On the road out of Pondicherry we saw a huge group of people with cows and a produce market. It was an auction sale. Sanjay stopped the bus and led us out for a photo-op, shouting the warning, "Don’t step on the shit!" He mentioned that cattle can run from 8000.00 rupees to 20,000.00, depending on the genes and potential production of calves, and ability to do heavy farm work. Some are sold as meat for Mumbai for those not following religious restrictions.

Bill was soon lost among the cows while Sue-On went looking for fruit. She stopped at a vendor whose mangoes appeared ripest but she ran into a bit of a language problem when attempted to by two mangoes.  By the end of the transaction she had paid 100 rupees and walked away with six mangoes. 

The whole episode was reminiscent of an episode in a Vancouver Chinatown restaurant many years ago.  Bill, thinking that Sue-On would understand the dialect, went to the washroom and left her to order. She was confused by the dialect, and when he came back, the whole table was heaped with dim sum! The older vendors loved having their pictures taken and were happy when they were shown the pictures. The jackfruits were huge, and the mounds of tamarind looked scary, almost like scorpions. 

Rural village cattle markets are a major social event for all the people in the region and provide visitors with a beautiful glimpse into rural life. Mixed in with the herds of cattle on display are sellers of farm products, fruit, vegetables and other foodstuffs.

Village folks from as far as a 40 km radius came to this market to trade their cattle. Some of them would have walked for over two days to get to the cattle fair, hoping to get a fair deal for their prized cattle. The whole market area was alive with activity.  Prospective buyers wandered about "window shopping" -- inspecting the cattle before zeroing in on the one they would take home.

Cattle are really part of the farmer’s family. They raise them with as much love and care as they give their own children. The importance of cattle to rural India is is hard to overstate -- there is an endearing bond between the farmer and his animals. For small time farmers, who can't afford to own tractors, the bulls are their only means to earn a livelihood on their farms. 

The bulls are the celebrities of the cattle fair – they have to look their best and great care is taken to decorate them. The farmers make every effort to feed the cattle well and keep them happy while waiting at the market. The teeth are the best indicators of the bull’s age. Buyers also inspected the shine in the bulls’ eyes and get a feel of their muscles.

We were told that bulls born by artificial insemination are single coloured – white, brown or black. Only the ones conceived naturally are black and white in colour.

Some of the negotiations took place under shawls shared by the seller and buyer. The sellers don't want to reveal how low they are willing to negotiate. The buyer and the seller put their hands under the shawl to carry on non-verbal, touch-and-feel negotiations. Shouts from the onlookers urged the deal to go through. The buyer patted the bull when the deal was finalized.