Goats being sold ahead of Eid al-Adha (Bakra Eid), at a livestock market.
Credit: PTI Photo
As the whole world celebrated Bakrid on June 17, a man named Vivek Jain — standing in the courtyard of a temple in Chandni Chowk, about 500 m away from the famous Jama Masjid — saw himself surrounded by hundreds of goats.
According to a report by The Print, Vivek who is aged 30 and is a chartered accountant by profession, said that he and his team managed to save 124 goats from being slaughtered by raising Rs 15 lakh.
During the Bakrid or Eid-ul-Adha, Muslims worldwide celebrate the 'Festival of Sacrifice' which involved the sacrifice of usually a sheep, goat, cow or camel.
Vivek, on the other hand, has been playing Jain mantras — using a speaker to keep the animals calm.
According to The Print, Vivek said, "This is a powerful Jain mantra to bring peace and positivity. These goats are afraid because they think they have been gathered for slaughter. They don’t know we have given them a new lease of life."
With the excitement of 'saving the goats from the butcher's knife', the Naya Jain Mandir in Dharampur had the same energy as the goat markets had ahead of Bakrid.
The Jains living in Chandni Chowk visited the temple in large numbers - some to catch a glimpse pf the bleating goats, some to pet them lovingly and some to donate money for the fodder of the animals.
For some Jains, it was a 'goat darshan', an act that boosted their religious virtues.
According to the publication, Vivek also said, "We are really proud of ourselves. The contribution by our community members from across the country has made it possible. We call it social welfare, and this is what our religion teaches us. This is a ‘historic moment’ for the Jain community of Chandni Chowk. This was our first time, and we will only go forward from here."
A plan was laid out including a team of 25 members - all from the Jain community, followed by surveys of areas and places where goats are sold.
According to The Print, another community member named Chirag Jain said, "We posed as their [Muslim] community members and asked for the price at which goats were sold. We also surveyed the goat mandis (markets)."
Vivek who appalled by the cruel way in which the goats were handled and said, "The goats were crammed together and handled poorly. There was no sensitivity towards these living, breathing creatures."
Vivek told that all the community members during the survey decided to dress up in kurta pajamas and speak in a specific way so that the goat sellers wouldn't get suspicious of them being non-Muslims.
According to the publication, Vivek said, "Had they known we were non-Muslims, they would have sold the goats to us at a higher price, and we wanted to rescue as many goats as possible."
He also told that after a lot of tough bargaining, the goats were purchased at an average price of Rs 10,000 each.
Vivek also added, "Finally, we managed to rescue over 100 goats. Such was the excitement."
According to the publication, Vivek also shared that the community had raised the required money across Gujarat, Punjab, Maharashtra, Kerala and Hyderabad and that they used the leftover funds to buy fodder.
Debate over being vegetarian and killing innocent animals rages every year during such key holy days for Muslims. But, this deed by Vivek and his community has not only resulted in saving many animals, but has also gained a place in social media with lots of praise.
The not-so-prominent temple and the Old Delhi area, where it is located, has gained a lot of attention now, which it wouldn't have received otherwise.