Vrindavan, 2017.09.10 (VT):f Ordinary people are now getting the results of being manipulated by an unholy alliance bringing together bureaucrats, politicians and criminal property dealers.

For the past twenty years, land on the floodplain has been subjected to illegal development with the tacit or direct complicity of the district administration. If proper action had been taken at the proper time, those who are now losing their homes would not have been placed in this situation today.

A large part of the Yamuna floodplain on the Vrindavan side of the river is technically under the jurisdiction of other municipalities like Jahangirpur, Mant, Panigaon and Rajpur. As a result the Department of Revenue, Irrigation Department and MVDA overlooked their responsibilities, which gave crooked land dealers the opportunity to occupy the floodplain land and conduct their business there.

This all started around 1995 when a number of wealthy and influential people started to buy and sell property on the floodplain, making a lot of money. They convinced people of the legality of their actions by getting the municipality to provide water and sewer line, electricity connection and the construction of roads from legislators’ discretionary funds. The High Court’s decision has now shut the door on this illegal development.

So now many questions are being asked about who is going to be held responsible for this unnecessary suffering.

Officers sent notice but did not stop the construction

In 2003, the administration issued notices to 63 people after receiving complaints about the construction of residential colonies in the Yamuna floodplain. In 2010, summons were sent to 87 people. But land sales and construction continued unabated. Madhumangal Shukla filed a PIL in the Allahabad High Court in 2010 for a ban on construction in the floodplain, but no further steps were taken.

ADM orders identification of Land Mafias.

ADM (Finance) Rabindra Kumar has given administration officers from different government departments of the district to 24 hours to identify land mafias. He said he would tolerate no lassitude in this matter. This work of identifying criminal activity in land dealing will be finalized on Sunday.

Many complaints have been received that people in positions of authority, especially in gram panchayats and local bodies, are taking illegal possession of government land.

On Saturday, ADM Finance held a meeting with officials of the concerned departments at the Collectorate in Mathura. Officials were told that they should thoroughly investigate that no one has been using their authority to illegally occupy land under the jurisdiction of their department. Such people should be identified and immediately put on the land mafia criminal list. If anyone is shown to be negligent in this work, strict action will be taken. A 24 hours deadline has been set after which, a review will be conducted.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.11 (VT): On Sunday, a resident of Vrindavan’s Pani Ghat was killed by monkeys. Nathuni Yadav, a devotee resident of the Radha Govinda Kutir ashram was taking prasad up to his rooftop room when a gang of monkeys attacked him and caused him to fall off the roof. This is the second monkey-related death reported in this month alone.

Unfortunately, these are not isolated incidents. Around a dozen people have been killed by monkeys in Vrindavan over the last few years, and many others were seriously injured. Monkey-related deaths have occurred in Moti Jheel, Govind Baag, Athkhambha, Gautam Para, Kalidah and Ratan Chhatri.

This March, an 80-year-old Russian woman was pushed to her death by monkeys from the “Russian building”. And on May 14th, a young Bengali woman barely escaped with her life after a monkey attack at Brahmakund. Her treatment is ongoing.

Perhaps even more shocking, in the summer of 2016 a group of monkeys tried to snatch a baby from its mother at Gaur Nagar. This not only injured the baby, but also gave serious wounds to the mother. Both were hospitalized.

A 2014 government survey found that in the previous year, 1,204 people had been injured by Vrindavan’s monkeys. Local hospitals reported receiving about fifteen patients every day with injuries caused by monkeys.

Unfortunately, despite the pleas of locals and an order from the Allahabad High Court earlier this year, nothing has yet been done to address the monkey issue.

Rapid Reproduction of Vrindavan Monkeys

According to official reports, there are about 60,000 monkeys in Vrindavan today. Four years ago there were only 40,000.

According to the National Primate Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, female rhesus macaques (the type of monkey which lives in Vrindavan) reproduce from age three to twenty. The gestation peroid is 164 days, with a gap of 12 to 24 months between births.

If, for example, a female monkey gives birth once every 20 months, she may give birth to ten infants in the 17 years she is able to reproduce. Each one of her female offspring, the offspring of her offspring, and so forth will give birth at a similar rate, starting at the age of three. If there are sixty thousand monkeys in Vrindavan now, how many will there be seventeen years from now, if nothing is done to slow the growth of their population?

Is Relocation an Option?

Relocation of Vrindavan’s monkeys to a forested area may appear to be an attractive option. However, the following concerns may undermine the merit of such an idea.

1. The monkeys of Vrindavan have been urbanised. They depend on the leftovers of humans for food, and it is questionable how well they could survive in a more natural setting.
2. The monkeys are quite agressive, and are likely to fight with monkeys who already live in the relocation area.
3. Female monkeys are very attached to their family units, called troops, which live their entire lives together. If any troop members are lost in the relocation process, it may cause them undue distress.
4. Due to mass deforestation, there are not many wild areas left to which the monkeys can be relocated.

Residents of the village Radhakund have reported that an unidentified group or individual has already relocated several truckloads of Vrindavan’s monkeys to their village. The result has not been positive. Locals say the village monkeys are quite peaceful compared to the agressive urbanized monkeys. The relocated monkeys fight viciously with the local monkeys, and have also begun to attack the residents of Radhakund.

According to the Forest Department of Himachal Pradesh, “…relocating monkeys into the territory of existing troops leads to territorial fights that result in the death of those “relocated” and serious injury or even death to members of the resident troop. Another important aspect of this close society is the bond that exists between the troop members. This bond reflects the close bond of human families and friends and the loss of a close troop member can be as devastating to them as a loss of one of our friends or family members.”

Sterilisation: A Humane Solution

The Himachal Pradesh Forest Department runs a successful monkey sterilization program on the premise that by slowing the reproduction rates of the monkeys, their population can be drastically reduced. Approximately 50% of the monkey population in Himachal Pradesh has been sterlizied since the program’s inception in 2006.

The founder of the The Primate Trust India, John Hicks, describes the entire sterilization process thus:

If ever there was a project the Government of India should wholeheartedly support and be proud of this is it!

Thankfully there has been some amazing work carried out by the Wildlife Wing of the Himachal Pradesh Forest Department that could, and should, have a major impact on the control of monkeys throughout India.

Having heard of this potentially innovative work I felt it essential that I should personally access and evaluate the project for myself. I arranged a visit to Shimla to meet Dr. Sandeep Rattan, who along with Dr. Sushil Sood, was largely responsible for the project.

My expectations were low as every other project I have encountered regarding monkey control in India has proven to be ill thought-out and doomed to end in disaster (at least for the monkeys). How wrong I was. Never have I seen a project so well planned, organised and engineered as this one. Every little detail had been considered and the smooth handling of every aspect of project ensured that the monkeys suffered the minimum of stress.

I was simply amazed when I saw a female monkey sterilized in just one and a half minutes and that a male vasectomy took about the same time. It is easily possible for one small team to efficiently sterilize at least 60 monkeys in a day!

Basically the whole operation is run along these lines: a large trap is set up and the monkeys are fed in the

Monkey sterilization surgery in Himachal Pradesh, P.C. John Hicks

trap for a few days before the trap is sprung. Literally it is possible to trap a whole troop in one go although this is not always achieved and a few troop members may escape. As soon as the trap is sprung a cage is slotted onto a hatch door in the trap and the drop door opened and one or two monkeys dash into the cage in the vain attempt to escape. The cage is then immediately lifted up and put on a lorry and another cage is put in place. This continues until the whole troop is loaded – 60 monkeys can be loaded onto the lorry in less than an hour.

Once on the lorry, the monkeys are covered to reduce stress during the journey to the animal hospital. At the hospital the cages are unloaded and as they come off the lorry they are slid onto a hatch door so when the door is opened the monkeys dash out. They enter a row of cages with drop doors dividing them and the monkeys run through until stopped by a drop door and then another drop door is closed behind them which then means the next monkey can be unloaded. The system is simplicity itself and the important thing is that it means the monkeys are not handled by people at all and so the stress is minimised.

