In Shivhar district, farmer Alok Kumar Singh's journey shows how choosing hard work over bowing to corruption can rewrite a person's fortune. Nearly two decades ago, Alok found himself entangled in a false court case, and was reportedly asked to pay a bribe of 30,000 rupees to get his name removed from it. Despite a weak financial position, he flatly refused to pay. Today, that same Alok is a well known face of the dairy business in Shivhar, with 7-8 cows that form the backbone of his family's income.
When a bribe was demanded, his family suggested buying a cow instead
Alok recalls that when he was asked for 30,000 rupees to get his name cleared from the case, his household simply did not have that kind of spare money. At that difficult moment, his parents gave him a very different piece of advice, instead of spending money on a bribe, buy a good breed cow and use the income from its milk to fight the legal battle. That single suggestion turned out to be the biggest turning point of his life, and he chose to follow it.
Milk earnings paid the lawyers, justice came after two years
In 2006, Alok bought an HF breed cow through Laxman Singh, a lab attendant at Marar's well known milk committee. His financial condition at the time was extremely weak, but he had already decided that no matter what happened, he would not pay a bribe. Whatever money came in from selling the cow's milk went straight into paying his lawyers' fees and covering the entire cost of the case. The legal fight dragged on for about two years, and he finally got justice when the case was closed. Alok believes that had he chosen to pay the bribe back then, he might never have achieved the success he has today in the dairy business.
What began with one cow is now a full dairy farm of seven-eight cows
The success of that first cow boosted Alok's confidence. Gradually, the herd that started with just one animal kept growing, and before long he had 10 cows. At present he has 7-8 milking cows that produce a good quantity of milk every single day, and this business has become the main source of income for his family. Alok works out the math himself, a good milking cow gives milk for around 300 days. Even an average of 10 litres of milk a day can generate enough income to become a strong economic foundation for any small farmer. It was this very thinking that led him to fully embrace the dairy business, which is now his identity.
Training at Karnal broke old myths and spread awareness village to village
Alok says that villagers earlier believed that rearing cows brings all sorts of problems, and that animals turn infertile if not looked after properly. To clear this misconception, he took a five day training programme at the National Dairy Research Institute in Karnal, where experts taught him about balanced animal diets, food supplements, health management and scientific dairy techniques. After completing the training, he began holding meetings in village after village, making livestock owners aware of the correct methods, and even helped in setting up milk committees in several places. He says that once people received accurate information, cow rearing was taken up on a large scale in the area, leading to a noticeable rise in local milk production.
A living example of honesty and self reliance
Alok Kumar Singh's story shows that even in the toughest circumstances, choosing honesty and patience can still lead to success. Instead of paying a bribe, he put his faith in the judiciary, and through sheer hard work he not only won his legal battle but also carved out a fresh identity in the dairy business. Today he encourages other farmers to adopt scientific animal husbandry, feed their cattle a balanced diet, and take up dairy farming as a strong form of self employment. His journey proves that the right decision, hard work and self belief can turn even the most adverse circumstances into a fresh start toward success.
