Move Over Cash Prizes, Haryana Minister Just Announced A Four-Legged Reward For Women Boxers

Every country has their own way of lauding the efforts of athletes across various sports and India is no different. We've seen Indian athletes being showered with cash rewards, jobs and even luxury cars for their achievements in sports. And, why not? For all their efforts and hardwork, athletes truly deserve more than just a pat on the back. Recently, six budding women boxers from Haryana brought laurels to their home state on the back of a prolific outing at the Women's Youth World Boxing Championships in Guwahati. The likes of Nitu (48kg), Jyoti Guliya (51kg), Sakshi Dhanda (54kg) and Shashi Chopra (57kg) bagged gold medals, while Anupama (81kg) and Neha Yadav (81+kg) clinched one bronze apiece. The state of Haryana has made a name for producing stellar boxers for the country. And, the triumphant outing of these six upcoming stars is a testimony to that. Surely, they had to be rewarded in a bid to motivate them for bigger and better things in near future. But, Haryana's Animal Husbandry Minister Om Prakash Dhankar decided to innovate with a ridiculous reward. © BCCL Expecting recognition for their efforts, the women boxers were probably staring at the old list of rewards when they got stunned by the announcement of their state minister. To the sheer shock and horror of the girls, Mr Dhankar announced "desi cows" as a reward for the medal winners. So much for thinking out of the box, or in this case, out of the cow shed. If the unbelievably vacuous reward was not enough, the minister's reason behind it seems to have shocked everyone. Mr. Dhankar, who is also the president of the Boxing Haryana Association, also pointed out the "benefits” of cow's milk for the boxers. http://pic.twitter.com/6Oc2eHWaif — Karthik P N (@Karthik_p_n) December 1, 2017 “(Unlike buffalo's milk) cow's milk contains less fat and is beneficial for boxers. A cow is very active, while a buffalo sleeps most of the time. Haryana main kehte hain, haanga chahiye toh bhains ka doodh, aur khoobsarti aur dimag chahiye, toh gai ka doodh (They say in Haryana that if you want power, drink the buffalo milk; and if you want beauty and brains, drink cow's milk). These boxers have done the country proud at the world level and we want them to excel more,” he was quoted as saying by the Indian Express. He even elaborated on the variety of cows to be given to these poor boxers. It will be a local breed which would give over 10 litres of milk per day. The residential addresses of the entire six medal winners have been noted by the minister's department and the four-legged prize will soon be delivered at their doorsteps. Why do we watch comedy specials when we have these people doing shows for us daily — adnan junaid (@adnanjunaid1) November 30, 2017 While everyone has been shocked since the announcement, the women boxers, too, were taken aback by the unusual reward. “I have been given various prizes, ranging from religious idols to books, apart from cash prizes. But I have never been gifted a cow, and this is a gift I will cherish. Last year, I read in the newspapers that Rio Olympics bronze medallist Sakshi Malik was given a cow made of silver. But getting a real cow is a treasure for my family,” 17-year-old Bhiwani boxer Nitu said. ð next people will be busy calculating in #Haryana how many cows I need to buy a 2BHK apartment in #gurgaon ð — #WoSty ™ð¤ (@War0nStupidity) November 30, 2017 On one hand where Nitu put up a brave face, the unique reward has left 18-year-old Shashi Chopra and her family in a spot of bother. Living in Hisar city, Shashi's family neither has the space, nor enough manpower to keep and raise a cow. “We used to have a cow about two years ago. We used to keep it at our neighbour's plot of land, but had to sell it when he told us to vacate the site. We do not have space, or, for that matter, people at home to take care of it,” her mother, Pushpa Devi said. Our question is simple: if it's about the benefits of cow milk, then why gift the cows, just give them the monthly, yearly or even lifetime subscription of the dairy products. Kyu bhai, doodh nikaalne ki pratyogita thhodi jeeti hai. — DeNaMotisation ð¸ (@The_Wa_Na) November 30, 2017 The idea of rewarding an athlete is solemnly aimed at motivating them to focus on their respective careers in sports. But, Mr. Dhankar, who has often voiced his support for the cow's cause and also announced hostels for the animal earlier, not only made a mockery of the girl's efforts with his ridiculous reward, but he has also created an unwanted problem for the athletes who rather than focusing on the sport, will now have to tackle the cow problem. Plz give 5 cows to Virat Kohli as he wants to hike fees — DilBahar Uddin (@DilbaharU) November 30, 2017 In the age where sportswomen continue to lurk in the shadows of their male counterparts and are persistently fighting for equality, the senseless reward by the Haryana minister has only highlighted how people in power with credible authority to change someone's career view women in sports. It's not even funny, it's just really sad.