When all the monkeys are unloaded they are given a quick veterinary check to ensure there are no injured or sick monkeys. They are provided with water and then the door to the room is closed and the monkeys are left undisturbed so they can settle down overnight.

The next morning the monkeys are sterilised and again the system is smooth, efficient and professional. The monkey in the first pen has a door opened so it runs through into a crush cage where it is given an injection to anesthetise it. Whilst waiting for the injection to take effect it passes into another cage to permit the next monkey to be injected and so on.

Once unconscious they are shaved and prepared and then placed on the operating table. The vet makes a very small incision into the abdomen of the female monkeys and then a small rod about the size of a knitting needle is pushed in. Through this rod, gas is pumped in to inflate the abdomen and then a miniature TV camera permits the vet to carry out the sterilisation process. The rod is then removed and the monkey is put into the recovery room which is identical in every way to the pens into which they were first put. Male vasectomies are carried out in much the same way but obviously without the need to enter the abdomen.

After two days to recover, the monkeys are loaded back onto the lorry and returned to the area where they were caught. Any troop members that were not caught will still be nearby and the relief of seeing their troop members back is a cause for huge relief.

So far this innovative system has only been used on Rhesus Macaques but it would be equally effective with

The sterilisation process is complete within 1.5 minutes.

Bonnet Macaques. Langurs may be more difficult to trap and some research needs to be carried out with this species to find the best method of catching troops; the main problem being that they are mainly tree dwellers.

The dog sterilization project known as ABC and subsidized by the Animal Welfare Board of India has [also] been hugely successful. This is not only in terms of numbers sterilized, but also due to visual public awareness because people in the areas where it is carried out can see immediately that the animal has been sterilized by the chip taken out of the ear. Therefore they can see the situation is being brought under control and concerns of ever increasing problems are overcome.

This same approach is vital when it comes to the sterilization of monkeys – the public need to see for themselves that the monkeys in their area have been sterilized and therefore know the situation will year on year get better, not worse. All the monkeys sterilized are clearly freeze branded for this very reason and to ensure time and money is not wasted trying to sterilize monkeys previously operated on.

Himachal’s monkey sterilization program has faced some scrutiny in past years. However, in Vrindavan where culling (ie. killing) monkeys is an unacceptable choice, sterilization may be the only viable option.

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Govardhan, 2017.09.12 (VT): Development in the form of concrete buildings is spoiling the natural environment throughout Braj Mandal. Though the courts and the administration of the district are finally beginning to see that Braj cannot flourish without the natural beauty for which it has historically been known, unless the Brajbasis themselves participate, such efforts will never be successful.

Now Karshni Sant Hari Om Baba has taken a leadership role and is inspiring the children of many schools in the Govardhan area to create a new kind of “green revolution.” The purpose of his campaign, he says, is to return Govardhan to the way it looked in the Dwapara Yuga.

“We want to recreate a beautiful natural environment with trees that give shade, fruit and fragrant flowers. We intend to plant trees one meter apart for the entire 21 kilometers of the Govardhan Parikrama Marg. That is 21,000 trees. When pilgrims come here and see Govardhan adorned in natural greenery, they will be inspired to glorify the holy mountain as something even beyond the material,” he says.

Hari Om Baba inspires the students by explaining the importance of ecology and the environment. “Trees give us oxygen and absorb the poisonous gases present in the environment,” he tells them. “Life can not be imagined without trees.”

Beginning on Sunday, students from Radha Madhava Intercollege, Vatsalya Public School, Charkula Global Public School, Siddhi Vinayak College have been planting saplings all around Govardhan and its surroundings under the Baba’s direction. Also involved in the project are the Dainik Jagaran, Ujjwal Braj and the Giri Govardhan Seva Samiti.

Students of Radha Madhav Inter College took responsibility for planting along the main parikrama route west of Govardhan town, and Charkula Global Public School on the Radhakund side.

Each sapling is being provided with proper fertilizer and tree guards to protect them from the monkeys, goats and cows that delight in feeding on fresh new growth. Moreover, a sprinkler system is being installed to make sure that they received adequate water.

Hari Om Baba promises that he will see this project through to the end. His hope is that with the increase in the flora, the water table will also rise. According to Kuldeep Dixit of Ujjwal Braj, tulsi, kadamb, peepal, neem and other varieties of trees are being planted.

(Dainik Jagran)

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Shri Rasbihari Kathiya Baba, current Mahant of Kathiya Baba Ashram

Vrindavan, 2017.09.12 (VT): Shri Rasbihari Das Kathiya Baba’s 84 Krosh Braj Mandal Parikrama party arrived in Kosi on Monday. The residents of Kosi welcomed the thousands of Sadhus at the Ramlila Maidan with a shower of flower petals. The sadhus were offered breakfast and the town’s merchants took the opportunity to honor  them with gifts like gamchas, metal plates, and so forth.

Shri Rasbihari Das Kathiya Baba is the current Mahant of the Kathiya Baba sect, which is a branch of the Nimbark Sampraday, and the parikrama led by him is perhaps the oldest and most colourful of such events in Braj. Shri Rasbihari Dasji himself has been leading the yatra for more than thirty years.

An estimated 3,000 sadhus participate in the yearly pilgrimage, which begins on the ekadashi after Janmashtami and continues for 42 days, ending on Durga Puja.

Shri Nagaji Maharaj’s Dreadlocks and the History of Braj Mandal Parikrama

Shri Chatur Chintamani Devacharya (Nagaji) Maharaj

The Nimbarki tradition of 84-Krosh Braj Mandal Parikrama was initiated about 500 years ago by the 34^th Acharya in the Kathiya Babas’ lineage, Shri Chatur Chintamani Devacharya, also known as Shri Nagaji Maharaj.

Shri Nagaji Maharaj lived in Vrindavan as a renounced sage, performing intense spiritual practice with the hope of attaining a divine vision of Shri Radha and Krishna. When he did not get the desired result after long and hard efforts, he decided to retire to the Himalayas.

But as Nagaji Maharaj was just beginning his journey, his jata (dreadlocks) became tangled in a thorny bush at Kadam Khandi near Barsana. He was unable to move.

Unwilling to wrangle with the thorn tree after already wrangling so much with his sadhana, Baba simply remained standing without any food and water for three days.

On the fourth day, Shri Krishna himself came and said, “Baba! Why are you just standing here like this?”

“Lala, can’t you see I am stuck?” said Nagaji Maharaj.

“Oh yes! You are really stuck! What a pity,” said Krishna with a grin. “But why don’t you untangle yourself?” Baba remained silent.

“Shall I help you?” asked Shri Krishna.

“No! Lala, don’t touch me!” said Nagaji Maharaj. “I know that only the One who has bound me can release me.”

“Baba, who has bound you?”

“Shri Krishna himself has bound me.”

“Well then Baba, you are in luck, for I am Shri Krishna!”

Shri Ramdas Kathiya Baba, 54th Acharya of the lineage

“I don’t believe you,” said Baba. “There are so many boys in Vrindavan with yellow clothes and peacock feathers who play flutes. How do I know you are the one and only Shri Krishna? I will only accept that you are Krishna when Radharani Herself comes here and bears witness.”

“Ok, Baba! So be it.”

Shri Krishna went and brought Radharani, and she bore witness saying, “Yes! He is my beloved Shri Krishna and no one else!” Then Nagaji Maharaj allowed Radha and Krishna to untangle his hair from the tree. Gazing upon the beauty of Shri Radha with Krishna at her side, Nagaji Maharaj was filled with love. Tears rolled from his eyes. With more affection than a million mothers, Radharani fed Baba and made him drink with her own lotus hands.

Shri Krishna made Nagaji Maharaj promise never to leave Vrindavan again, which he agreed to on the following conditions:

1. Each family of Braj should give half their sons to the sadhus.
2. Each family of Braj should give half the amount of milk it collects to the sadhus.

Shri Nagaji Maharaj later began a tradition of yearly Braj Mandal Parikrama. To this day, during the pilgrimage the sadhus engage in a mock fight with the Braj ladies to claim their share of the milk, in honor of Shri Krishna’s promise to Nagaji Maharaj.

