Observations on Mayapur & Vrndavan goshallas.

[Guest guest]

> Looking a little further a cow related person will notice some shortcomings

> and ask

>

> Where are all the bulls and oxen? Where are the pasturing grounds and fields

> cultivated by goshalla oxen?

>

> The answers to these questions is unpalatable. It points at a management

> system that has systematically sent cows and bulls away for perhaps decades.

> Perhaps every year for the past 10-15 years 50 cows from Vrndavan and 40

> cows from Mayapur have been sold or donated to local farmers and families.

> The problem I fear is that this management system cannot guarantee a full

> life for the cows and bulls. My thoughts are that a significant number of

> these `protected animals' have been slaughtered. One major problem is that

> nobody can trace all these animals and confirm or deny the worst.

 

Safe to assume they are slaughtered. Mayapur is in a Moslem area, and Inida

is

one of the largest exporters of meat in the world. AS for Vrindaban, some

slight hope may exist, but without tracking, we have to assume the worst.

 

> Mayapur Goshalla is breeding about 30--40 cows each year. They should then

> have around 540-720 animals (based on an 18 year lifespan). They have 145.

> The missing cows have either been lost by neglect or deliberately sent away

> (especially the oxen) to local people. Thus there are 400-570 cows

> unaccounted for in the Mayapur goshalla.

 

Even if we were to calculate more conservatively, and figure an average life

span of 12 years, as some die younger from natural causes, and take the lower

figure of 30 bred per year, that is 360 animals. With only 145 on campus ,

that is a serious discrepancy. That is over 200 missing animals, and that is

with giving the benefit of the doubt. If this figures are acccurate, this is

a

serious issue that needs to be addressed.

 

> Vrndavana Goshalla is breeding between 40-50 cows each year, thus they

> should have a herd of 720-900 cows and oxen. They have 198. There are then

> 520-700 cows unaccounted for. Uddar Pradesh exports beef. Vrndavana goshalla

> has 5 bulls and 4 oxen. There is 7 acres of land of which about 3 is

> pasture.

 

Using 12 years and the 40 figure, that is a minimal amount of 480, which is

still missing almost 300.

 

>

>

> How has it been possible that these flagships goshallas have been so

> sidelined to the realm of embarrassments to the cow protection cause. They

> are showing a standard at the other end of the spectrum to which Srila

> Prabhupada wanted.

 

These are serious issues that will have grave consequences. We may be able to

escape immediate and obvious reactions, but Krsna is a cowherd boy. Simply

breeding cows for the pleasure of drinking milk without taking the full

responsibility of cow protection may be nectar in the beginning but will be

poison in the end.

 

I observed in New Vrindaban how the fortunes of the community paralleled the

care of the cows. I think that Mayapur losing a major source of funding is a

direct reaction to the lack of cow protection.

 

In any case, whatever happened in the past, we can no longer control or

change. We can only operate in the present. For me, I can forgive what

happened in the past, if I see a good faith effort to remedy these problems,

then that is what is important. However, if it continues to be business as

usual, then I can only predict further difficulties to these projects.

Whether in the form of rittviks, or gurukuli reactions , inadequate funding,

or

continued guru falldowns, I don't know. If at the belly of what one eats is

based on cow slaughter, if the social organisation is based on cow slaughter,

even indirectly, then the entire entity will suffer.

[Guest guest]

Having read what the Ministry have recently prepared as standards for Cow

protection, don't you think this article should be raised for the concern of

the entire GBC?

[Guest guest]

Dandavad. Prabhupada kijaya!

 

I am not part of the management in Mayapur, but I try to voice my concerns

about the cows and thus I've learned a few things. ON the whole I fully

agree with the spirit of your report. However, some facts may need to be

clarified:

 

> The answers to these questions is unpalatable. It points at a management

> system that has systematically sent cows and bulls away for perhaps

> decades. Perhaps every year for the past 10-15 years 50 cows from Vrndavan

> and 40 cows from Mayapur have been sold or donated to local farmers and

> families. The problem I fear is that this management system cannot

> guarantee a full life for the cows and bulls. My thoughts are that a

> significant number of these ‘protected animals’ have been slaughtered. One

> major problem is that nobody can trace all these animals and confirm or

> deny the worst.

 

Many of us have argued against this policy and to my knowledge it has

stopped, finally.

 

> Mayapur Goshalla is breeding about 30--40 cows each year. They should then

> have around 540-720 animals (based on an 18 year lifespan). They have 145.

 

The present population is not all from breeding. Many cows were donated to

the goshalla. Wouldn't this influence your calculations?

 

> Why has there not been hundreds of acres of land purchased for the welfare

> of the cows and bulls in both Mayapur and Vrndavana. Mayapur should have

> no less than 700 acres of land just for grazing, what to speak of

> agricultural land to engage the oxen.

 

The big obstacle is land cost. In the areas adjoining us, the land price has

shot up to $6000 per acre and is no less than $3000 per acre some distance

away. 700 acres of land would cost at least $2 million.

 

Obviously alternatives need to be examined. This is one area which I am

trying to help.

 

My service is to direct an organization called Sri Mayapur Vikas Sangha,

which is an autonomous, "secular", NGO (non-governmental organization)

dedicated to sustainable development in the region of Mayapur.

 

We are currently making studies of the animal husbandry in the area to

provide a basis for a project to try to implement a cow protection program

based on current village dairy activity. One aim is to guarantee a supply of

milk from protected cows to the future Mayapur township. Another is to

create improved systems for using the bulls for various purposes. Part of

this effort is to restore indigenous breeds which are better suited for cow

protection than the cross breeds.

 

Unfortunately, I have little time to report everything we are doing, but I

hope to keep you in touch with our progress.

 

Your servant,

Pancaratna das