Flood (fwd)

[Guest guest]

FYI. Check out the photos. As far as I know, the situation remains

grave:

 

 

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Dear devotees,

 

Hare Krishna! Please accept our humble obeisances. All glories to Srila

Prabhupada.

 

Usually, every year, we get flooded in Mayapur. About a month or two back,

a small flood came and went. So we were not expecting another flood this

year. The water started to flow in from the Bhagirathi on the 20th

September. When we came to know that water was flooding the campus,

devotees started to move all their respective materials above flood

level. Due to excessive rains, certain dams had released too much water

too fast with out any prior intimation and the water had raised so high

that several devotees were unable to even enter their rooms anymore to

protect or safeguard their belongings. Devotees had thought that if there

is a flood this year, it would be like the previous years' floods and had

only taken up precautionary measures for the usual flood. However, the

West Bengal State Government announced via the radio that this was the

highest flood in the last 100 years!

 

In West Bengal, a total of nine districts, including the towns nearby

Mayapur such as Nabadwip, Krishnanagar and Ranaghat, were flooded. The

State Government declared it an emergency situation and sent helicopters

to distribute some food packets to the flood victims.

 

Due to the emergency situation, the Government was also seizing boats from

people for their flood relief activities. Therefore, with such a scarcity

of boats, it was difficult for us to communicate from building to building

as the waters rose within and without the ISKCON Mayapur campus. However,

within a very short time, we moved all the devotees, families, and

children to safe areas.

 

The water level was so high that our electricity generators and water

pumps were submerged under the water. Thus for more than two weeks,

devotees had no proper water to consume, no electricity, and no telephone

connection. There was no transportation by bus or train in Nadia district

and in some

other districts.

 

So devotees could not even buy materials for cooking from any place

nearby! Food was not available at all, neither were any vegetables even

available for sale! And even when devotees had gone to buy food materials,

people were trying to snatch away the food materials. It is reported that

once when some devotees had gone for purchasing materials to cook, their

boat was seized along with the food materials, and the devotees were

detained by the people. However, other devotees had to come from ISKCON to

rescue the detained devotees the next day and somehow they were released.

 

Thus, while 700 devotees (including children) were stuck in the middle of

the flood without no impending guarantee of food, HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja

kindly sent a launch with food materials for devotees from Calcutta. Also

some visiting devotees from West who had to leave Mayapur got stuck up,

but they left safely with the launch when it returned back to

Calcutta. Devotees were somehow managing to adjust to the available food

and lived on rice, dal and potatoes. They were coming to the Lotus

building for prasadam.

 

The situation was, however, tense. There were indications that some

dacoits were planning to attack ISKCON and so some devotees were staying

up during the night as guards for security in the buildings. The current

of water flow was dangerously strong. Luckily, we had several life-saving

jackets and none drowned. Snakes were around in the water, but by Radha

Madhava's mercy, there were no casualties.

 

The water was 12 feet above the ground level around Srila Prabhupada's

park, next to the Lotus Building. Had the water risen one feet higher, it

would entered the first floor of the Lotus building as well. The water had

entered the first floor of the Chakra building and there was four feet of

water in the first floor of the Chakra building, which also includes the

Office Block. Devotees, who had moved from other areas in the campus to

the first floor of Chakra building for shelter during the flood, had to

relocate elsewhere. Water had also entered the reception of the Gada

building.

 

Inside the temple room, the water had reached uptil the knees of Sri Sri

Radha Madhava. Lord Nrsimhadeva was totally submerged under water. Sri Sri

Pancatattva, Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, Sri Prahlada, Srila Prabhupada and the

utsava-murtis of Sri Sri Radha Madhava, moved to the GBC Conference Room

to receive the devotees' worship. In every building (Lotus, Chakra,

Brahmachari, Sankirtan and Conch), devotees were continuing with the

regular temple programs such as mangal arati, darsan arati and sandhya

arati. HG Jananivasa Prabhu conducted a seminar on Deity worship.

 

Spending lakhs of rupees, we had earlier raised our Goshalla well above

the usual flood level. However, this year's flood was so high that water

still rose uptil the cows' knees. At that time, we had no way to move the

cows to a higher land. Finally we decided to move all the cows to the roof

of the Sankirtan Academy building. The cows were safe there and we had

sufficient food for the cows.