The Bhakt Maal describes Shri Nagaji Maharaj as a devotee of the highest order. It is said that, although the 84-Krosh Parikrama takes a month and a half for normal devotees, Shri Nagaji was able to perform the whole parikrama in a single day due to his supernatural powers. He was also a wonderful singer, and used to give great joy to the Brajwasis with his songs full of devotion.

To this day the Braj Mandal Parikrama led by the Kathiya Baba sect is a source of great joy for the residents of Braj. The 54^th Acharya of the Kathiya Baba lineage, Shri Ramdas Kathiya Baba, once said that “Anyone who participates in the 84-Braj Mandal Parikrama will be released from the cycle of birth and death.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.12 (VT): Perhaps Prime Minister Modi’s Swachch Bharat movement is finally beginning to show real results. Impressed by Indore in Madhya Pradesh’s meteoric climb from 149th to 1st as the cleanest city in India, according to this years Swachcha Sarvekshan (Cleanliness Survey), Mathura’s Municipal Corporation – like many others in India – are rushing to Indore to find out what it was they did.

The “Indore Model” seems to be one that works. So the Vrindavan-Mathura Municipal Corporation is sending a there on a fact-finding mission so that the template for our city can be redrawn. Mathura ranked 352nd of the 434 cities in the 2017 survey.

DM  Arvind Malappa Bangari and other administration officials revealed their plans for cleaning up the holy Dham in a public forum of the Uttar Pradesh Braj Pilgrimage Development Council (Braj Tirth Vikash Parishad) held on Friday in the Vrindavan Research Institute auditorium. Many stakeholders from Vrindavan were present at the forum.

DM Arvind Malappa Bangari on far left at table with Shailja Kanta Mishra, and Parshad CEO Nagendra Pratap,

Part of the program is a massive volunteer-based cleanup, which will run from 8 to 9 each morning from September 9th to 15th.

The DM said that next month the corporation will send a team to inspect the sanitation project run by the Indore muncipality so that it can be adopted in Mathura-Vrindavan so that our municipal corporation can also become a model of cleanliness.

Retired IPS officer and “Supercop” Shailja Kant Mishra, who was named to the vice-president position only a few days ago said that after 27 years , he has gotten the chance to serve Braj. He looks forward to working with the public to make this mission, responsibility for which the state government has place on his shoulders, a success.

Other speakers at the forum included Narayandas Agarwal, Ram Kishore Agarwal, Swami Maheshnand Saraswati, Naval Giri, Padmanabh Goswami, RK Pandey, Jagannath Poddar, Mahant Phuldol Bihari Das and Vijay Rinanga. Many other of the leading personalities of the Braj-Vrindavan community were also present.

The Indore transformation

The best explanations for what was done in Indore can be found on Quora, where numerous residents have proudly given their summaries  of what was done there. It seems that the combination of (1) providing facilities, (2) publicity and (3) punishing non-compliance are the keys to the program.

(1) Providing facilities.

• It is clear that without door-to-door collection, people will continue to get rid of their waste wherever it is convenient, usually in the street or over the wall into the nearest vacant property. The Indore Municipal Corporation sends its fleet of trucks, at fixed times of the day, to the neighborhoods. It sounds a siren so that people know it is there. The trucks also have separate compartments for different kinds of waste so that people have to separate their waste.
• Public toilets have been provided so that no one has to urinate or defecate in the open.
• Tons and tons of dustbins have been provided everywhere in the town.
• Composting facilities near markets and so on.

[These last two are only really possible where there are fewer street animals, which is a problem that is particularly acute in Mathura/Vrindavan.]

(2) Publicity

• Perhaps the most remarkable success was in having the garbage trucks play a catchy jingle that caught on with people. It helped that they got a star singer like Shaan to sing it. The lyrics go like this –

As messengers of cleanliness, we walk the streets to every home, and sing songs about cleanliness. We believed in cleanliness, it’s now time to adopt and implement it, and make our city the cleanest in India.

As one person commented: The song was so effective that people just could not forget it. Recall how you keep humming a song that you hear in the morning the entire day? Imagine hearing a song every day. It was effective because it helped to inculcate a culture change.

• Besides this there was also a massive awareness drive for cleanliness, which used murals and public theater skits, in schools and elsewhere.

(3) Punishment

• The civic body started a campaign using school children (the “dabba gang”) who would start beating metal boxes whenever they saw anyone defecating in the open. This has been very effective in stopping the problem of open defecation.
• 85 jeeps were given to the ward chiefs to patrol the streets and fine litterers, etc. More than Rs 80 lakhs in fines was collected in the last 18 months.
• Special charges are also levied for gatherings that produce waste, such as political meetings, etc.
• People raising animals like cows, dogs and pigs, who let them wander the streets, have been dealt with firmly.
• Another important achievement seems to have been the ability to break the unions of the cleaners in town.

Sources say that close to 600 safai karamcharis who refused to work have been fired after taking six union heads into “alliance and confidence”. A 1,000 willing workers have been hired instead, taking the total number of staff to 6,500 at present.

There is more to it than just the above. But it appears that the principal element throughout is the iron will of the municipal commissioner with the support of all the municipal staff.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.12 (VT): The Brahma Kund Sanjhi Mela came to a close on the evening of September 10th. This unique yearly festival brings together Sanjhi art specialists from all over Braj Mandal.

Sandipani Muni School children view a village-style Sanjhi

Over the past four days, Brahma Kund has become the main stage to showcase the arts of Braj. Artists displayed various kinds of sanjhi designs, including those made from colored powders created with stencils, as well as various flower and cow dung designs. Even the surface of the kund itsef became a canvas for their art

Some of the artists whose creations were showcased at the event include:

* Shri Sumit Goswami (Shri Radharaman Temple, Vrindavan) – Sanjhi on the surface of water
* Shri Sanjay Soni (Mathura) – Flower Sanjhi on the surface of Brahma Kund
* Shri Rasikvallabh Nagarch (Shri Priya Vallabh Temple, Chhipi Gali, Vrindavan) – Sanjhi on a solid surface with powder and flowers
* Shri Vishwajeet Das (Shri Radharaman Temple, Vrindavan) – Sanjhi Under Water

In addition, a Raas lila troupe perfomed Sanjhi Lila, adding their own magic to the divine atmosphere of the festival. Classical musicians and folks singers presented songs on the subject of Sanjhi, and scholars read Sanjhi-themes poetry and discussed Sanjhi in literature.

Sanjhi Artist Shri Vishwajeet Das receives a certificate of recognition

Children from local schools competed in a Sanjhi-making competition, and village women prepared cowdung-based Sanjhi in the rural style. The children of Sandipani Muni School also contributed their talents with their performances of classical and folk dance.

On the closing day of the festival the Director of The Braj Foundation Mr. Vineet Narayan and the champion of Braj culture Mr. Mohan Swaroop Bhatia felicitated all the artists by presenting them with certificates of appreciation.

Although the Brahma Kund Sanjhi Mela is over, the Sanjhi festival continues in the Vrindavan temples until the end of Pitr Paksh.

“Seva Kunj” – Sanjhi by Shri Rasikvallabh Nagarch

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.13 (VT): Most anyone who has visited Vrindavan has experienced children approaching them to ask for one or two rupees. Often, parents with a low income are unable to arrange child care while they work, so they send their children out into the streets to sell trinkets or to simply beg to make a little more money for the family.

Keeping aside the more complex issue of the beggar mafia, even children from families that are not very poor sometimes beg in the streets to make pocket money. The parents, seeing no harm in it, allow or even encourage them to do so.

Recent events prove just how dangerous this type of behavior is.

Over the last month, there have been at least two cases of men luring children with cash and committing foul acts. In early August a six-year-old girl was led to a closed shop by a neighbor and raped in Mathura. The man had lured her by offering her a few rupees.

Again, just a few days ago in Vrindavan, a 55-year-old “sadhu” raped a child after luring her with a mere ten rupees. Not finding her at home, the girl’s mother searched for her. Hearing her screams coming from an ashram, the mother went inside. Taking the help of some local gentleman, she had the door of the “sadhu’s” room broken down. There she discovered her daughter had been victimised. Sadly many such stories never make the news, as those wishing to help victims fear being blamed for the crime themselves by corrupt officials.

