UP: Childless farmer adopts calf as 'son', invites over 500 guests to ‘mundan’

BAREILLY

: Failing to conceive a child after 15 years of marriage, a

farmer

couple at a village in UP decided to adopt a

calf

as their 'son' and called it ‘

Laltu baba

’.

The couple, Vijaypal and Rajeshwari Devi, invited over 500 guests to a symbolic ‘

mundan

’ or head shaving ritual for Laltu baba on Wednesday.

The couple took Laltu baba to Laltu Ghat, on the banks of Gomti river, and performed the ceremony. The priest also gave blessings to the calf and its 'parents'.

A feast was then held where people from across the village arrived with gifts.

“I always treated Laltu as my son. The calf has been attached to us since its birth. Laltu's love for us is true and unconditional," Vijaypal told TOI.

“We were surprised to see the 'mundan' invitation. A lot of people attended. We were all excited and happy for the couple and the calf,” Ratnesh Mishra, a local villager, said.

After his parents' deaths, Vijaypal felt lonely in his Shahjahanpur home. Vijaypal's two younger sisters were also married.

Vijaypal said that he was very close to the cow, Laltu's mother, brought up by his late father. When the cow passed away, the calf was left alone. So, he decided to adopt it as his 'child'.

"When we can accept a cow as our mother then why not its calf as a son,” Vijaypal added.