articles on mathura/vrindavan/braj area

Save Sri Krishna Land from Development

Mathura/Vrindavan September 3, 2015 (IANS)

Even as lakhs of pilgrims from all parts of India and NRIs too, make a beeline for a darshan of little Shri Krishna, in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan, on his birthday being observed on Saturday, nature lovers, river activists and heritage conservationists have sounded alarm over the frentic pace of development that is eating up all the green spaces and gobbling up water bodies.

The “leela bhoomi” (Braj Mandal) spread over 84 kos roughly 150 kms stretching from Bateshwar in Agra district to Kosi, and Dholpur, Bharatpur to Aligarh, is losing its pristine glory and tranquility, thanks to a spurt in construction activity and marauders on rampage engaged in illegal sand and stone mining and raising concrete structures all over.

The famed forests of Braj mandal, there used to be a dozen from Vrindavan to Agravan, from Kaamvan to Mahavan, Kokilavan, to Kotvan, have all but disappeared, making way for 'demonic' concrete structures in a most haphazard and out of sync with local ambience-manner.

Acharya Sri Vats ji maharaj, Vrindavan's eminent spiritual leader told IANS "Sri Krishna was an environmentalist. He consumed Davanal to cool off heat, eating mud he purified the soil and by killing the Kalia Naag, he purified the Yamuna water."

“Lord Krishna was an environmentalist, a protector of hills, ponds, rivers, forests and animal life. The mor pankh (peocock feather, tulsi, bansuri, love for cows, these are all manifestations of his bonding with nature. But his followers in the holy towns of Mathura, Vrindavan, Goverdhan are doing just the opposite of what Krishna symbolized,” lamented Jagan Nath Poddar, convener of Friends of Vrindavan society.

Not just the physical assets are being rampantantly pillaged, but the intellectual, musical and emotional wealth of Braj is under stress and on the verge of extinction. Music maestro Acharya TN Jaimini says “Haveli sangeet parampara of the Sri Krishna temples appears already gone, replaced by a loud filmi CD culture. The lanes of Vrindavan do not any longer reverberate with divine music, its all cacophony at the loudest, shops selling spurious music to lakhs of tourists who masquerade as pilgrims.”

In recent years, Vrindavan has emerged as a new hub of foreign Sri Krishna bhakts. Though the ISKCON has been doing splendid service through its various social welfare projects, the ‘white bhakts’ have also brought in a lot of “moral dirt” to this holy town, say the locals. Charges of prostitution are flying high, several cases pending with the police for investigations. Blogs and pages on several websites give gory details of the sleaze, a matter of grave concern for the genuine bhaktas.

Problems apart, the Radha-Krishna lore, with its accent on love and bhakti has drawn lakhs of new followers who lovingly bear all the physical discomforts in Braj area, many going through the 20 kms parikrama in Goverdhan without any visible signs of stress or agony at the sorry spectacles of ubiquitous heaps of dirt and garbage, the dirty bylanes of Vrindavan and the constant pestering by hundreds of harassed old women left to beg for alms. The devouts ungrudgingly take achmans of Yamuna water and feel "dhanya," at Mathura's Vishram Ghat while cynics count the number of bacterias in one cupful of highly polluted Yamuna water.

The water bodies of Braj, the kunds and sarovars, numbered more than a 1000 which were perennial source of fresh water in Braj once upon a time. The water was used for multiple purposes such as irrigation, domestic use, drinking purpose, for cattle, bathing, etc. Due to rapid urbanisation, lack of maintenance and prolonged negligence in the last 200 years, 80% of the kunds became silted up and were relegated on the verge of extinction.

Sri Krishna bhakti will gain further momentum as people get sick of both poverty and prosperity, says Madhukar Chaturvedi, an exponent of Haveli Sangeet. Mankind can survive only on love and compassion, without distinctions of caste or status. Krishna’s whole life epitomises what is best for society. "One has to only look beyond the symbolism in all his leelas and the message would be there loud and clear," Chaturvedi tells IANS expounding on the growing popularity of Radha Krishna bhakti movement which is seeing a resurgence.