The influx of outside forces into Vrindavan, including casual tourists, criminals in the guise of sadhus as well as itinerant workers who leave no paper trail and are hard to trace, is likely compounding the problem. Locals say that drugs are also becoming prevalent in certain areas and upsetting the balance of life in the holy land.

By allowing children to beg for money, families make them easy targets for pedophiles and child trafficking. Hopefully such tragic stories will force parents to evaluate their parenting choices, and realize that allowing children to approach strangers in the street is a recipe for disaster.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.13 (VT): As the Kathiya Babas’ 84-Krosh Braj Mandal Parikrama is underway, another group is also undertaking the pilgrimage, albeit with a different approach. The Akhil Bharat Varshiya Maheshwari Mahila Mandal is combining their parikrama with social service.

The Maheshwari group is a national-level organization which aims to empower women through literacy, health, skill development and educational programs. Women from all over the country have joined the parikrama, which began on September 8th.

Social welfare services are being offered at every step of the journey.

Recently, after performing pooja of Govardhan at Giriraj Talhati, the group proceeded to Talvan, where they held a swasthya shivir (health camp). At the camp, residents of the holy dham received free health checkups and vaccines.

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Ghar Ghar Tulsi, Thakur Pooja
Darshan Govind Ji Ko
Ali Mhane Laage Vrindavan Neeko

Shri Krishna is worshipped in every home of Vrindavan, and in every household grows the sacred tulsi plant. This is the place where Shri Govinda lives eternally, and those who come here can see Him face to face. O friend, I love Vrindavan so much! – Mirabai

Vrindavan, 2017.09.14 (Vishakha Dasi): Many come to Vrindavan only to visit one or two of the largest, most famous temples before going straight back home. This is of course completely valid, but it is also true that they miss out on the irrisistible charm of Vrindavan’s small temples. How exciting it is to wander from temple to temple through the narrow lanes of this sacred town, having darshan of Shri Krishna “in every home”!

The opportunity to explore goes beyond the Banke Bihari temple, ISKCON, Prem Mandir, and even the sapta devalay –  the “seven ancient temples”.

Narrow entrance to Chhipi Gali from Loi Bazaar

Yes, it is really true. Every few steps through Vrindavan’s kunj galis (narrow lanes) is an ancient wonder, a hidden miracle waiting to unfold before your eyes. Some estimate that there are more than five thousand temples in Vrindavan.

Recently a friend and I explored a beautiful lane called Chhipi Gali.

Chhipi Gali is the tailors’ lane. Women go there to get their blouses stitched and to buy discount bangles, nail polish and other accessories. The lane is more or less parallel to Loi Bazar, with several random, snaking inlets that are also counted as part of Chhipi Gali.

Meaning of Chhipi Gali

We asked many residents of the lane, what is the meaning of Chhipi Gali? There was no real consensus, but the answers we got were basically three:

1. Shri Radha and Krishna used to play luka-chhupi (hide and seek) here, and thus it is called Chhipi Gali

2. Chhipi is a Braj Bhasha word for tailor, and this is where the tailor shops are. Further, hundreds of years ago there was a famous tailor in this lane who only made clothes for Shri Krishna. Thus it is called Chhipi Gali.

3. Chhipi comes from the word chaap, referring in this case to block-printing. There used to be an artisan who did block-printing work in this lane, thus it is called Chhipi Gali.

Some research is in order to verify these statements. However, they do seem to reflect the beliefs of the lane’s residents at this time.

Chhipi Gali’s Govinda, Gopinath and Madanmohan

When Shri Krishna’s grandson Vajranabh wished to make a murti (deity) of Shri Krishna, he consulted Parikshit’s mother Uttara, who had seen Krishna with her own eyes. According to her descriptions, Parikshit had three murtis made. When the work was finished, Uttara was called to judge the sculptor’s work.

Uttara told Vajranabh that the first murti, Madanmohan, had Shri Krishna’s lotus feet, but the rest of him didn’t exactly look like Krishna. Likewise, the second deity Gopinath had Krishna’s handsome broad chest. And the third deity, Govinda, had Krishna’s lotus face. For this reason, it is a popular belief that if one takes darshan of Govinda, Gopinath and Madanmohan in a single day, it is equal to seeing Krishna himself in person.

When Aurangzeb’s Mughal army was about to invade Vrindavan, Govinda and Gopinath were moved Jaipur and Madanmohan was taken to Karauli, where they still reside today. Pratibhu Vigrahas or replacement deities of each were established later, after the threat of the Mughals had passed.

Chhipi Gali is almost like a miniature version of Vrindavan, in that it has temples representing most of the major spiritual traditions of Vrindavan. It even has its own temples of Govinda, Gopinath and Madanmohan.

Shri Madanmohan Temple

Madanmohan Temple, Chhipi Gali

Traveling from Kishorpura towards Loi Bazaar, take a right turn into Chhipi Gali. You will see a very unassuming doorway on your right. There is no signboard and no indication at all that it is a temple, but if you peek inside, you can tell that it is, indeed, a temple. This is the Shri Madanmohan Temple of Chhipi Gali.

Temple caretaker, Prafull Brajwasi

The temple caretaker is named Shri Prafull Brajwasi. According to him, the temple’s deities of Shri Radha-Madanmohan used to reside in Chandan Nagar near Kolkata. He does not remember exactly who brought them to Vrindavan or when, but it was approximately 250 years ago.

Once an important port on the Hoogly River, Chandan Nagar became a French colony in 1673, and remained so until it was captured by the British in March of 1757. But the city was returned to the French again in 1763. It was around this time that the servitors of Shri Radha-Madanmohan brought them to Vrindavan. Perhaps all the political and social upheaval gave them with the opportunity to take shelter of the Dham.

Thereafter, Chandan Nagar changed hands again several times – back to the British in 1794, again to France in 1816, and to Pondicherry in 1850. Decades of war stripped Chandan Nagar of some of its former glory, and by then Shri Radha-Madanmohan were long gone. But their temple still exists in Chandan Nagar, where the gaddi or seat of the Divine Couple is still worshipped with great love and reverence.

Shri Gopinath Temple 

Just down the road from the Madanmohan temple, tucked into a narrow side-street, is the temple where Shri Radha-Gopinath once resided. Unfortunately, several years ago the temple premises was divided and sold to four or five different parties. We made an attempt to visit the temple anyway, but the door was locked.

It is not known what happened to the deity of Shri Madanmohan. Some neighbors advised us that Gopinath was still inside, while most insisted he was gone, and still others were unaware there was ever a temple there to begin with.

The sad story of the Radha-Gopinath temple of Chhipi Gali is a reminder of the unstable economic situation in Vrindavan, which sometimes prompts people to abandon historic buildings and the cultural heritage of this town; a heritage that has weathered Mughal invasions and British rule, yet is faltering before the onslaught of modernity. Hopefully the government will notice and take action to prevent such tragedies from happening in the future.

Shri Govinda Dev Temple

Temple Founder, Shri Krishna Das Kundu

As you proceed through Chhipi Gali getting closer to Pratap Bazaar, you will find the temple of Shri Radha-Govinda on your left. Again, the building is not well marked so you may need to ask the local shopkeepers for directions.

The deities of this temple were established by the Kundu family from Bengal, and are currently cared for by descendants of Shri Nityananda Prabhu. Shri Radha-Govinda are quite tall and gorgeous, and their temple is full of beautiful green plants and creepers.

The temple itself is quite beautifully designed in the Haveli style with an open courtyard and beautiful sandstone pillars. Though the temple was not particularly large, the architecture was really quite stunning. It would have been easy to believe the temple was built in the 1700s, but that is not the case.

One of the temple caretakers, whose name unfortunately I do not recall, said, “I was not born yet when this temple was founded, but as per what I know, it is 102 years old.

