences are immense and I just love to peruse the shots!
What a great main photograph!
Yes, here, they can have the real thing, not a fibre glass model of a cow! And, you have placed these decorated animals forcefully in the f/g, no chance of missing these amongst all the other interesting features!

I was interested to see what vehicular transport there was. There don't seem to be many cars here. Perhaps more in the w/s.
It was in 1997 when I visited Pakistan and remember being so surprised that there were Mercedes cars, decorated buses, rickshaws, bicycles and carts drawn by bullocks, all travelling along the same, quite busy roads! That was in Karachi and Lahore.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

GyurMaster (24668) 2020-10-07 10:35

Dear Gert,

This poor cow looks a bit underfed, despite its fancy 'clothe'. Anyway, its not an everyday scene that two cows having a chill moment in a busy city centre. By the way: have you hear theat cows have a best friend within the herd? If they are separated, they are likely to fell into depression.
I had a look at the WS photos, and WS1 would definitely sell as a main upload.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

Tue (91574) 2020-10-07 12:05

Hej Gert,
Jeg kan godt huske at Cow Parade var meget popul熳t for omkring ti 緳 siden, men i India kan de jo se levende k鷫r i gaderne hver dag. Denne ko med de mange r鷣e cirkler p� sin krop er meget p嶢aldende, is熳 i det klare lys. Gadebilledet danner en god baggrund.
Lars

lousat (138609) 2020-10-07 12:26

Hi Gert,maybe this cow had escaped from the museum of contemporary art ... otherwise it cannot be explained, I have never seen anything like it, they look like the red stamps that Italian vets put on the meat to certify its quality. Nice report from Bhopal, in fact also known to me for the chemical disaster of 1984, and perhaps also for this reason so free of tourists. Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

jmdias (114278) 2020-10-07 13:21

this city looks cleaner than ahmedabad I visited and it was the dirtiest place I knew in my life. funny the cow with red circles.nice the other views showing the daily life in a typical indian city with those curious bed+carts where the men like to sleep at noon.]
take care

jorge

clic (76) 2020-10-07 13:32

Hallo Gert
Stars need always to be fashionable; what a glittering getup which is quite dissimilar from the earlier fur coats of the previous years!!
No one can miss such a diva, queen of the streets venerated by the kneeling subject!
Many thanks for this stunning piece of oddity.
Halsningar

jean113 (27637) 2020-10-07 14:07

Hello Gert, I always enjoy reading your notes, always interesting and very relevant.
Three shots that give a real feel of street life in Bhopal.
The cow is most unusual, but I feel quite sorry for it, as someone felt the need to add some pattern to its hide, why?
The scanning has been successful, well done.
Kind regards, Jean.

emka (157280) 2020-10-07 14:14

Hello Gert, Fabulous picture.Even in the large format it is still very sharp and allows to see many delightful details. At first glance we see two cows, but in fact, there are two more - one white and one brown, lying farther away. The "painted" one is maybe zebu - it has a bump. I wonder why it has these many pink stamps. I saw many cows with the painted horns, also the elepants in the temples were beautifully painted. Not such a big traffic - only ricjshows, tuk tuk and bikes.
I remember if course the Bhopal as the place that suffered with this chemical disaster. It maybe one reason that tourists do not go there. But the other reason is maybe that is away of other attractions, Not on the usual route in Rajastha, and also too far north for the tours in South India. Stunning quality of this almost 30 years old photo.

Best regards MAlgo

PiotrF (54246) 2020-10-07 16:07

Hello Gert,
Interesting note about Bhopal.
Great picture from street. I like good composition and wonderful colours.
Good work, fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

ifege (46951) 2020-10-07 20:43

Hi Gert
Very interested with the painted cow. I surprised that decorating cows is allowed in India.
cheers
Ian

COSTANTINO (115539) 2020-10-07 23:28

Hello dear Gert and have a nice day
wow!!!a usual view in India I suppose...
nice timing for you..
your notes are really useful
explaining like a story
your experience of visiting
this place...
regards
Costantino

papagolf21 (152605) 2020-10-08 0:21

Bonjour, cher Gert,
Gr歊e � la note d'accompagnement et aux prises de vue, nous avons l'impression d'皻re au coeur de l'action.
Une belle fa蔞n de regarder comment les gens vivent, les traditions, les us et coutumes, l'architecture environnante, etc.
Un vrai plaisir � lire et � regarder.
Amiti廥.
Philippe

ricardomattos (17408) 2020-10-08 17:36

Hi Gert,

Admiro a sua coragem em viajar para lugares t緌 distantes diferentes e que poderiam por em risco a sua vida. Em compensa誽o atrav廥 de suas fotos e notas ficamos conhecendo mais acerca de outros povos e culturas e sua arte tamb幦. Belo trabalho.

Felicita踥es

Ricardo

adramad (72562) 2020-10-09 10:10

Hi Gert.
I love this photo of a street in Bophal, cows are animals that inspire me a lot of sympathy, their faces are always calm and kind, in this case the two together is a very charming moment, all those white circles that surprise me carries the white cow.
Good perspective of the image, very pleasing to the eye.
Colorful, sharpness and luminosity are captured effectively.
Very good composition, magnificent presentation.
Have a good weekend.
Warm greetings.
Luis.

ktanska (44468) 2020-10-11 1:27

Hej Gert,
Quite surprising view of this cow as a live canvas for fairly simple art. Closer look reveals handprints in addition to the circles. Maybe she was clean when this painting was presented for the first time! I can't see any English words over there, which makes a difference to most other street scenes from India. Very interesting shot from a city not often seen here.
Kari

CMJC (5095) 2020-10-11 4:59 [Comment]

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kasianowak (17672) 2020-10-24 10:33

Always good to see photos from a place tourists don't normally visit. The main shot is not an ordinary street shot though, this cow is so unusual. Are you absolutely sure she was not made of fibreglass?? :-D
Have a nice Sunday
Kasia

worldcitizen (15956) 2020-10-28 14:09

Hello Gert,
These cows look very cozy and comfortable there in the street. I like how the cows in India go about their business, just like any other residents, and people don't even seem to take notice. How do people handle all the cow poop that must pile up in the streets? Is it just left there to simmer in the hot, Indian sun? Just the thought of it makes me a bit queasy!

mcmtanyel (67657) 2020-11-03 15:30

Hello Gert,
I remember the cow parade in Istanbul. Unfortunately, i lost my pictures from that trip. Boy, this one is as colorful as some of the statues I saw, but it's alive!
Regards,
MT

Ilonka1974 (10289) 2021-08-19 12:57

Hi Gert,
Nice momment of a dayly life! You愉e always at the right place at the right time!
Best regards
Janusz