Among the several religious circuits developed by various state governments, the Braj circuit remains the most neglected and under developed. While land grabbers have annexed every bit of prime property in Mathura, Vrindavan and other smaller towns in the circuit, the infrastructural facilities are sadly underdeveloped. The road from the national highway to Vrindavan has imposing edifices by both the new age gurus and the corporates, plus the film stars. The parikrama route in Goverdhan is being usurped by colonisers to build multi storeyed buildings for the wealthy pilgrims.

With ever increasing human settlements and influx from outside, the sensitive ecology of the area is under threat. "The thick forest that once enveloped the holi Goverdhan parbat has disappeared and slowly we find colonies and land developers acquiring land for building residential accommodations for pilgrims and retired people."

The same trend of frentic house building activity is eating up all the green cover and open spaces in Vrindavan which has more high- rise buildings and apartments than the district headquarter Mathura. From Hema Malini, Ritumbhara to Kripaluji and Mridulji Maharaj all have their huge ashrams in Vrindavan. "Where is the space for greenery and a pollution free ambience, to preserve which Shri Krishna killed the poisonous Kaali-nag in Yamuna River," asks river activist Madhu Mangal Shukla.

Despite the existence of many sampradayas, famous acharyas and Bhagwat Kathavachaks in Vrindavan and adjoining areas, with huge followings of wealthy disciples, it is extremely surprising that none has come forward to restore this precious heritage.

Mathura churns out fashionable dresses for Sri Krishna

By Brij Khandelwal (13:36)

Mathura, Sep 4 (IANS) If humans love their fashion, so do the Hindu gods, particularly Sri Krishna, perhaps Hinduism’s most popular divnity, who needs ever new costumes with dazzling colours and attractive patterns.

A few years ago, there was a furore when an over-enthusiastic priest donned Sri Krishna, the presiding deity of Vrindavan, in jeans, a check shirt, a hat and goggles. Describing this as an aberration, the priest was removed, but the urge to dress up "Thakur-ji" in the latest that is available in the market sustains the thriving "poshak (clothing for a deity) industry" of Mathura-Vrindavan.

Ahead of the Sri Krishna Janmashtmi (birthday) on Saturday, big showrooms and shopkeepers in Mathura and Vrindavan are witnessing brisk sale of poshaks, particularly for Radha and Krishna, as also Laddo Gopal and Saligram.

"We have moved a long way from the conventional one-piece poshak of routine material. Creative minds have now introduced an array of colourful costumes, studded with precious stones, exquisite embroidery and glittering strips of expensive 'gota' (embroidery using applique technique)," said Deepak Parikh, a shopkeeper of Mathura.

Also being sold are dazzling showpieces, decorative items, bansuries (flutes), remote-controlled toys for the little Shri Krishna and dazzling hindolas and jhulas (swings).

Mathura, in the past few years, has emerged as the country's main hub for poshaks and related knick-knacks.

The industry engages hundreds of skilled Hindu and Muslim workers who produce the dresses and decorative items at their homes or in units set up by big showrooms.

"The dresses are being couriered daily to dozens of foreign countries, for Sri Krishna temples and individuals. The poshaks are also sold in Nathdwara (in Rajasthan), but the chief manufacturing centre is Mathura-Vrindavan," Man Mohan Sharma, a wholesaler, told IANS. The main buyers are in the US, Britain, Russia, Australia, Mauritius and wherever Hindus are settled.

While the Muslim workers specialise in embroidery, intricate needlework and zardozi (sewing with gold string), Hindus do the sewing and stitching of the dresses, weaving attractive patterns and curls that catch the eye. It has become a round-the-year business.

"Each season the dresses change, the materials used change. For winter, we have to provide sweaters, caps and socks while in summer it's the light shades of cotton and satin," Sharma added.

Dresses with decorative material, a wide range of garlands, stone-studded necklaces, ornaments, bansuris and sinhasan (thrones) for the deities, umbrellas, cows and birds are in great demand.

"Pilgrims from all over India visit Braj Bhoomi; when they return they buy the colourful dresses for their deities," Sharma said, adding that right now, because of the Janmashtmi festival pressure, the skilled workers and shopkeepers are overloaded with demand and are working overtime.

