The Cow of Barricades

The story “The Cow of the Barricades” gives a picture of India’s struggle for independence under the inspiring leadership of M.K. Gandhi. In the story, the Master is not other than the Mahatma. Gauri-death symbolizes the enduring source of energy that lies in purity, peace, goodness and unselfishness.
The people of Suryanarayana Street paid high respect to Gauri who used to visit the Street in the interval of seven days, on Tuesday. Her arrival gave a kind of awareness to the people who were very eager to know her. Being an animal, a cow was unable to say who she was. She would often come to her Master who had prepared her foods including grass, straw, rice-water and husk. Her eating style, the movement of jaws was like if she was uttering some words in favour of the people. People thought her to be a strange creature and the Master knew her whereabouts. Because after well reception she had to leave the Street without any further halt. The Master thought her to be his baton-armed mother-in-law.
Gauri was found in different places at different times. Everybody liked, loved and respected her to be a sacred creature. People thought her as Goddess Lakshmi, to support both rich and poor.
Different kinds of people come to her carrying various wishes to be graced and fulfilled by Gauri. The students for good pass, girls for handsome husband, widows for purity, childless for children and the like. Therefore, every Tuesday there was a well-prepared procession of men and women at the Master’s hermitage. But Gauri would pass by them all like al holy wife among men. People offered her various kinds of eatable things and sometimes she avoided taking all. So, the rest offerings would be thrown into the river where fish and crocodiles would eat them.
Gauri was compassionate and true and many people worshipped her to be Goddess Lakshmi. Meanwhile there was a fierce fighting between the red men and the soldiers of the Mahatma. The fighting was for Indian independence for which the red administration was in robust condition. The Mahatma persuaded the workmen of the industrial estate town and boycott the foreign goods and clothes, even Mahatma instigated the workmen to refuse the red Government service. As a result, a large number of workmen came forward to join the struggle for independence. They refused to work under the foreign rule. Even they refused to pay taxes to the Govt. Everywhere it was preached that the children must wander the Street holding blue cards and people especially women were refused to go out of their village, home to the open Street. They were forbidden to continue worshipping in the temples.
The workmen formed different barricades at different places and they remained there behind the barricades. They thought that the red soldiers might not cross over the barricades and workmen would easily win them. But the Master often came and requested people not to go astray, not to follow violence, but the workmen were so upset that they thought if they did not adopt the tit for tat way, they would not win the stony- hearted red men.
A large number of soldiers were called for from different parts of the country, and were stationed at the strategic points of the Street. The red man’s Government thought to rule over India whatever be the cost.
While the whole town was tense and full of barricades, Gauri walked along, surrounded by people among whom some started worshipping her, and begged her peace and salvation. Gauri was put on the barricades and the whole people became jubilant. The red soldiers got surprised looking at Gauri and thought to be the token of victory of Mahatma. The chief of the red men fired a shot and Gauri died on the spot. But surprisingly nobody could see a drop of blood falling down from Gauri’s head.
The Seth Jamnalal Dwarak Chand built a statue of Gauri at the spot and people started worshipping her. Children played on her body and the Master thought Gauri was waiting in the Middle of Heavens to be born.