Floods in Vrindavan – 1978 and today – 22 Aug 08

I was talking on phone with Purnendu today. He told that the Yamuna, the river around Vrindavan, has very high water and parts of the city are already flooded. All fields around Vrindavan are under water and in many houses which are close to the river the water is also flowing in. The water is on the Parikrama Marg, the path around the city. Of course it is Monsoon time and in many towns it happens each year but in Vrindavan it is normally not very bad, there is not a big loss.

This year it rained very much and that is how the water came into the town. I can imagine that there is a different atmosphere in Vrindavan now, everyone keeping eyes on the level of the water, on news on TV or radio. Those people who are living close to the river need help and Purnendu will provide food and help for those who are in need.

I remember one flood in 1978, when I was seven years old. In that time we were living in the old part of the city. That time the whole city was flooded, water was flowing through the streets like a river and up to the third floor houses were filled with water. We had left our home before it filled up and went to the higher part of the city. We stayed there for five days. The water tore down our front wall and I will never forget one scene, when the water level was already getting lower, we went on the roof of a neighbour’s house and watched the water flow past. In it there were big trees, a lot of dead corpses, animals and human, cars and everything that the water could get. In that time my father and others who were good swimmers helped to get belongings out of houses or help people to reach a safe place. It is important to help in this kind of time, in this situation.