Photos: A Padma Shri for cow welfare takes Shabbir Sayyad’s work further in Beed

Shabbir Sayyad, a 65-year old social worker, who was conferred the fourth highest civilian honour last month by President Ram Nath Kovind, for his work on cow welfare, continues to live a simple life, spending hours catering to his 100-plus cattle herd at his home-cum-cow shed in Beed, Maharashtra. The only marked difference in his work now is the doing away with earlier pleas to the administration for help and the strenuous wandering in the jungles in search of fodder and for newer sources of water. This, Sayyad, engaged in this work for five decades says has thankfully changed now.

Updated on: Apr 08, 2019 4:50 PM IST

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Sixty-five-year-old Shabbir Sayyad says his life has not changed much after winning the Padma Shri on March 16 this year. Except one thing — the drought in Beed, Maharashtra is now a little more bearable as water tanks and fodder trucks reach his footsteps. He does not need to run from pillar to post to arrange for the same anymore. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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The social worker, who was conferred the fourth highest civilian honour by President Ram Nath Kovind, for his work on cow welfare, continues to live his simple life, spending hours catering to his 100-plus cattle herd at his home-cum-cow shed at Dahivandi village, in Shirur tehsil, Beed. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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“Yes, now the water tanker and truck load of fodder is delivered at our doorsteps by the district administration. This Tuesday, the collector’s office delivered fodder in the proportion to the government norm. Water has also been regularly delivered at our footsteps for the past month,” said Shabbir (L), fondly called ‘Chhabu’ by villagers. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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The number of cow he now takes care of has now gone up to more than 100 and ten other family members have joined him. “My wife, two sons, their wives and my five grandchildren assist me in this noble cause. Nobody has complained, including my daughter-in-laws. We don’t even have time to think or worry about anything else,” he says, referring to earning bread for his family and herd. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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For the Sayyads, who live in a two-room slab house, the next challenge is to make a protective shed for the animals to “protect them from the unbearable heat and rains in monsoon”. “However, I don’t know how that will happen with the lack of money,” the social worker, who has been working for welfare of cows for five decades, ever since his father entrusted him with the care of two cows said. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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A lesser known fact about the Sayyads is that their service extends to birds and forest animals. Sayyad’s younger son, Yusuf, hikes up the 1,000-ft high hill behind their house twice a day, fetching water from their well to make water arrangements deer, rabbits and peacocks. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)

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The family also collects spare or waste foodgrains from a local trader to feed birds like sparrows and legions. While Sayyad discusses other initiatives they have taken, his wife Ashrafbi (R) stops him. “It’s a noble work. We should not ruin it by boasting,” she said. (Pratik Chorge / HT Photo)