Current caretaker of the temple

A wealthy gentleman named Shri Krishna Das Kundu founded this temple and then handed it over to my father, Shri Lalit Mohan Goswami, to look after the deity.”

A painting of Shri Krishna Das Kundu can be seen in the temple near the altar, and across from it on the facing wall is a portrait of his father, Shri Gopal Das Kundu.

Standing in Chhipi Gali’s Radha-Govinda temple, it comes to mind that if this street were in any other place, it would be the main spiritual artery of the city. But this is Vrindavan, where every lane is overflowing with history and spiritual bliss.

To be continued…

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BY PIA PETERSON AND THEA PILTZECKER (The Sierra Club): During the Hindu holiday of Holi, tons of colored dyes, some of them toxic, are released into India’s air and waterways as observant Hindus paint the town and each other. But at the Chaitanya Prem Sansthan ashram in Vrindavan, a city about 80 miles southeast of New Delhi, celebrants use only natural, nontoxic pigments and spices like turmeric and flowers for the celebration. The head of the local ashram, Shrivatsa Goswami, insists on it.

Goswami is struggling to save the Yamuna River, which flows just outside of his ashram. “We are fighting for the life of the Yamuna, because the Yamuna is our life,” Goswami says. His son Suvarna adds, “We don’t call it the Yamuna right now. This dirty water, this is not the Yamuna. This is sewage water.”

While the Indian government has launched various efforts, past and present, to try to clean up the iconic (and heavily polluted) Ganges River, much less attention has been paid to the Yamuna, a Ganges tributary that begins at a glacier in the Himalayas and runs for 855 miles through northern India. At some of its middle sections—especially the portions that run through Delhi—the river is effectively “dead,” according to scientists, choked of oxygen because of the water’s concentrated pollution.

The Yamuna’s miserable condition is due to a combination of factors. Hindu religious ceremonies—big festivals like Holi and everyday rituals such as funerals—are one factor, though Goswami says they get a bad rap for polluting the river. It’s true that many rituals involve using the river for purification purposes. In the case of funerals, bodies are burned in riverbank pyres and the ashes are swept into the water; in certain instances, the bodies themselves are disposed of in the river. But these practices, prevalent though they are, make just small contributions to the overall pollution and state of the river.

The main polluters of the Yamuna, Goswami says, are secular: the sewage that flows from New Delhi and the cities along its banks; chemical waste from manufacturing; pesticide runoff; and the detritus from riverbank housing. “Krishna cleans the Yamuna, but we have a responsibility also,” Goswami says. “More than religion, it’s the politicians, the economic community that have shifted their attention away—and the catastrophe is Vrindavan.”

The municipal government in Vrindavan has launched some efforts to clean up the river, but they have stalled due to lack of interest and involvement from the local community. Concrete sewage pipes remain piled at the water’s edge—dozens upon dozens of lengths of pipe tall enough for a small person to walk through. In town, a public urinal on a quiet street empties into a runoff channel, where it mixes with rainwater, dung, and oil. The channel winds downhill, directly into the Yamuna, where it mingles with trash along the muddy riverbank.

Even as the pollution persists, the river has recently received new protections in the Indian legal system. In March, the Uttarakhand state government granted the Yamuna and the Ganges Rivers legal personhood, giving them the same rights as a human citizen in India. This means that any harmful actions toward the river can be considered “equivalent to harming a person.”

“It’s an interesting turn in Indian law,” says Jack Hawley, professor of religion at Barnard College. For many, this legal ruling corroborates a general sense of “the liveliness of the river, that she has a personality that relates to other personalities.”

While the granting of legal personhood to a river is, in a way, historic, for now at least the designation means very little to the state of the river. Nor has it changed the daily reality for the people who depend on the river for their drinking water, jobs, or religious practice. Mornings at the riverbank are crowded affairs; people come to the water to wash, pray, or travel on one of the painted rowboats punting along the shore. Also, the personhood designation came from the state government, not India’s federal government, so its potential benefit is limited. It will be difficult, if not impossible, to coordinate efforts with other states that have not officially recognized the river’s new rights. And despite a legal ruling that drew heavily on the Yamuna’s sacred meaning and continued religious usage, religious leaders are not included in the planned Upper Yamuna Board. Instead, the three groups in charge of advocating on the river’s behalf are the head of the Ganges Clean-up Program, the chief secretary of the state of Uttarkhand, and a member of the state’s highest court. Nongovernmental environmental advocacy groups, too, are noticeably absent from the management board.

Dr. Syamel Sarkar of Delhi’s Energy and Resources Institute points out that the government, while it takes actions “on the surface,” cannot fix the river pollution problem without reaching across borders and working with other municipalities and the federal government to affect change. Sarkar warns that “as a stakeholder, the government cannot deliver results alone,” and needs to work with religious leaders, private companies, and across party lines.

Despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi trumpeting his efforts with the Ganga Action Plan, the river remains dangerously polluted for many who rely on it for daily life and religious rituals, according to Goswami. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent over the last few decades, and India is still no closer to a solution for the Ganges and its tributaries. The Yamuna Action Plan was launched in 1993, and the Indian government has spent millions of rupees since then trying to revive the “dead” river without any improvement in water quality, Sarkar says.

Vrindavan is downstream from New Delhi, one of the most populated cities in the world, and one that lacks the infrastructure to provide for all of the city’s estimated 22 million people. This is especially a problem when it comes to sewage disposal. Dr. Sarkar says the city’s sewage treatment capacity currently hovers at about 50 percent. An estimated third of the population of Delhi lives in illegal settlements that aren’t connected to the sewage system or properly counted in census data. The riverbank slum-dwellers further complicate waste management: How can a government implement effective resource management if it isn’t quite sure how many people need those resources? Ultimately, both treated and untreated sewage flow straight to the Yamuna and on to Vrindavan.

Freshwater upstream is diverted to farmland; before the river reaches the cities, more is directed to the drinking supply. High pollution and low water supply means that the river itself has a rate of toxicity far above the average. Safe bathing water should have a count of no more than 5,000 fecal bacteria per 100 milliliters; as of the latest tally, the Yamuna has 1.1 billion fecal bacteria per 100 milliliters.

By the time the Yamuna reaches Vrindavan, the river’s flow is essentially concentrated wastewater from Delhi. Sarkar says that groundwater depletion from wells along the way concentrate the pollution in the remaining groundwater, which is linked to the river. As a result, 22 miles of the Yamuna, from Delhi to Agra (including the section of the river that flows through Vrindavan) have recently been declared unfit for swimming or bathing.

While politicians struggle to turn campaign promises into effective positive changes for the river, Hindu religious leaders like Goswami must work in their own communities to affect smaller changes, such as using ecofriendly dyes or organizing cleanups of a popular temple in town to encourage Indians to take responsibility for their trash. It will still take a massive effort and commitment on behalf of all Indians to make the river as it once was, and safe for all people to drink and bathe in. “This dirty water is not the Yamuna,” Goswami says. “If we accept this dirty water body as Yamuna, we are doing it an injustice.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.15 (VT): Over the past ten years that we have been publishing this Vrindavan Today news site and blog (yes, it really has been that long!), we have had the opportunity to see several issues come up over and over again. Currently, several of these have popped back into the spotlight and we can see how little progress has really been made over the last decade.

Recently, the new DM and the newly formed Braj Tirth Vikash Parishad held a meeting at the VRI auditorium to discuss how to proceed on the PM’s Swachch Bharat Mission and make it work here in Vrindavan and Mathura.

Our little town, which is growing rapidly towards becoming one of India’s million plus urban agglomerations, of which there are 53 already, stands at number 352 in the rankings of clean cities that the Swachch Bharat Mission has begun releasing every year.

If the problem was awareness, then Braj would already be clean

It is sometimes hard to understand how an area like Braj could be so low in public spirited cleanliness, when it has as a part of its foundational ethos the concept of of its being God’s own playground, and that service to God means in great part making this playground suitable for his sports by keeping it clean and beautiful.

You can look at the Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta, verse 1.59, where I collected some verses from the Brij Sanskrit tradition that substantiate this ethos.

