what to do about Vrindavan?

July 9, 2001

I think the most important point to remember is that the Vrindavan goshalla

is improving, and has improved, only because of Prema Kishor. He needs help

in looking after the herd and keeping the management at bay.

We live close to Vrindavan and visit Vrindavan once or twice a month,

sometimes more, and have been doing so for the last 10 years. The changes

are very visible. To turn around the mess he took charge of is a long term

project, as most will realise.

He has ideas - good ideas, and is currently in the US collecting himself,

and there are plans to purchase a good amount of land in the near future in

order to set things right. What he needs is encouragement and support, not

villification. He didn't create the situation - he's the one trying to

rectify the problem.

Should he ever leave due to being discouraged there is no question the

situation would only deteriorate. The Vrindavan temple authorities need to

be spoken to - not Prema Kishor. He fully understands what needs to be done

and how to accomplish it. And at the cost of sticking my neck out, that also

includes the mandatory reports.

Until the temple authorities there (GBC included) are educated on the real

value and importance of proper cow protection, nothing overly substantial is

likely to happen. It will remain one man battling the overwhelming odds.

Every effort should be made to encourage Prema Kishor, and people like him,

to continue in his service so that the past mistakes in Vrindavan are never

repeated again.

Your servant,

Ramanuja das

July 9, 2001

>I think the most important point to remember is that the Vrindavan goshalla

>is improving, and has improved, only because of Prema Kishor. He needs help

>in looking after the herd and keeping the management at bay.

We had that experience at NV that after Kirtanananda saw his illusion of a

dairy sustaining itself economically dribble away, he just stopped

funding it (which in my mind was the straw that broke the back of his

staying out of prison). Breeding was stopped (except for unauthorised

broken fence breeding by both NV and neighbors bulls). Income from milk

sustained operations for about a year, then it was sale of assets and

donations, but very difficult. Donations were critical, and all of a

sudden in the middle of the transition, here comes V* with a blistering

attack on policies and conditions that had already been changed. The

attacks had a potential chilling effect on donations, which, tho

difficult to quantify unmade donations, potentially made then current

conditions even worse, which in a no margin for error situation may well

have led to unnecessary deaths.

Just to vent, it was frustrating to be involved in a situation where one

was making personal sacrifices to save lives and be criticized for the

conditions one didn't create, and which were worsened by the criticisms

because they stopped potentail donations.

It was also frustrating to live daily with borderline conditions leading to

possibly avoidable deaths and suffering, being told by temple authorities

no money for helping available, and see $20,000 being spent on travel

expenses by devotees to go make "pilgrimages" to Mayapur and Vrindaban.

So I have some sympathy for the guy in Vrindaban, dealing with realities

others are avoiding either consciously or unconsciously.

July 9, 2001

Niscala Devidasi wrote:

> No one should send donations to ISKCON Vrindavan, but directly to PK.

I wonder if it is a wise decision to send donations to someone who so far has a

record of not being able to maintain clear records?

> We can ask how much money comes in from milk sales to temple and goshalla

> shop. We can tell them if we can provide a certain percentage of that money,

> can they assure us that breeding will decrease by the same percentage?

>

> Actually, donations should therefore be sent to ISCOWP on behalf of

> Vrindavan goshalla, so ISCOWP can use it as a leverage to decrease breeding

> there. What does everyone think of this idea?

This might be a better idea -- especially if Rohita or Balabhasra could be

funded to go to Vrndavana and personally help oversee the initial disbursement

of funds -- and get PK set up with a more effective record-keeping system.

But, it really depends on whether the Ministry thinks this is a practically

workable idea.

ys

hkdd

> >ys, Niscala

July 9, 2001

Does Radha Govinda Maharaja have much say in what happens there, is he

favourable to the cows or not aware? Prema Kishor needs to obtain some

support from some of the senior devotees there.