Text COM:2091062 (112 lines)
From:
Madhusudana (das) HKS (Mayapur - IN)
Date:
12-Feb-99 01:27
To:
Apocalypse 1999? (Are you ready?) [486]
Subject:
Preparations in Mayapur
------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Vaisnavas,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila
Prabhupada.
While following the conf. for the last couple of days
many devotees are
asking what Mayapur is doing regardging Y2K. I found Hare
Krsna Dasi's
article interesting and I'll comment on that which will
includes the rest of
the questions regarding Mayapur preparations.
> I have been seeing a number of reports on third
world countries in the
> last couple weeks.
The more I see, the more unlikely it appears that it
> will be possible to hold a major GBC meeting and
Gaura Purnima festival in
> Mayapur in 2000.
>
> I was wondering what the response of the Sridhama
Mayapur committee is at
> this point to Y2K?
Is there any discussion about shifting from a
> pilgramage/tourist-based economy to a
self-sufficient economy.
>
> I was also wondering about water, sanitation and
sewage. Are these
> systems dependent on electricity? Are there plans for alternatives if the
> electricity is down for a long period of time?
> So, overall, I was wondering what kind of
contingency plans the Sridhama
> Mayapura committee has to adapt to possible drastic
changes in
> communications, transportation and economic options?
I am not in Mayapur committee ,GBC or anything like that.
I am a resident of
Mayapur living here for 6 years. I was serving for the
past 5-6 years in
Mayapur Gurukula.
Mayapur management established a commitee of devotees
who're working full
time on collecting data and trying to find out the proper
solutions for Y2K
and self-sufficiency and I am one of the team member.
Personally "I was always" very concerned with
the future in Mayapur, and the
first consideration is protecting and provide shelter to
Mayapur residents -
devotees.
Here in Mayapur we have serious problem with water,
sanitation and sewage.
Bangladesh and Bengal have the highest rates of arsenic
contamination on the
planet! We decide to use Ganga water for drinking and to
solve sanitation
and sewage problem (probably) with bio-gas system, which
means to use
cow-dung and human excreta for alternative energies. It
is not confirmed
yet, because SMPDC has priority in this area and we're
cooperating in this
matter.
Indian Government is willing to subsidize (35-40 %)
anyone who decides to
have bio-gas system at his home. I do not know yet if the
precentage is same
for big community like Mayapur, but very soon the
ingineer is coming here to
Mayapur and check what are the possibilites for
installing bio-gas. The
Goverment is eager to help us in this matter.
We have more than 100 cows, buffaloes, etc... and every
day we have 1000's
of guests visting Mayapur. There is no scarcity of
cow-dung and human waste,
but before noone really thought about these things. Since
Y2K came-up we
started to think very seriously to prepare ourselves.
At the present we're working on the follwing areas:
Health
Agriculture
Energy (wood, bio-gas, solar, diesel, etc...)
Bhoga
Water
Security
.... in synopsis would be as....
a) To establish an organic farming station and setting up
"bhoga" storage
complex
b) Setting up irrigation and water purifying plant
c) To have emergency medical supply and training for
devotees (for any
crises situation)
d) Providing and alternative energy for Mayapur residents
e) Setting up contingency security plans in times of
crises
It is not an easy job. Because we're doing these for the
first time and not
much time left. Apart from that here are many devotee who
think that nothing
will happen (or it's not possible to happen), especially
among Indian
devotees and some percentage of western devotees.
We also don't know how long it will take to practically
apply aforementioned
outline. Definetely before June/Jully basics should be
ready like storing
bhoga and the rest. Agriculture will be expanded and
grhasta community will
be encouraged to become more self-sufficient and make
preparations.
We don't think in term Y2K anymore. We want that Mayapur
starts it's way
toward self-sufficiency as soon as possible. Mayapur
depends on almost
everything from outside market and economy.
P.S. I've heard the following statement from a few
devotees:
In USA there is an organisation who's able to filtre most
of the E-mail and
they have the search-system (something like SP folio) of
registrating the
word "food". Whenever an E-mail appears with
that word it registrates and
try to find out where and who if storing f**d.Than they
locate the area, and
make the plan to confiscate of take it over.
And devotees were advised not to use word
"f**d" anymore but "bhoga"
Please comment. I did use word bhoga here in a case comes
out true.
NOTE: We're requesting GBC members to discuss about this
issue on their
meetings and make it as priority. Inform the devotees
about it's outcome and
encourage all the temples arround the world to get ready
as soon as
possible!
Still many are thinking that nothing will happen and we
should just depend
on Krsna and chant Hare Krsna, which is fine, but the
KING cannot think like
that. Because he's the leader and he must make sure to
prepare their
dependants. If the leaders do not prepare, and the crisis
heats the fan,
than.... ?!
Your servant, Madhusudana dasa.
(Text COM:2091062) -----------------------------------------