The craftsmen give a glittering look to the basic dresses at Vrindavan but Pappu Bhai one such individual who has been working for over 30 years, lamented that the state government had some years ago issued identity cards but nothing else was done to help improve their economics.

Many skilled workers suffer from eye problems, working long hours on zardozi, said many of them, complaining that they got only around Rs.400 a day. If there was demand pressure, they could make Rs.50 to Rs.100 extra per hour.

The Pro Poor Tourism project of the World Bank has included this sector for promotion in a big way. Arrangements are likely to be made soon for opening an exclusive market run by the producers themselves so that the profits are passed on to actual production units.

While the skilled workers, for all their hard work and creativity, get peanuts as earnings, it's the big sharks with a chain of outlets and the middlemen who arrange for raw materials and marketing of finished products who make the big bucks, many craftsmen complained.

"But the market is growing and new avenues are opening up, which promise to benefit the workers too," Ladli Mohan, a shopkeeper of Vrindavan, said.

(Brij Khandelwal can be contacted at brij.k@ians.in)

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR SRI KRISHNA'S BRAJ BHOOMI THIS JANAMASHTMI

Mathura/Vrindavan

Ahead of Sri Krishna Janamashtmi celebrations beginning Saturday, security has been beefed and elaborate traffic arrangements made to ensure smooth flow of pilgrims and their vehicles.

Temples in Mathura are all geared up for the 5242nd birthday of Sri Krishna, amidst a rising crescendo of bhakti and devotional fervour.

From Goverdhan to Gokul on the other side of river Yamuna, the mood is upbeat with thousands of pilgrims making a beeline for darshan of the deities.

The barricadings and bunkers around the Sri Krishna Janam Bhoomi in Mathura remain ugly eyesores and the thorough screening of pilgrims by security personnel an irritant, but the devotees are taking all these obstacles as manifestations of their "sins." Nothing more.

In recent years, the Krishna lore with its accent on love and bhakti has drawn lakhs of new followers who lovingly bear all the physical discomforts in Braj area, many going through the 20 kms parikrama in Goverdhan without any visible signs of stress or agony at the sorry spectacles of ubiquitous heaps of dirt and garbage, the dirty bylanes of Vrindavan and the constant pestering by hundreds of beggars. The devouts ungrudgingly take achman of Yamuna water and feel "dhanya," at Mathura's Vishram Ghat while cynics count the number of bacterias in one cupful of highly polluted Yamuna water.

Sri Krishna legend will gain further momentum as people get sick of both poverty and prosperity, says a local guru Hari Mohan. i. Mankind can survive only on love and compassion, without distinctions of caste or status. Sri Krishna's life epitomises what is best for society. "One has to only look beyond the symbolism in all his leelas and the message would be there loud and clear,"

Among the several religious circuits developed by the state government, the Braj circuit remains the most popualr and the most under-developed. While land grabbers have annexed every bit of prime property in Mathura, Vrindavan and other smaller towns in the circuit, the infrastructural facilities are sadly underdeveloped. The road from the national highway to Vrindavan has imposing edifices by both the new age gurus and the corporates, plus the film stars. The parikrama route in Goverdhan is being usurped by colonisers to build multi-storeyed buildings for the wealthy pilgrims.

With ever increasing human settlements and influx from outside, the sensitive ecology of the area is under threat. “The thick forest that once enveloped the holi Goverdhan parbat has disappeared and slowly we find colonies and land developers acquiring land for building residential accommodations for pilgrims and retired people.”

The same trend of frentic housebuilding activity is eating up all the green cover and open spaces in Vrindavan which has more high- rise buildings and apartments than the district headquarter Mathura. “Where is the space for greenery and a pollution free ambience, for which Sri Krishna killed the poisonous Kaaliya Nag in Yamuna River, asks Braj Bachao Samiti's Manoj Choudhary.

Each year millions of people visit the Braj area for Parikrama of the holy Goverdhan hill which Sri Krishna is believed to have lifted on his little finger to protect the Brajwasis from the ire of Indra. The hills in Barsana, Nandgaon bear imprints of Radha and Krishna.

