Deepavali & Govardhan Puja

Deepavali was a bit sad day yesterday, thinking about the last 2-3 years that I spent it at Vrndavan Bhaktivedanta Eco Farm by the mercy of HG Rupa Goswami pr.

Govardhan Puja and Deepavali is such a great celebration among the Brijwasis.
Since the farm is inside the village, the local culture and traditions of Vraj can still be seen around.

You can find entire villages trying to renovate/repaint/clean their houses and decorate it just before Deepavali.

For Govardhan puja you can see every courtyard being decorated with cowdung 'images' of Giriraj.
Its such a nice seen to see each house with a decoration like that and all the children coming together to help with that.

On one corner of the courtyard lays a stringed cot like couch for the elderly folks of the house to spend their days of retirement in peace while watching over the kids playing around.

At night everyone comes and lights lamps and incenses around it, and do parikrama singing Brajwasi songs...elderly men wearing turbans and women with their faces veiled with sarees, children running behind their mothers and older kids naughtily running all over the place... streets semilit by the little fires and lamps, Cows and buffaloes occupying any place they might choose, street dogs guarding their respective territories.....

Its a scene that needs to be 'captured' as it may soon fade away due to 'modern' influences.

Oh friends, how much more can I describe... its a scene/mood/feeling which not even professional cameras can catch.

Better late than never... please go and experience this for yourself before it is all wiped out in the name of 'development'!

S.A.C.H.I.R.A.N.I Mataji

SachiRani Mataji is such an old timer of Sridham Mayapur and Her dedication, hardwork and sincerity in serving the Lord and devotees is not something anyone can describe in words.

She never showed an iota of pride either in her actions or words, of 'being a disciple of Srila Prabhupad.
Her name stands tall when counting the famous cooks of Mayapur.

Im not sure exactly how long, but most of old Mayapur folks know that she has been cooking for ages!
My mother said "..thousands of recipes are gone with her..."

And her determination to continue serving even in her old age when her body hardly co-operated, is just something that has not gone unnoticed, by devotees and surely the Lord!

It is devotees like her that we should make our role models for an 'empowered woman' or a 'strong lady'.
She did have so many ups and downs of her life and that is what makes her steady service attitude even greater!
Even though she was offered support and care and asked to refrain from serving, she kept cooking as long as she could somehow walk to the kitchen!


If any of you might be wondering why you never heard of her before, its her 'fault', that she always kept herself fully immersed in the Lords cooking and never made a show of her service by trying to gain attention via any means.

We might or not forget her services, but the Lord will surely never.
And so he decided to take her back home yesterday, on such an auspicious day of Kartik Month, Rama Ekadasi!




Days grow darker and darker as we keep losing such great souls!