First blood The Gadhimai fair is where the largest numbers of animals are sacrificed in the world. Tens of thousands of buffaloes and goats are offered to the deity at the month-long fair. This fair takes place every five years. The organizing committee expects about ten million people to attend the fair this time. The Gadhimai fair has been a matter of controversy with the animal rights activists being up in arms against the whole exercise. However, the devotees for their part believe offering the animals to the gods help to fulfill their wishes or as gratitude for the desires materialized because of the blessing of the Goddess. So, despite widespread opposition from various quarters, the fair continues to hold animal sacrifices. The sacrifices of over 15,000 buffaloes took place Tuesday and a similar number of goats were offered on Wednesday. These were slaughtered by 250 authorized butchers. It is now time to ponder over the tradition of animal sacrifice. These are taking the lives of innocent animals in a brutal manner, and it can be argued whether sacrificing them could ever serve the purpose they were supposed to. What more the animals are slaughtered in a gruesome fashion supposedly to appease the deity. This might be a tradition, and there are many devotees blindly following it. That this practice is continuing to this day in the 21st century keeps most of us thinking if it was not high time that animal sacrifice was done away with. Apart from the macabre act that animal sacrifice entails, the whole sacrificial scene is reminiscent of the battle ground with thousands and thousands of fallen defenseless animals. The blood splattered scene has the power to jolt the sense of any rationale human being, yet it continues as in the past. Because of the mind boggling sacrifices, the fair is a breeding ground for many diseases, with a record number of pilgrims making it to the Gadhimai Temple. These could be other reasons for doing away with the archaic practices of animal sacrifices. The health hazards ought to have been taken into account by the fair oganisers, but they seem to be more interested in the number of sacrifices and the thronging devotees. Cases of casualties from drinking spurious alcohol and some children dying from the cold have also been reported that could have been avoided. In any case, the fair has witnessed a huge turnout of devotees which shows the great faith that the believers have in Gadhimai. This same fact could be the tool to wean away the sacrifice lovers to denounce their cruel acts of offering their devotion through sacrifices of animals and birds. That the management committee of the fair has been found to be wanting can be gleaned from the general discontent amongst the visitors about the scarcity of drinking water, toilet, electricity and shelter, although the committee had initiated preparatory works six months in advance. The division among the members of the committee had led to the lapses in the management of the fair, which does not augur well for the five-yearly mela that draws lakhs of devotees including those from India. It appears that the management committees of such events never seem to learn.

Conflict base If the US researchers are to be believed, climate is to be blamed in a big way for the conflict in Africa. They may have their own basis at coming to this particular conclusion. In fact, a layman would easily affirm that it’s always a heated debate that can lead to scuffles. And, no one can miss the point that the higher the mercury climbs so dose the irritability and short temper. Maybe then, cold weather really means cool way that the people are spurred go about with their errands. There may be reasons that physics and chemistry might be able to illuminate as to what the effects of heat or rather the heated environment can do to the functioning of the brain and the other organs of the humans. It doesn’t sound unreasonable. It also goes to show that environmental issues have a bearing on how individuals behave. The way the said researchers have come to link climate and conflict, one can well imagine what the projections can reveal. With the global warming and climate change being sponsored as curses, one can well visualise the catastrophes looming in front of us. If it’s true, it may do good to get going at full sped to put the cap on greenhouse gas emissions.