But sadly the district authorities of Mathura and Bharatpur have not been alert to the large scale devastation and interference by land mafias, says journalist Vineet Narain whose Braj Foundation is currently busy restoring old ponds and resurrecting sacred groves associated with the leelas of Krishna and Radha.

Says Vineet Narain: “as Braj falls within the golden triangle of Delhi, Jaipur and Agra the whole area can be developed as a happening eco- tourism destination. In the backdrop of these hills Braj can offer a wonderful experience with its rich culture and vast heritage. The Irony is that by paying peanuts as revenue the mine mafia is taking away a huge chunk of stone from the region and thus causing irreparable damage to the ecology.”

Bollywood cacophony replaces temple music

Vrindavan September 4 (IANS)

Sri Krishna temples in Mathura/Vrindavan were once a repository of rich musical traditions, but today strains of melifluous classical "Dhrupad" or "Dhamar" no longer reverberate from the courtyards of these hallowed 'islands of faith' that draw millions of devouts round the year.

A week before Sri Krishna Janamashtmi temples would be drawing lots of musicians and singers holding a descernible audience captive with divine music, but not so, as the huge crowd that invades main temples like Bankey Bihari or Dwarkadheesh has neither the patience nor the ear, lamented Gopi Krishan Sharma. .

Prem Das Baba said only three or four temples in Vrindavan like Nikunj Dham, Tatiya Sthaan continue with the practice but most other temples have long ago given up this tradition.

It is the cacaphony of loud speakers and decks that deafens sanity and good taste, as you head for one of these numerous temples in Vrindavan. Huge boxes are seen blaring spurious folk music mimicking Bollywood tunes, according to Deepak Krishan Shastri.

"You only have the ubiquitous loud-speakers blaring round the clock spurious Braj folk music, mimicking Bollywood tunes and vulgarly gyrating to despicable titillating beats. The pristine purity of 'Haveli Sangeet' has vanished. It's just cacaphonous noise all around," a pakhawaj player Krishna Gopal said in Vrindavan.

"Remember, Sri Krishna was a perfect avatar with 16 'kalas' (performing arts) and a great penchant for music. His flute had the power to mesmerise not just humans but the elements too," he said.

Ratnambara, a research scholar on musical traditions of Braj, said: "Swami Hari Das began the musical tradition but in the famous Bankey Bihari temple itself, 'sangeet' has vanished. Nimbkacharya and Radha Ballabh sects do have 'Samaj Gayan' on special occasions, but generally the temple musical traditions are on the decline."

Geetanjali, a music lover from Mathura, feels: "The 'Haveli Sangeet' tradition has virtually been eclipsed by 'filmi bhajans' on CDs. Listening to a great exponent of 'Haveli Sangeet' or 'Dhrupad', the effect is sublime, and you feel transported into another world," she feels .

"In Vrindavan you only hear vehicle-music these days. Hordes of touch and go type pilgrims come for a long drive via the Yamuna Expressway, have a darshan, savour some chaat and gulp down lassi ka kulhad, and zoom back home...Who has the time for leisurely classical music. The tabla or mridang players have opened tea stalls or photo-copier shops here," lamented a music teacher Adarsh Swami.

"Hardly any temple in Braj promotes 'Haveli Sangeet', though a few temples in Gujarat have managed to save this rich heritage of Braj, developed by Ballabhacharya and later Sur Das and Asht-Kavis of the Pushtiya Marg tradition of Vaishanavism," said culture critic Ashok Bansal in Mathura.

Satya Bhan Sharma, one of the last exponents of 'Haveli Sangeet', says: "The tradition which was nurtured and flourished in the temples of Sri Krishna-Radha of the Vaishnavites, is no longer popular even in the temples. Only a few temples in Vrindavan, Nathdwara have musicians versatile in this form."

Temple music in the Braj area evolved as a long line of Vaishnav saints nurtured and promoted it. "Before each darshan of the deity, musicians and singers presented classical numbers and devotional dhuns, Manjul Vats said.

"Some exponents feel Haveli music has an edge over 'Dhrupad-Dhamar' gayaki for its rich 'bhakti' (devotional) content and direct communication with Sri Krishna."