O my beloved mind! Take up residence in Vrindavan and constantly sing and hear the glories of Radha and Madhava. Describe those glories to the devotees who have dedicated their lives to the Divine Couple, meet with those who share the same taste for such devotion and discuss these matters with them. And go constantly from kunja to kunja, cleaning each one with great feeling, giving up all thought of the body. (1.59)

Well, there are many, many people who know this in Braj, and periodically we have shrama daan or some voluntary action where schoolchildren and spiritual and civic leaders descend into the street with brooms and clean a corner of Vrindavan for a day before it returns to its previous desolate state.

What then is the problem? Well, if we study the Indore model, it soon becomes apparent that the one thing that is missing here is the iron will to do something, and to see it through.

We have said before, cleaning Vrindavan is not an impossible problem and if the administration showed the proper will and non-compromise, then Swachch Vrindavan would already have happened twenty years ago.

Iron will and the evictions from the flood plain

Just look at what is going on now with the riverfront situation. For the past ten years it has been known that building on the flood plain is dangerous and illegal. Yet there was no one in the administration that was willing to enforce the rule of law. Now the NGT and High Court have made it imperative for the Administration to take action… and they will. The poor people living on the floodplain will be made homeless and destitute and those who have profited from the laxity of the Administration will in all likelihood be unaffected.

Will the Administration be thorough and carry out the NGT orders to the end? That will certainly be a surprise.

But those of us who tremble at the sight of sadhus and ordinary citizens who are getting the blunt end of the stick here, who soften at their suffering, must ask themselves: Has all this talk of Yamuna restoration been a load of drivel? Or will our will weaken the instant there is some human suffering, and our desire to have a pristine Yamuna flowing in a naturally scenic and beautiful environment in Vrindavan, for the benefit of all, can be tossed aside so that slum dwellings and hastily thrown together ashrams can proliferate on the flood plain?

The Administration has to act decisively, consistently and thoroughly.

Now the same thing applies to the cleanliness situation. It is quite clear from what we have researched of the Indore Model, that the iron will and discipline of the administration there has been the deciding factor.

Sure, we have plenty of songs we sing here and it would be easy to write new ones along the lines of the verses I referred to in my Vṛndāvana-mahimāmṛta commentary. But if singing songs were enough, Vrindavan would be as clean as Radha and Shyam’s flower kunj. It isn’t.

The Indore municipality made sure there were facilities, and they made sure that they were enforced. They broke the cleaning workers’ power to disrupt. They made sure there was door-to-door collection and they enforced it. They fined those who did not comply and gathered lakhs of rupees in fines which went to the cleaning effort.

But once the disciple becomes habit, then people start to become proud of the fact that there are not piles of garbage in every vacant lot, in every street corner, and that the drains are not clogged with detritus and dirty water. They start to see the change and they like it.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness. It is true. It is shaucham. It is a Hindu religious principle to be clean, inside and out!

It starts to become a question of civic pride and the citizens will discipline themselves. They will tell outsiders not to litter. They will tell their neighbors not to leave piles of old bricks and rubble in front of their houses. They will themselves report non-compliance because they will not be able to tolerate it.

If refuse bins are made available but never emptied and left to become hulks of hanging, rusting metal, then what will motivate people to use them? The problem is not so complex, but it takes an iron will to strictly enforce the plans that are put into place.

Doing something about the monkey problem

Finally, there is again talk of the monkey menace, and there is talk of removing stray cows and bulls from the streets. These street animals are also a big part of the problem when it comes to keeping the city clean. We will never have a clean Vrindavan as long as the monkeys are in charge. Something urgently has to be done and there is no room for sentiment.

Only an administration with an iron will can say: this has gone on long enough! Something must be done. The Simla project seems to be working, so let us implement it as soon as possible and implement it thoroughly.

When will the government and administration fearlessly create the facilities that make a peaceful and clean Vrindavan possible, and then enforce the rules until they become a habit for the citizens. There is no country on earth that permits its citizens to live in the midst of such filth, and there is certainly no place that hopes to attract tourists and pilgrims that can go on in this way.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.16 (VT): Vrindavan is in shock after the September 11th gang rape of a Sadhvi at the Radharani Temple in Barsana.

The victim is from Puri, Orissa, and used to live near the temple of Jagannath. Following the untimely deaths of her husband and son, she became a Sadhvi two years ago.

She was sleeping the hall below the main temple when two men accosted and raped her. The men were later identified as Kanhaiya Yadav, the temple chaukidar (guard), and Pangu Thakur, one of the temple’s cooks.

The Sadhvi immediately went to the police station to report the crime, but the police kicked her out. The unfortunate truth is that the police in Braj generally do not take any action without a court order. Filing an FIR is extremely difficult without court intervention.

However, the victim proceeded with the investigation on her own. Not knowing anyone in Barsana, she asked around until she located the perpetrators, whom she recognised by face. She then created a public outcry by telling her story to anyone who would listen.

The incident went viral on social media, after which the Mathura SSP became aware of the incident and ordered immediate action.

“Nobody wants to listen to me, but Radharani is watching,” said the Sadhvi. “She will make sure that justice is served.”

Five days after the rape, the victim has finally been examined by a doctor and whatever evidence is left has been recovered from the crime scene.

Fortunately the entire incident was captured on CCTV. It is not clear whether the person responsible for monitoring the CCTV camera was complicit or merely shirking his duty.

One of the suspects has been apprehended while the other is still at large. Needless to say, they are no longer employees of the temple.

According to the Radharani Temple administration, people will no longer be allowed to sleep in the temple premises. The beggars have been permanently evacuated from the temple’s stairway and Parikrama path.

Temple officials say that their employees will now be under greater scrutiny and those seeking employment at the temple will be subject to background checks.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.16 (Hindustan, DJ): Former IPS Shailjakant Mishra, Vice President of the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad said that the Braj Vrindavan cleanliness campaign has been set into motion, but has not yet yielded the desired results.

In an inspirational talk at the Parameshwari Devi Dhanuka Vidyalaya of Goshala Nagar, Mr. Mishra told the students that they should meditate on the immortal revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives to give India its independence and by so doing become themselves capable of greater sacrifice in the interests of their countrymen.

While addressing the students at , Mishra said that there is an urgent need to give the nation’s youth the best education, because those who are not removing the thorns from the path, are the ones who end up spreading them.

In an interview with the Hindustan newspaper, he spoke of his role in the Braj Tirtha Vikas Parishad, in particular the cleanliness campaign on the Parikrama Marg that has been going on under his leadership over the past few days.

He said, “Success in this campaign is possible only through public cooperation. I did not take up this service work on cleanliness in Vrindavan with a view to success or failure. My true endeavor is that Vrindavan should become a role model for cleanliness, not just for the country but for the entire world.”

On the question of public cooperation, he said that he does not want to cause bad feeling by criticizing anyone. “But I appeal to the saints, religious leaders and the people of Vrindavan to come forward and help in this service to the Holy Dham.”

He expressed disappointment that though there is currently a “cleanliness fortnight” underway on the Parikrama Marg, which has been running in the last five days, townspeople have not come forward to help. Neither has any NGO claiming to do cleaning service in the city come forth to give support.

“Moreover, it is a matter of fact that the city’s political organizations and its hundreds of social organizations have also kept their distance from this campaign. So far, students from only two educational institutions, members of one non-governmental organization and a single sant have participated.

“If this is the case, how can such a Vrindavan become a role model for cleanliness in the country?”

Dainik Jagran

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.15 (VT): Braj-Vrindavan celebrated Janmashtami a month ago, but the Rangaji temple in Vrindavan follows the South Indian festival calendar, and this year, Janmashtami came a month later.

As usual, the temple celebrated Krishna’s appearance at 12 o’clock in the middle of the night with great fanfare. Lord Shri Godarangamannar was worshiped in the form of Balkrishna by bathing him in a Maha Abhishek of panch gavya, as well as turmeric, basil, milk, curd, honey, grass, cow urine and water.

Thousands of people were present in the complex to enjoy the celebrations. During the Mahabhishek devotees celebrated by singing birth congratulations (badhai). The abhishek was followed by arati and the offering of kheer bhog.