 

Likewise, it was not possible to move Radha Madhava's elephant (Gulap

Kali) to the Jagannath temple. Devotees often tried to move her up to the

Samadhi but repeatedly failed as she would adamantly refuse to be

moved. Finally they succeeded in moving her to an area higher than the

elephant shed. Still, the water level was so high that she was standing in

the water waist-deep during the entire flood.

 

The damages due to the flood are substantial and far-reaching. All

permanent exhibits for preaching to visitors such as Expo, Caitanya Lila

exhibits were destroyed. The entire gurukula structure is devastated. All

Gurukula huts were submerged under the water and 80% damaged. The Gurukula

gardens, dispensary, books were destroyed and buildings badly damaged. The

other schools have also received substantial damages. Srila Prabhupada's

Bhajan Kutir was totally under the water. All of our crops (several acres

of them) as well as the parks were destroyed. All roads are damaged. All

the deer in the zoo swam away. Most of the materials to be used for

construction were also washed away.

 

Mayapur has become completely devastated and seems to have lost its

beauty.

 

Since the last few days, however, the water has started to go

down. Hopefully, within two weeks, the water will recede soon. Immediately

after the water has fully receded, we plan to work on an emergency mode to

try to restore all that we can in Mayapur to prepare for the visitors

during the winter and for the Gaura Purnima festival. We have roughly

estimated the losses and amount involved to bring Mayapur to its proper

shape and we will need about Rs 10,000,000 (one crore of rupees).

 

Thus, this flood has practically broken our back-bone. Apart from this,

the thousands of people are left in the surrounding areas without any food

to eat. Some people were even living on top of trees, watching entire

houses being swept away by the water. We are providing these flood victims

with food, tarpaulins, medicines, etc.

 

For all this, we are depending on the devotees and friends of ISKCON all

around the world. Some devotees have already started donating: Radha Jivan

Prabhu from Alachua had given Rs 100,000 for the flood relief; Ambarisa

Prabhu is giving $10,000; the Patron Council of the Bhaktivedanta Manor

has approved a donation for the relief work and restoration of the

temple; the Malaysia yatra and devotees from the Middle East have also

pledged to donate. Individual devotees have also come forward to donate

for the relief and restoration work. We are very grateful to all of these

devotees for their kind donations.

 

We are begging you to generously help us by sending kind donations for

renovating the whole ISKCON Mayapur Project. We are appending herewith a

report on the relief work done by ISKCON Mayapur for the surrounding flood

victims as well as an assessment of estimated loss and renovation in

ISKCON Mayapur. On behalf of the members of ISKCON Mayapur, we humbly

request you to please appeal to your congregational members and friends to

donate for this crucial cause.

 

You can donate to us:

 

1. By sending us a cheque or draft in the name of "ISKCON" to be drawn at

Calcutta. You can send it by post to: 31, Lake Avenue, Calcutta 700026,

West Bengal, INDIA.

 

2. By wire transfer to either of the these accounts:

 

(a) Our account no. 420081073. The name of the account is "ISKCON, Gaura

Purnima Festival Fund". Bank: American Express Bank Ltd.

Address: 21, Old Court House Street, Calcutta 700 001, INDIA.

 

(b) Our account no. 032-867-25-1993. The name of the account is

"Bhaktivedanta Books Inc." Swift Code No: "BBInc WPAC AU25"

Bank: West Pack Bank. Address: 33 Darlinghurst St, Kings Cross, NSW 2010,

AUSTRALIA.

 

 

3. By going to the online credit card secure server from

 

http://www.mayapurtrust.org/flood2000.html

 

 

When you send us your donation, kindly also inform us via e-mail about the

details of your donation. If you leave us to decide where to use it for,

it would be good for us, since we would be able to assess the priorities

of the

moment and use it for a particular type of work. Otherwise, you can

specify how your donation must be used and we will oblige. If you want any

specific information or anything, kindly let us know.

 

On behalf of the Mayapur Administrative Council,

 

Yours in the service of Sridham Mayapur,

 

 

Dayaram Das

 

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