"In Barsana, Vrindavan and some temples of Gujarat, one can still experience the heavenly soul-touching strains of this form of music," explains a tabla player Mohan.

But of late, the classical musical traditions have virtually disappeared.

Vrindavan's music maestro Acharya Tringunaneet Jaimini says: "Adulterated music branded as experimental music is proving to be a grave threat to the classical Indian musical traditions."

"Bollywood has undoubtedly helped promote and sustain interest in all forms of music for decades and Akashvani did nurture the classical traditions for a long time, but in recent years, we see a marked decline in the quality of the output."

"The so-called experimental music, as in fusion and other variants, is playing havoc and so is the spurious mixing culture," Jaimini adds.

However, not all agree with this generalisation.

"Modern music with all its interesting variety and flavours is the way to go ahead. It's wrong to label it spurious. What is music to one's ears may be cacaphony to others," argues a young pop music fan Avni Srotriya. .

"The younger generation with its changing perceptions, values and the new demands and pressures in a globalised scenario has little patience for 'sadhna' and 'riyaz' that classical music requires, given its spiritual predilections," she adds.

Little wonder the older "guru-shishya parampara" (teacher-disciple tradition) style of singing and dancing are no longer in favour. The "gharana" tradition is on the wane.

"In the Braj region, we had two distinct streams - the Agra Gharana and the celebrated Haveli Sangeet. Both are losing patrons," said Jyoti, director of Nritya Jyoti Kathak Kendra.

NGT WARNS TOUGH ACTION AGAINST VRINDAVAN LOCAL BODY

Vrindavan September 4 (IANS)

The National Green Tribunal has warned the Vrindavan local body to come out clean on how it was disposing of its solid waste in the holy town.

Sharing details of the NGT order, the petitioner Madhu Mangal Shukla, a river activist, said he had complained of illegal and unregulated solid waste disposal by the local municipality. Substantial part of the waste was being dumped on the river bed. "Despite repeated requests the local officials had failed to develop a trenching site and littering away just about everywhere the waste produced by the people," Shukla told TOI.

In its order dated August 25, the NGT has asked the petitioner to shoot pictures and video of the work done by the local safai karamcharis and the garbage dumps to nail the truth. Shukla said he would be submitting photographs and videos of the garbage heaps on the river bed. He said the local officials had misled the NGT and allegedly submitted false evidence.

Last month the NGT had restrained the municipality from burning domestic waste and piling it up on the river bank.

The bench headed by justice Swatantra Kumar said "we make it clear that if we find the statement of the executive officer incorrect, we will be compelled to take appropriate action against them."

In his petition Shukla has alleged that the ambience of Vrindavan was being messed up as there was no clear action plan on how to dispose of solid waste. "They were dumping it everywhere and burning garbage when it suited them," he said. The river bank was particularly affected as drains were clogged and river water polluted coming in contact with waste at Tatiya Sthan, Kalidah, Shringarvat among others.

Locals have regularly been complaining how garbage was being dumped to push the river several hundred feet back. In course of time encroachers begin raising structures on the Yamuna flood-plains.

The petitioner has highlighted how the holy town with over 5000 temples was being subjected to environmental deterioration. Already the green cover has been denuded and big chunks of land along the river banks have turned grey with new concrete structures.

The civic body's crisis is compounded by lack of a full time Excutive Officer for the municipality. "The person who is looking after Vrindavan is in charge of three other local bodies. He doesn't have the time. Vrindavan needs a full time official as the problems are becoming complex and the size of the population growing," said Friends of Vrindavan convener Jagan Nath Poddar.

Uma Bharti promises early action on Yamuna pollution

Vrindavan September 6 (IANS)

Union minister for water resources Uma Bharti today said a " pollution-free Yamuna is a commitment of our government and we will do whatever is required to rejuvenate both Ganges and Yamuna."

Uma Bharti was interacting with reporters after a darshan of the Bankey Bihari Sunday.

She said a committee of the UP, Haryana and Delhi government representatives will draw up a comprehensive plan for cleaning Yamuna and a minimal flow as desired by the National Green Tribunal in the river shall be maintained.

