Shri Mayapur Flood 2000 Emergency Bulletin No. 2

[Guest guest]

Dear Rakt. Prabhu.

 

PAMHO. AGTSP.

 

Could you please put this text on 'X' for all devotees. I didnt ask you to

do so for the first bulletin I sent out, but I am seeing now that this is a

severe catastrophe in Mayapur, and I feel such severity should come to the

attention of all devotees in our movement.

 

Please let me know urgently if there is any problem.

 

YS

Bhagavat Dharma dasa

 

 

 

 

Shri Mayapur Flood 2000 Emergency Bulletin No. 2

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Dear Maharajs and Prabhus.

 

Please accept my obeisances.

All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

Mayapur has been on the minds of many devotees these last few weeks,

especially those having friends and family in the holy Dham. The floods this

year have, according to official figures, been the worst since 1905.

 

Now, devotees and managers of Mayapur, who were in Calcutta have managed to

get back to the Temple, and we have a full report and appeal from Dayarama

Dasa, on behalf of the Mayapur Administrative Council.

 

Details connected with this appeal are on our website as follows

 

* This Appeal Letter:

http://www.mayapur.org/community/flood2000/fld2000_dayaram1.htm

 

* Village Flood Relief Programme:

http://www.mayapur.org/community/flood2000/fld2000_dayaram2.htm

 

* Damage and Losses by Department:

http://www.mayapur.org/community/flood2000/fld2000_dayaram3.htm

 

* Bhaktivedanta Gurukula Village:

http://www.mayapur.org/community/flood2000/fld2000_dayaram4.htm

 

* Summary of all expenses, plus list of contributors to the detailed report:

http://www.mayapur.org/community/flood2000/fld2000_dayaram5.htm

 

I have now put up a photo-gallery of pictures I have received from

Pancaratna Dasa and Vidvan Gauranga Dasa. You can access it at:

 

http://www.mayapur.org/galleries/8

 

Without further ado, I will let you read Dayaram's appeal below.

 

YS

Bhagavat Dharma dasa

Shri Mayapur Project, Communications.

 

 

 

A HUMBLE APPEAL TO ALL DEVOTEES

===============================

 

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 checque or draft in the name of "ISKCON" to be drawn at

Calcutta. You can send it by post to: 31, Lake Avenue, Calcutta 700 026,

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 Mayapur Trust 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