In conversation with Vrindavan Today, Rajkumar Sood, the managing director of the Rangji temple, said that after the Mahabhishek, the special festival form of the Lord is given a special fancy dress (shringar). Then special South Indian dishes are offered in bhog. The kheer prepared by South Indian cooks in the temple kitchen is not the same as North Indian kheer. In the tempal the kheeran bhog offered on Janmashtami consists of the usual milk and rice, but with all kinds of dried fruit and nuts added to it. Needless to say, the devotees lined up till late in the night to get a taste of the prasad.

Nandotsava and the Lattha Mela

On the following day, the Lattha festival, one of the annual favorites in Rangaji, took place to celebrate Nandotsava.

Nandotsav is celebrated at the Sri Rangji temple by distributing toys, dresses, fruit and nut prasad and other gifts to local children. But the big popular attraction, as every year, is the Lattha Mela. In the Lattha Mela, wrestlers from different akharas in the district come to compete for prizes by climbing a pole greased with ghee and oil to get a flag and urn placed at the top. While they attempt to climb the pole, they are showered with water and oil from above.

This year, for the record fifth time, wrestler Keshav Singh was the one who made it to the top first.

Photo: VT

The Nandotsava program starts in the temple, where Sri Godaranganammar is placed on his chariot and taken on parikrama around the temple, then brought to the front gate where he watches the competition. Without the Lord watching, the competition cannot start. Each time the wrestlers fall from the column, they go to the main temple entrance gate to bow to God who is watching from the verandah. The idea is that they are engaged in the competition for his pleasure and their success or failure is entirely dependent on him.

The word lattha (लट्ठा) means stick, but in this case it means the forty-foot greased metal pole the wrestlers have to climb. The team that gets to the top wins the prize of a clay pot full of butter and other prizes. As usual it takes hours before anyone can get there. When Godaranganammar finally gives his blessings, one of the contestants finally makes it to the top.

The devotees and devotees shouted sang the familiar “To Nanda’s great joy, a son has been born! Jai Kanhaiya Lal!” and gave blessings to all the participating wrestlers for their efforts.

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Agra, 2017.09.15 (Aditya Devi, TNN): Forest officers, mahouts and elephant keepers from Uttarakhand attended a workshop at Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura to learn about operant conditioning and humane management of elephants.

On the request of the Uttarakhand forest department and the director of Rajaji National Park and Tiger Reserve, Wildlife SOS hosted a two day training workshop and exposure visit at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre in Mathura for forest officers, veterinarians, elephant mahouts, keepers of Rajaji Tiger Reserve. The workshop was to highlight humane and scientific elephant management techniques in practised at the Elephant Conservation and Care Centre.

The workshop covered several aspects of elephant behavior and management techniques as well as the use of advanced medical diagnostic equipment for disease diagnosis and elephant care. Enclosure design for housing bull elephants without subjecting them to long periods of chaining and restrain was also explained and shown in practice. The Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center in Mathura houses several bull elephants in protected contact enclosures.

The scientific and humane elephant management techniques such as positive conditioning, target training, foot care, using elephant behavior as a tool to diagnose stress and the need to induce enclosure enrichment were key aspects of the workshop. The Uttarakhand Forest Officers also interacted with the officers from Wildlife SOS at the Agra Bear Rescue Facility where nearly 200 endangered sloth bears rescued from the age old illegal practice of dancing bears are undergoing rehabilitation.The Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation & Care Center was established in 2010 in collaboration with the Uttar Pradesh Forest Department. It is the first of its kind in India and currently houses over 20 rescued elephants.

Sanatan Sonkar, director, Rajaji National Park, said, “The visit to Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center was a great learning experience for our officers and staff who were exposed to humane elephant management techniques as well as diagnostic facilities provided at the centre. Our focus is to ensure that camp elephants in Uttarakhand Forest Department receive better veterinary care and we want to adopt and promote modern and positive elephant management and training technique.”

Kartick Satyanarayan, co-founder of Wildlife SOS, said “In the traditional elephant management method practiced in India, elephants are forced into submission by use of negative reinforcement, punishment with pain and fear being the primary tools. These are detrimental to the elephant’s physical & mental well-being while placing mahouts & handlers at huge risk as elephants retaliate when handled negatively. Wildlife SOS uses positive reinforcement techniques which are ethical & humane while helping mahouts form trusting bonds.”

Baiju Raj MV, director, conservation projects, Wildlife SOS, said, “We were happy to host this elephant management workshop for Uttarakhand Forest Dept who are keen on collaborating with WSOS for assisting in management & veterinary care of their elephants. There are over 1800 elephants in Uttarakhand currently as per recent survey.”

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.16 (VT):  Since the order of the High Court, numerous local people and saints have opened a front against the administration’s actions in support of those affected. The administration has knocked down dozens of houses in the last three days. This has not unexpectedly given rise to a great deal of anger among the people who have been made homeless.

As a result, several sants and local citizens led by Vrindavan social activist Ramesh Pujari went on an indefinite hunger strike at around 2.30 pm on Monday. Dozens of people expressed their anger by shouting slogans against the district administration.

Ramesh Pujari started fasting indefinitely at the Panigaon corner on the Parikrama Marg, accusing the administration of hypocritical behavior. His action seems to be have had some effect as after two days the demolition work has been stopped. The Administration has completely bent and his fast has been stopped.

“They are destroying the poor people’s huts but not buildings owned by the wealthy. We want some fairness in treatment,” said Pujari.

“If the administration had not broken the rules by allowing registration and construction to take place there, there would be no problem today. Poor people are being made homeless, but the real estate moguls and owners of the bigger buildings are being protected. If the administration behaves in a two-faced manner with the poor, then they will come knocking at the doors of the court,” he said.

Pujari further accused the MVDA of taken millions of rupees in illegal fees. “The hunger strike is also protesting this. The different levels of government promise homes for the poor, but here we see that these people have saved money from their own labor to build these residences and now they are being cruelly destroyed without compensation. Meanwhile the MVDA officers are taking in millions in bribes. We want justice.”

In another meeting held in Chaitanya Kuti on Thursday, Swami Ramdevand Maharaj said that Development Authority first permitted construction of houses legally, so their destruction must be illegal. If the houses of the poor and helpless are being demolished, then the Sant Samaj will stage protest action.

Phuldol Maharaj and Mahant Parameshwar Das Tyagi also levied similar warnings.

According to unnamed sources, money is being collected from those affected by the demolition so that lawyers can be hired to plead their case in the High Court. The builders of the residential colonies and their residents have raised a considerable sum to argue their side. It has been reported that people have been giving from three to five thousand rupees each. Other documents have been taken from these families, including their house and land registration, for the purpose of making their case.

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Mathura, 2017.09.16 (Hindustan): In the 80th Board Meeting of Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority, a budget of ₹233 crore was passed. Out of this, ₹156 crores had been passed in the previous meeting, while a further amount of ₹77.3 crore was added in this one. The meeting was held on Friday under the chairmanship of K. Ram Mohan Rao, the Agra commissioner.

Money from the passed budget will be spent on both ongoing development works of MVDA as well as new one that are to be started. Apart from the General Balance Sheet in the meeting, two maps were also submitted for acceptance. Of these, that of the petrol pump area was approved, whereas the other of the Vidyalaya has been held back. Apart from this, three or four other points regarding maintenance, etc., were approved.

Present at the meeting were MVDA Vice President Yashu Rustagi, Secretary/ADM Finance Ravindra Kumar and all junior and assistant engineers (JE, AE).

According to the previous year’s balance sheet, the annual income of MVDA was around ₹ 120 crore. Of this, ₹ 90 crore was spent on various projects. Thus, there was around ₹ 30 crore surplus.

The Commissioner expressed strong displeasure over illegal construction in the MVDA sector. He instructed VP Rustagi to show more activism in preventing illegal construction. All JE-AE should be strict on this matter and inform him of any actions taken.