She said the NGT orders on encroachments on the flood-plains of the Yamuna shall be strictly enforced.

The demands and concerns of the people of Braj Mandal to cleanse Yamuna shall not remain unheard, she assured.

October 22, 2015

A YAMUNA RIVER BASIN COMMISSION IS THE ONLY SOLUTION TO YAMUNA'S PROBLEMS

Mathura-Vrindavan

River activists and Yamuna bhakts have demanded that the union government set up an empowered Commission to promote and restore the health of the River Yamuna through a River Basin Management Plan, and approach the initiative of river conservation with a more integrated approach at a national level.

Members of the Friends of Vrindavan, Braj Bachao Samiti, Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society, Braj Vrindavan Heritage Alliance, at a recent meeting said a comprehensive and integrated strategy was called for addressing the problems of Yamuna river which is the life line of Braj Mandal, the leela bhoomi of Sri Krishna and Radha.

Activists said the proposed commission shall regulate, monitor and draw up future urban policies for the river banks. A permanent institution armed with legal powers, alone can solve the problems and decide future course of action to to ensure the health of the river. Committees and tribunals constituted in the past have failed to address the problems which can only assume serious dimensions in the future in view of growing demand for water and land. The commission should comprise social activists, river activists, experts, members of the judiciary and representatives of different national parties, alongwith government fuctionaries.

The jurisdiction of the Commision should extend to the Yamuna River Basin States of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Convener of Friends of Vrindavan Jagan Nath Poddar said 'Basin' would be the area of land drained by the Yamuna river and its tributaries including the source, watershed, catchment area, confluence, etc. Yamuna being a perennial river it should have water flowing round the year with a minimum flow. Industrial pollution and sewage discharge from urban clusters have contaminated the water of the river. "Therefore pollution abatement activities have to be promoted or undertaken to reduce or control the effluents and toxic substances," said activist Shravan Kumar Singh.

Young industrialist Anurag Goyal said the local offices of the proposed commission should be established in all the districts through which Yamuna flows. Activists Tamal Krishna Das, Daan Bihari Sharma said the Commission should have its own river police force. Already the Allahabad High Court has directed the Mathura district administration to form river police squads to patrol the river banks and book polluters.

In a resolution, the members said the problems of Yamuna and its tributaries have long been hanging fire and successive governments at the centre and the state have failed to come up with a fool-proof mechanism and strategy to restore Yamuna to its past glory. The Yamuna is not just a water body but a living cultural, heritage and religious entity with which the emotional bonds of millions of Sri Krishna bhakts are bonded.

Ad hoc orders and directives of the National Green Tribunal and the state High Court have not been able to prevent further degradation of ecology of the Braj region. A permanent plan with a long term perspective is the need of the hour, said Surendra Sharma of the River Connect Campaign.

Vrindavan October 17, 2015

Deities of different temples here have joined hands to conserve the rich heritage of Vrindavan and work to restore the original glory of the Sri Krishna land.

In a unique initiative priests and mukhiyas representing the presiding deities in the holy town today formed a federation of temples to voice the concerns and have an effective say in the policies being drafted for the Vrindavan Dhaam. The alarming trend of playing with the ecology in the name of development and de-culturising the Braj bhoomi with a spurious variant has brought together stake-holders to form the new entity called Sri Vrindavan Devalaya Sangh.

More than two dozen Sevaits and their representatives from different temples of Vrindavan gathered in the Siddha Pitha Imli Tala Mandir to lay the foundation of the Temple Federation.

Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami, the sevait of Shri Radha Raman Temple will head the body till an elected body is formed. The meeting unanimously resolved to include all the temples of Vrindavan in the federation to make it all inclusive and effective.

The 'sevaits' expressed their discontent and frustration with efforts being made to play with the ecology of Vrindavan and adulterate the spiritual wealth. They said that it was high time for the temples to join hands to protect the culture of the holy abode of the 'Divine Couple' Sri Krishna-Radha.

