Video: On ramp in Haryana, selfie queen cow Shradha, dancing camels Sonu-Monu steal show

Thousands gathered at Jhajjar, a town situated in the hinterland of Haryana, to click selfies and pose with the show-stoppers of a different kind of a fashion show. When Shradha, Laxmi, Heera, Shanti and Sonu-Monu walked on the ramp, the enthusiastic public whistled at their every step.

After all, the site of cows, bulls and camels showcasing their beauties in a fashion parade is not seen every day. All this happened at the Haryana livestock fair being organised at Jhajjar police lines as part of the state’s golden jubilee celebrations.

To promote desi breeds of farm animals, the state is generously doling out prizes to the tune of Rs 9 crore every year in such events.

The fair started on Friday, when thousands of farmers from across Haryana registered their animals for various beauty and milk-yielding contests.

An expert panel from the animal husbandry department judged these animals based on the ideal features of their breeds, after which only a handful were selected to walk the ramp with their owners.

They included Murrah breed bull Heera, Tharparpkar cow Dhawal, Murrah buffalo Laxmi and Marwari horse Sultan.

While cows seemed to be not much interested in the fashion parade, bulls wanted all the attention as they pushed their fellow models to get maximum space on the red carpet.

A pair of camels, Sonu-Monu from Charkhi Dadri, stole the show with their dancing catwalk. Their owner Sombir had been teaching them dance for long.

Karnal’s desi cow Shradha was awarded the title of ‘selfie queen cow’ after Haryana minister OP Dhankar and speaker Kanwar Pal got up from their seats to get clicked with her while she was walking on the ramp. Shradha was earlier the poster cow to represent Haryana.

Dhankar said these animals are as big as Bollywood actresses Katrina Kaif and Mallika Shehrawat in terms of celebrity appeal. “When the pictures and videos of their catwalk will go viral, people will love them as much as they love Bollywood stars,” he said.

The prizes to the winners will be given on Sunday, the concluding day of the fair.

THE SHOW-STOPPERS

Sultan: This Murrah-breed bull is famous for his love for Patiala peg. Sultan gulps down half a bottle of whiskey every day. Its owner Naresh Beniwal from Kaithal said he was valued at Rs 21 crore.

Shehenshah: This 15 feet long, six-feet tall Murrah-breed bull, was valued at Rs 25 crore recently at a fair in Faridabad by an Andhra man. But its owner, Naveen from Panipat, refused to sell him.

Rani: This Murrah-breed buffalo gives 24 litres milk in one day. She eats 10 kg chana, daliya, binola and other cereals every day. For mating, she only gets high-priced semen of Shehenshah bull.