Flood in Mayapur goes on and on and on....

by Vrindavan Lila Dasi

Flood waters slowly started to go down today.
We are stuck in Youth Forum building, near ISKCON Goshala and our health is not so good.
We have been offered to relocate to the Lotus Building for 100 Rupees per day and prasad for another 60 Rupees, but we can't afford this extra-expence in our life, as we live and mentain our service from donations and right now our equipment (main camera + 2 computers) badly need repair/replacement.

So, we are not getting to the main temple area, thus all the latest flood pics/videos and updates are from Goshala side.
Although, Prabhu got to the central area in very beginning of the flood and took some video clips and photos, and today I have managed to get to the temple via boat ride offered by kind devotees.

Devotees from Goshala housing area are staying at Youth Forum building - with ALL their family possessions, small kids, old people, etc...

Even when it is very small amount of water - these devotees have to leave their houses, because this area is probably lowest lying place in ISKCON compound and water covers their floors even when everywhere else is not flooded... what to speak of times like now...

They have to move into higher buildings, where they have to meet extra expense of paying for the rooms. For prasad, they either have to pay and get it at central area if they can get there or else arrange whatever they can themselves.
After water is gone they would be asked to leave as soon as possible, even though their mud floors will take some time to dry yet and they will have to renovate their houses again this year - another flood, another extra expense in life.

These devotees have same type of houses as most poor people outside in this area. My maid-servant lives in a similar house.
People I am describing here are not hired workers, but full time initiated ISKCON devotees.
These devotees have been serving in ISKCON Mayapur for 15/20+ years, one of them is cake-&-pizza-cook, Kamaka Das with his large family. Others serve in Srila Prabhupada Samadhi, Mayapur laundry, Gada kitchen, Big kitchen, Agricultural department, etc...

I know that in the other (most known) Grihastha area devotees are facing lots of difficulties too. We can't get there right now to photograph, but will later, when water go down some more.

The photos below - Goshala housing area is flooded:




by Hrimati Devi Dasi

The people are suffering in the flood!...
I mean suffering...
They have no food no more house and the government is not helping also. If ISKCON does not help those people and cattle, they are really bad off.
I had to go through gushing water with my cows to get to Jagannath Mandir. The second time my bullock Balaram took the cart he had to walk through neck deep water with heavy current to pull the cart that was filled with rice straw that will last them for 3-4 days. Now they are so exhausted that 3 of them are very sick. They are under some trees with no shelter from the
rain, yesterday one Village cow died near Jagannath Mandir from exhaustion due to having to walk through deep gushing water.

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