"The temples are the biggest stakeholders of Vrindavan and they should be consulted when the developmental projects are formulated," said Acharya Krishna Gopalananda Dev Goswami of Thakur Radha Shyam Sundar Mandir. Baba Ladli Sharan Das said, "The Vraja raj (holy dust) of Vrindavan must be preserved by preventing further concretization of the Holy Dham of Vrindavan." "We can't imagine of Vrindavan, without the trees. Let more trees be planted and the old ones be protected," added Baba Ladli Sharan representing the Tatiasthan.

Shri Govardhan Sharan Das, representing Shri Ji Mandir advocated for unified action against the Yamuna pollution. "Yamuna is the lifeline of Vrindavan. All the rituals in the temples were conducted with the Yamuna water. But it has become impossible to use the polluted water in the activities of the temples," said Shri Govardhan Sharan. Shri Kanika Prasad Goswami and Shri Krishna Balaram Goswami from Radha Damodar Temple echoed the voice of Shri Govardhan Sharan Das on the Yamuna Pollution.

Acharya Shri Gopinath Lal Dev Goswami, sevait of Shri Radha Gopinath Temple drew everyone's attention on the issue of meat being sold in the town. "The illegal meat shops are the real threat to the sanctity of Vrindavan. We should immediately write to the government about it and take legal actions against those who are selling the non vegetarian food here," said Shri Goswami.

The representatives from Shri Girindra Bihari Mandir, Shri Meera Bai Mandir, Shri Radha Nayananda Mandir, Imli Tala Siddha Peeth, Radha Gokulananda Mandir, Radha Madan Mohan Mandir etc. participated in the foundation meeting of the Temple Federation.

A special institution for challenged children opens in Vrindavan

Vrindavan

For parents of special needs children in holy city of Vrindavan , the start of this school year has taken on a new meaning: an end to the conflicts, struggles and disappointment with the costly private schools in metropolitan cities who used to charge heavy fees from helpless parents who had to bow to the pressures of private schools in the absence of any viable alternative in their own localities .

A growing number of parents of special-needs children are opting for Vaishishtyam , a special school for mentally and physically challenged children set up by Param shakti peeth in Vatsalyagram Vrindavan by philanthropist Sadhvi Rithambra ,”Vaishshtyam” provides free comprehensive education to all special needs children with maternal touch “Vatsalya” in family charged atmosphere.

At present around 70 special needs children are being home-schooled free of cost out of which maximum students belonging to poor families of the area who are being provided transportation facilities from their homes to school and vice versa daily free of cost .

Most of these special needs school children belong to poor families who live below poverty line and are unable to pay even nominal fee for their education leave aside normal day to day expenditures. The institution has created support groups and specialized curriculum to meet the specific requirements of special needs .

All these children are being provided free transportation, free uniforms, books and teaching materials. Vaishishtyam has also launched its first ever project focused on teaching kindergardens to use the latest approaches to working with children with autism.

In a country where the specially-abled are still not considered fit to be a part of the society and are left at the mercy of God and begging for survival, this school is a welcome relief. While most of the children can not walk and talk, but courage and the vibrant smile on their faces is something that makes one forget all the troubles.

The school is providing adequate level of educational assistants, access to specialized services and following individualized education plans as areas where adequate support is required .

There isn't a kid in the world who hasn't occasionally wanted to skip schools but children who struggle with learning can grow to dread school so much , that every day becomes a battle for them, says Minakshi Aggarwal, principal of the school .

She says that some of the children who are admitted on the biological age of 14 have only 2-3 years of mental age and are required to be taught even practices of toilets, hand wash and to comb their hair. The institution has also started vocational courses for senior students so as to enable them to generate economic activities for their own livelihood in the long run .The school also organizes various medical camps for treating various ailments of special needs children in which renowned experts from various medical fields are invited for specialized treatments from time to time.

In comparison with normal children, the special needs children require much more attention particularly children with down syndrome, trizomy, moizaic , where two attendants are required for handling one child . While the institution is spending average Rs 10,000 per month on each day scholar children and average Rs 20,000 per month on those staying in the hostel but the parents are only requested to contribute voluntarily for generating support base so as institution could sustain in the long run.

