His name is Isaaq Sheikh, and he is a gau rakshak

If you are stepping out of the bus terminal in Pratapgarh district of Rajasthan at night, there's a bright chance of bumping into cows with glowing horns.

A casual enquiry would lead you to Isaaq bhai, a middle-aged man who controls the movement of private buses in and out of the terminal. For the last one year, Isaaq Sheikh, a resident of Basaad village, some 4 km from the district headquarters, has been covering the horns of every cow in the city that walks past him with radium stickers.

"Yes, it's me," he says wiping off the beads of sweat perched on his brow with his towel.

"I strive to save stray animals and help avoid accidents on roads during night," he says, adding, "The idea clicked while returning form Ajmer with my brother one night. I saw several vehicles and dead cattle by the roadside. I was thinking if there was a way to save both the men and cattle."

Isaaq stumbled across the idea of radium strips from the signboards dotting the highways. "I knew I could make a difference as radium signages are clearly visible from afar," says Issaq, who dropped out after class 3.

Isaaq comes from the same district, where a few weeks back, a Muslim man was allegedly beaten to death for stopping local body officials from filming women defecating in the open. Incidents like these hasn't deterred him from doing what he does.

Isaaq always carries raidum stickers in a sling-bag on his motorcycle. Locals claim he has covered the horns of almost every cow with radium strips in Pratapgarh city. "Cows with raidum horns glow in the dark across the city. You travel from the bus stand area to the Zero Mile, Gandhi Crossing, District Hospital area, Dhariyavad Toll Naka, Krishi Mandi Road. Anywhere. They are there, visible from a distance," Anupam Pardesi, a local resident told DNA.

Isaaq beams at his achievement. "I always keep around 20 strips of radium rolls with me," he says pointing towards the bag on his motorcycle.

Sometimes he courts danger in his extra-curricular work. "On one occasion, a bull lunged at me with its horns. But I managed to stay clear," he says. Isaaq now keeps vegetables, fruits or some eatables with him to keep the bovine engaged while he is at work.

For his job at the bus terminal, Isaaq gets a salary of Rs3,500 per month. He has four children, three of them daughters.

Does his indulgence not affect the care of six-member family? "Main ye savaab paane ke liye karta hoon (I do it to earn blessings)," he says running after another bus honking for directions.