Thanks to Murty for pointing out this tale of a buffalo that simply refuses to be milked without its daily dose of BBC!
And it’s not quite the British broadcaster that the animal is addicted to but khaini - a form of chewing tobacco that is popularly called " buddhi bardhak choorn “, or BBC, in Jharkhand.
For its owner Mangra Munda, a resident of Lohardagga district, the addiction has turned into a headache. For along with fodder, he has to shell out plenty of tobacco. His buffalo demands the chewing tobacco six times a day and makes life difficult if it doesn’t get adequate amounts.
“If we fail to provide chewing tobacco on time then it becomes horrible. The buffalo’s strong urge for tobacco makes it wild and it can do anything for khaini . It starts to break the rope it is tethered with,” Munda said.
“If it is not tethered, it smells out people consuming khaini and follows them around. Sometimes it wanders off quite a few kilometres and returns only after consuming some of it.”
Munda himself does not know how the buffalo developed the habit.
“I came to know about its love for tobacco when I saw it snatching khaini from a person who was preparing it. I then asked the previous owner of the animal and he confirmed its addiction.”
In fact, the buffalo does not like raw tobacco, but prefers it the way most people make it - by rubbing it between the palm and the thumb with some lime.
“It has become a headache for me. I have to prepare tobacco for her despite the fact that I do not take it myself.
“I am desperately looking for a buyer, but most people have come to know of her great love for BBC!” said Munda