By Premvilas Das
I just returned from a 6 week trip to India. Most of the time I was in Govardhan at the Bhaktivedanta Ashram, and then visited Nagda (the town where I grew up), Ujjain( home to one of most popular Shiva lingam called Mahakaal and where recently His Holiness, Bhakti Charu Swami built a beautiful temple for the worship of Sri Madan Mohan), Surat (where my parents live and a city with a thriving congregation of more than 3000 ISKCON devotees and where Sri Sri Radha Damodar are worshipped) and Chowpatty (where Sri Sri Radha Gopinath are worshiped in all opulence and grandeur and at the same time with heart warming sweetness and intimacy).
In the end, I visited a farm which Chowpatty devotees, under the guidance and vision of His Holiness Radhanath Swami have developed in the last 3-4 years. The farm is about 100 kms from Mumbai (a 2 hour drive approx.), close to a town called Palghar in Maharashtra and in the vicinity of a village called Wada, hence the name Wada farm. It is also known as Govardhan Eco Village(GEV) and you can view the farm on Google by simply typing Govardhan Eco Village.
Usually, I hesitate to write (publicly) about my travels or anything about Krishna consciousness. The reason being that my devotional attraction for Krishna lags light years behind my intellectual or literary ability to write about it. Not to give the readers an erroneous impression that I have become somewhat of a devotee, I usually hesitate until something really inspiring comes along the way. Most of what I write ends up in its rightful place in the recycling bin and then in the shredder or simply in the junk box on my computer( press shift and delete together).
Little did I know what was in store when I started for the Wada farm with my father and mother from Chowpatty.
After the usual traffic jams in Mumbai, we were out of the city and cruising towards the farm when I started noticing the Western Ghats mountain on one side and the expansive Arabian sea on the other. As we moved further away from Mumbai and into the countryside, the environment became serene and beautiful. After hanging a right from the Interstate highway and then another 8 kms on a village road, we arrived at the Wada farm.
Govardhan Eco Village (GEV), nestled in the wilderness of Palghar and surrounded by Sahyadri hills of Western Ghats, serves as an idyllic setting for a simple, rural Krishna conscious life. GEV has been on the news for being a premier visionary project for implementing simple living and high thinking techniques based on ancient Vedic wisdom
The farm (80 acres of bliss) was acquired in 2003 but little development took place until 2009 when His Holiness Radhanath Swami humbly told the devotees that if they want to give something to him on his 60th Birthday, then they should strive towards creating a model sustainable agricultural community which would encapsulate and be a model for the Varnashram vision mentioned in the pages of Srimad Bhagavatam.
The beginning was not easy. Most of the Brahmachari monks who live in the temple come from the colleges in Maharashtra with little experience of farm life and agriculture. But, Sanat Kumar prabhu and Gauranga prabhu took up the challenge, knowing the desire and believing in the vision of His Holiness Radhanath Swami. A board was then established and little by little a team of core members developed.
People from various areas of interests and expertise have come together and formed a multi-talented cohort for creating this model community. Guided by the spiritual vision of Radhanath Swami, the team consists of many highly qualified engineers and doctors from some of the best academic institutes of India and world. With the right blend of mature experience and youthful energy, the GEV team comprises people of wide age groups, working together with the one aim: creating an alternative way of living for a better tomorrow. This team had done extensive research in various aspects of the farm, including many field visits to places where similar principles have been successfully established. Adopting technology of modern science along with ancient Vedic wisdom, this project hopes to provide a sustainable solution to the current ecological crisis.
Govardhan Eco Village is a humble attempt to highlight the importance of living in harmony with nature and using the gifts that Nature and God have bestowed upon us to serve society. Land and Cow alone can maintain a perfectly sustainable system, fulfilling the needs of the human society physically, mentally, socially, economically, spiritually and environmentally. There is a solution, but it does not lie in hoping for more oil to prop up an over-centralized, exploitative economic system. It lies in developing localized village economies, in depending on the labor of the bull to produce, process, and transport foodstuffs , most significantly grains.
GEV currently has about 300 residents- 80 monks who are responsible for different departments and development of the farm, a Gurukul with 50 boys and 20 girls. 40 Grihastha families who have made the farm their home and a few retired householders who have relocated to the farm, and then of course, our 70 odd cows. (Parents of monks are also welcome to live there without worrying about their maintenance.) Cows are not only protected but loved and taken care of as family members, they live without fear and are friendly to guests. I spent most of my time kissing them, embracing them, patting them, brushing them and feeding them. I fell in love.
In 2013, the Eco Village was visited by 11,000 school children from different parts of Mumbai. They learnt about vegetarianism, sustainable living and Krishna consciousness. Corporate personnel and college students visit the farm to learn different aspects of sustainability. Recently, it won an award from the finance minister of India for rain water conservation. Many guests from different parts of India are trickling in to live for a few days in the spiritual sanctuary.
Living quarters for guests range from elegant and simple mud homes, to a beautiful guest house to more spacious cottages and villas. The place is equipped with a swimming pool and a Kerala blend complete Ayurvedic spa. The prasadam is organic and locally grown. All guests are treated to three sumptuous meals with various menus.
The farm has a rich abundance of mango, papaya, banana, cashew, and chiku trees, as well as different kinds of herbs. Currently, the devotees are working towards creating a replica of Vrindavan with Yamuna and Govardhan, and are building a simple temple in the environs. Construction will be finished in another year or so. The next phase of the project is collaborating with neighboring villages to grow cotton and start small scale industries to empower women and local villagers. Many monks have already begun preaching in nearby villages. A small clinic to serve the devotees and villagers has been set up as well.
Well, I wish to go again in the coming years to see what unfolds. You are welcome, too.
Your servant
Premvilas das