The schools cater to the needs of children with special needs and learning difficulties such as dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cognitive disabilities. Efforts are made to integrate these children into the mainstream school environment.

Vaishishtyam a charitable day and boarding school serving children of different age group suffering from autism spectrum disorder, speech and language impairments, vision and hearing impairments, down syndrome and multiple disabilities. Most of the students have challenging behaviours that interfere with their academic progress at school as well as interfering with their home life and community access.

Vaishishtyam is working on building an inclusive school that is open to children with disabilities, through play and the creation of free support services for disadvantaged families.

“We are working to tackle the stigma of disability, so that no parent feels pressured to give up a disabled child,” says school principal Minakshi Agarwal .

For the past one year Vaishishtyam experts in child development have been successfully working with parents of special needs children’s and as a result, children, who just one year ago were considered “not capable of learning” are now successfully integrating in the school system and taking part in intervention programmes.

Mathura Museum

Mathura
India's most unique treasure house of Buddha statues, the government museum at Mathura, victim of neglect for a long time is all set to appear in a new 'avatar.'
Museum officials said work on many fronts is continuing but rather sluggishly for want of will and clear policy directions. The museum director AK Pandey sits in Lucknow to manage affairs in Mathura, said a contract worker who didn't want to disclose his identity.
The museum make-over will cost Rs 4.25 crores but no deadline has been set for completion of work. Nobody "here knows when the audio system being installed to give the visitor complete details in several languages about a statue would be formally inaugurated. Files keep moving between Mathura and Lucknow, but the results at the ground level is a big zero."
Insiders said the museum was not receiving the attention of the state government and the director Dr AK Pandey sitting in Lucknow manages the affairs of the museum. "The museum lacks adequate staff, trained librarian, historians, researchers. People hired on contract do not have the passion or the vision to give the kind of attention this prestigious institution is in need of. Policy decisions have been pending for such a long time. It is not clear when the audio system will become functional and who will formally inaugurate it. Actually there is neither an urgency nor a commitment at the top level. That is the reason why this great institution of India remains obscured and largely unknown to the world."
The Mathura museum is said to have the largest collection in the world of Buddha statues and a wide range of artefacts connected with Buddhism. The huge Queen Victoria statues which were in news last August when some miscreants vandalised them, now have decent canopies, while the area around the 20-foot tall Buddha statue at the entrance has been spruced up. Fountains and lights add to the attractive ambience of the museum, which had remained largely neglected for long, joint director Dr SP Singh.
Singh said the dozen odd statues of Buddhar will be sent in July to South Korea for an exhibition in the first week of September.
Writer-culture activist Ashok Bansal told TOI "this museum is the country's pride and if efforts had been sincerely made, it would have been the hub of Buddhist Tourism. No other museum has such a rich collection of Buddha statues anywhere. Buddhists coming from East Asia and Japan in particular are seen in awe and virtually mesmerised with the exclusive collection. Unfortunately the state government never bothered to upgrade and streamline facilities for tourists here. The museum needs a full time specialist director, based in Mathura, and a massive publicity campaign should be launched in Buddhist countries."
Officials at the museum said the statues had been 'cleaned and given touch-ups'; the wooden flooring is almost ready and the galleries are well illuminated. The whole area has been air conditioned for the benefit of visitors." Glass-cased statues mounted on padestals have inscriptions written on the sides and audio systems installed. "Tourists can learn about the details of each statue in several languages.," an assistant Murari Lal said. Gandhar, Hun, Kanishka period statues have separate galleries.
Founded in 1874 by the then British collector of Mathura FS Growse, it was originally named Curzon museum of Archaeology. Now it is called Government Museum, Mathura. It has a rich collection of artefacts, pottery, sculpturs, paintings, coins, clay seals, arms from in and around Mathura district, plus discoveries by noted archaeologists like Alexander Cunningham, Growse and Fuhrer. Sculptures of the Mathura School from 3rd century BC to 12th century AC, of the Kushan and Gupta empire are the pride of the museum. On October 9, 1974, a special commemorative stamp was released.

brij khandelwal from taj city writes

Saturday, November 7, 2015

articles on mathura/vrindavan and braj area published in 2015 till september

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