He also demanded a report related to Green Areas and asked for all JE/AE to send reports including photographs. The Commissioner said that if any illegal construction is found anywhere in the MVDA jurisdiction, then the concerned JE/AEs would be held responsible.

After the meeting, the Commissioner went to the Municipal Corporation to get information about the different functions of the concerned department officials and various engineers. He said that they should keep records of everything they do. He stayed for about an hour dealing with office organization and so on.

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                     Poster making activity

Vrindavan, 2017. 09. 16 (VT): Friends of Vrindavan in collaboration with Samvid Gurukulam of Vatsalya Gram celebrated the International Day for Ozone Preservation by organizing a poster ‘making activity’ and Tree Plantation Drive at the Samvid Gurukulam School on Saturday.
On this occasion Dr. Arvind Kumar, the Regional Officer of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board was the Chief Guest. After the Tree plantation drive, Dr. Arvind Kumar addressed the students.

He said that this special day is held on September 16th to mark the day when the Montreal Protocol was signed in 1987. The aim of this is mainly intended to spread awareness about the depletion of the ozone layer and search solutions to preserve it. This year the entire world is celebrating its 30th anniversary. On this day a large number of stickers, pledge and posters were distributed by the Pollution Control Official for raising public awareness.

            Academic Director Shishupal Singh with students ready to plant tree

More than 50 trees of Neem, Pilkhan, Kanji, banyan, pipal etc. were planted in the school campus by the students under FoV’s ‘Mera Vriksh’ programme’. Every student was given responsibility to take care of the particular trees. The trees were sponsored by the NEC Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

Jagannath Poddar, Director of Friends of Vrindavan and Shri Sishupal Singh, the Education Director of ‘Samvid Gurukulam’ jointly announced that altogether 200 trees will be planted in the school campus in this year. The trees will be planted and maintained by the students only under the ‘Eco school’ activity.

Pt. Damodar Shashtri, Shri Nagendra Kaushik, Mrs. Preeti Mehra, Ms. Rangoli Mehrotra also addressed the students.

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With great love I worship Haristhala, the place at the peak of Sri Girirāja Govardhana, where enchanting Hari always blissfully enjoys himself like a king.

VERSE 76:

Because he steals everyone’s mind, one of the Lord’s names is “Hari.” Sri Hari assumes many other forms, and they are all enchanting, but there is no Hari that is not as naturally mind-stealing as Vrajendranandana. Not only is he able to steal others’ minds, he has the nature to enchant even his own mind! vismāpanaṁ svasya ca (Bhāgavata). rūpa dekhi āpanāra, kṛṣṇera hoy camatkāra (Caitanya-caritāmṛta) No one else but Krishna has such a nature.

The sweetness and beauty of Madana Mohana Vraja Vihārī is incomparable! Anyone who takes shelter of the sacred words of those who perceive this extraordinary form of Madana Mohana with the eyes of passionate divine love will also be able to see it.

There is no comparison to the passionate love of Sri Bilvamangal Thakur. He describes Vrajendranandana exactly in the way in which he saw him with such eyes of sacred passion:

Is this Cupid himself? If not, then how can he create such lusty feelings (of pure love) in my heart when he appears?

No, no, it can’t be, for Cupid may be able to stir the mind, but he does not have so much splendor, and this one here has literally waves of splendor!

 

Then is it some halo?

 

But how could that be? There is light in a halo of course, but not so much sweetness!

 

Then is this sweetness personified?

 

No, for that does not have this nectar, which is relishable for the mind and the eyes!

 

Then is it some fresh nectar for the eyes and mind?

 

No, no, for this is an indescribable ocean of relish that far transcends all that!

 

Is it then my Mādhava, the one who loosens my braid? Is it my Prāṇa-vallabha Sri Krishna who has come to delight my eyes? (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, 68)

Śrīman Mahāprabhu, the avatar who came to sanctify the age of Kali, said while relishing the mellows of this verse:

Is this Cupid, a personified halo or the embodiment of sweetness? Or is it a festival for the eyes and mind, or the lover of my heart? Truly, Krishna has come to delight my eyes! (Caitanya-caritāmṛta 2.2.75)

Experienced people can immediately see that: Is there any other form of the Godhead that maddens the heart and mind with this kind of beauty or nature, that has been described in such an ecstatic language?

Not only that, there is another extraordinary nature that maddens the mind of a person that experienced this form, that enchants Cupid. Those who have experienced this form sometimes think there is no limit to their bliss and sometimes they think that there is no limit to this misery. Sometimes they think they are scorched by a forest fire and sometimes they think they are residing in the cool water of the river Yamuna. In this way the hearts and minds of persons who have experienced this blend of poison and nectar, or of bliss and anguish are not just taken away, but they go beyond themselves in all respects by some amazing condition that is inconceivable to body, mind and words.

A ray of this experience is also found in the descriptions of Līlāśuka:

Alas! With the indescribable movements of your cherry-like lips and with your blissful flute-playing you are afflicting my mind! (Kṛṣṇa-karṇāmṛta, 36)

Śrīpāda Krishna dāsa Kavirāja Goswamipāda writes in his Sāraṅga-Raṅgadā commentary on this verse: ato manohareṇa mano mātraṁ harati kāryaṁ na siddhyati indrajālavad yat tena “He steals the mind with his form and qualities, but does not reach perfection. Therefore this work of attracting the mind is illusory like a magic trick.”

This mind-stealing Hari is very blissfully enjoying himself like a great king on the peak of Girirāja Govardhana at the place called Haristhala, and Raghunath Das Goswami yearns passionately to worship this Haristhala for the fulfillment of his sacred aspirations.

I passionately worship the place called Haristhala on the peak of Girirāja Govardhana, where Hari stands in a divine form, wearing a mind-stealing dress and blissfully enjoying different pastimes with passionate love, just like a great king. For this I always fall in prostration at the base of Girirāja.

Commentary of Sri Radha Kund Mahant, Pandit Sri Ananta Das Babaji Maharaj is named Stavāmṛta Kaṇā Vyākhyā (a drop of the nectar of Stavāvalī), and was published in Gaurābda 503 (1989 A.D.) from Sri Krishna Chaitanya Shastra Mandir, Vrajananda Ghera, PO Radhakunda (district Mathura), U.P., India.

Devotional songs in Bengali that follow each commentary were composed by Dr. Haripada Sheel.

© Translated by Advaita dāsa in 1994

More of Ananta Das Pandit’s writings in English translation can be found at Tarun Govinda’s blog, Amrita Tarangini.

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Vrindavan, 2017.09.17 (VT): The Comissioner of the Municipal Corporation Dr. Ujjwal Kumar carried out an inspection of Vrindavan’s sewage pumping stations on Saturday.  After observing that some elements of these stations were not functional, he ordered them to be repaired immediately and announced that the sewage drains dumping into Yamuna would soon be closed.

In a meeting with the Banke Bihari temple administration, the Comissioner advised them to create a flower-composting unit, so that the leftover flowers from the temple are not simply thrown away with the garbage.

The Commisioner also inspected the renovation of the ancient ghats being done under the HRIDAY project, observing the illegal encroachments on the ghats. He instructed his subordinates to remove them. Taking note of the huge drains that dump sewage into Yamuna at Mathura’s Vihar Ghat and Suraj Ghat, he ordered the Executive Engineer of the Jal Nigam to block them as soon as possible.

In June of this year, an inspection by ADM of Mathura Shri Ravindra Kumar carried out a similar inspection, where he found several sewage pumping stations completely dysfunctional and others operating below capacity. The sewage pumping stations at Kalidah in particular was in terrible shape: the plant was completely dysfunctional and there was no trace of any activity there. There was no diesel in the generator and sewage was spread throughout the entire pumping station, even in the starter room. There were no staff from the Jal Nigam present there.

It is not clear whether there have been any improvements since June but certainly the sewage produced by Vrindavan is still, for the most part, flowing directly into the Yamuna. We have some hope that the comissioner of the newly-formed Mathura-Vrindavan Nagar Nigam will be able to bring about some long-awaited change.

Read More: Sewage treatment plants found dysfunctional again (VT: June 18, 2017)

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