By Jagatguru Gauranga das JPS (Dhaka – Bangladesh)
10 Thousand Kilos of Mahaprasad distributed to cyclone victims in Bangladesh.
In early December 2007 a ferocious cyclone, coming in from the Bay of Bengal, caused massive devastation in Bangladesh. A group of about twenty devotees and ISKCON well wishers, from ISKCON’s Bangladesh headquarters in Dhaka, arranged Food For Life prasadam distribution in some of the most badly affected places.
Devotees traveled over night by two micro vans and a big lorry, laden with rice and kicheri, to Khulna, Bagherhat, Potuakhali and Barishal, about 150 Km from Sri Dham Mayapur, near the Indian border. At Sharankhola, one of the most badly affected towns, local people, their houses destroyed, suffering from hunger and despair, recognized the ISKCON Food For Life vehicle upon its arrival, and immediately gathered around. The crowd was so desperate that they could not be made to stand in line. The distressed villagers converged on the vehicles from all sides. As cooking facilities were not available at these places, due to the cyclone’s destruction, devotees distributed cooked rice & kicheri mahaprasadam. Devotees began distributing mahaprasadam to each person from the top of the large lorry. Within very short time half of the lorry was finished and the devotees moved on to another place called Potuakhali 3 hours drive from Bagherhat.
As in the previous town, thousands of cyclone victims, distraught with hunger and fatigue, their homes destroyed, without food or water were somehow surviving. After receiving the mahaprasadam they experienced some relief from their hunger and depression. Along with the mahaprasadam distribution the devotees performed kirtana.
With regular return trips to Dhaka for reloading the lorry, the devotees continued with the mahaprasadam distributon program several days. More than
10 thousand kilos of mahaprasadam kicheri, rice & molasses was distributed to more than 6 thousand affected people.
Some of the daily national newspapers of Bangladesh, appreciating the relief work arranged by ISKCON, published articles describing the ISKCON Food For Life program.