#KnowOurLand How the tale of two star-struck lovers helps to cure an animal disease, a thread (1/n) 
This fascinating story comes to us from the rural heartland of northern India, from parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, where the dreaded Foot and Mouth disease among cattle is widespread (2/n)
The FMD as it is commonly known as is a highly contagious viral disease of livestock that affects cattle, swine, sheep, goats, and other cloven-hoofed ruminants (3/n)
Whenever the disease becomes rampant, to counter it, songs are sung. Some religious and some not so. One of the songs that can be heard is the tale of Heer Ranjha (4/n)
Primarily a romantic folktale that emerges out of Punjab, it was made famous by a Sufi poet Waris Shah in mid-18th century through his adaptation Heer (5/n)
But why Heer Ranjha? Well as the story goes Ranjha a buffalo keeper (mahiwal) is believed to have powers given to him by Lord Indra to cure any kind of disease that occurs in the khur or the cleft in the hooves of the animals (6/n)
So, whenever his tale is evoked, the animals seem to get cured miraculously. People belonging to the Jogi caste are bought in and are entrusted to sing the ballad for a tenure that can extend from 3 days to a week (7/n)
Experts say that even though singing does help soothe the animals, it alone is not sufficient to cure them. It ultimately comes down to a combination of religious rituals and preventive measures (8/n)
Arrival vaccines have dissipated most of the impact of the FMD but in the areas where it still occurs, you might hear a Jogi with his sarangi and damroo singing the tale of Heer & Ranjha trying to comfort some cattle withering in pain (9/n)
Sources: tribuneindia.com, Rajasthan, an Oral History: Conversations with Komal Kothari. By Bharucha Rustom, thebetterindia.com
Image of Heer Ranjha from: Saatchi Art
Image of Heer Ranjha from: Saatchi Art
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