The development work of the parallel drainage system alongside Yamuna is underway in Vrindavan. After the State Government approved the project, the workforce has already started to construct the drainage system in order to prevent sewers from flowing into the Yamuna. Jai Krishna Das Babaji (President of Yamuna Rakshak Dal) informed that even after the approvals, the development pace of the project seems to be very slow.

Industrial waste from the Kosikalaa and Chata areas is also being discharged into the Yamuna through the Kosi drain, against which the Yamuna activists have been fighting for long. After their continuous efforts, the State Government finally approved the project. This drainage system will be 20 kilometers long with a capacity of 8 MLD.

Jay Krishna Das Babaji said that this is just a beginning to revive the lost glory of the river. He said that after his visit to Delhi, the sewers in the city have also stopped flowing into Yamuna but they will keep fighting till they don’t get the pure water of Yamuna from Hathanikund. Couple of months back, around 80 sewer lines were flowing into the Yamuna in Delhi and 24 in Mathura-Vrindavan area. This seems like a good effort that will rid the Yamuna of these problems.

Devotees visiting Vrindavan to see Thakur Bankey Bihari Ji were overwhelmed after doing the Charan Darshan on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. This occasion of Charan Darshan comes once in a year on the day of Akshay Tritiya, for which devotees from all over the world visit the holy city of Vrindavan. The doors of the temple were opened half an hour before time after seeing the enthusiasm of the devotees.

The sevaits coated ThakurJi’s body with sandalwood paste to protect him from the scorching heat. The sevaits had prepared the sandalwood paste for days and had mixed a generous dose of camphor in it as well so that ThakurJi would experience a cooling effect. Other devotees were doing kirtan in the temple which made the atmosphere of the temple more devotional.

Social worker and Institute of Oriental Philosophy professor Dr. Lakshmi Gautam has been nominated as one of 25 women from across India for their selfless service to society. The award is a combined initiative of the Indian Government NITI Ayog and the United Nations.  About 1500 women “who make a difference” were nominated from across India, but only 25 were selected as finalists.

Dr. Laxmi Gautam is a professor at Bon Maharaj College at the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. She founded the NGO Kanak Dhara in 2011, specifically to help the widows of Vrindavan and other women in need of help. She is also active in the movement to purify and clean the Yamuna. Last year she was awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar for women’s empowerment and received it directly from President Pranab Mukherjee.

The Lieutenant Governor of Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lieutenant General A. K. Singh visited the Hasanand Gochar Bhumi Goshala where he paid tribute to the statue of Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya and adored the cows.  He took a general round of the goshala and inspected its workings and condition.  He said that all goshalas need to become self sufficient for which assistance from the Government is required.

He insisted that Hasanand Goshala should be developed as an ideal environment for protecting the cows so that others can follow and learn how to be self sufficient. He made an appeal to the youths to be a part of the movement to save cows.

 The Temples of Vrindavan are gearing up for the festivity of the Chandan Yatra, to be held on the occasion of Akshay Tritiya. On this day the deities give darshan and sandalwood paste is smeared all over their bodies.  The sandal paste is used to adorn the deities to keep them cool in the scorching heat of summer.

The paste is applied on the whole body of the deities of Shri Krishna after the panchamrita abhishek. The sandal paste is smeared on the face of the deities of Radha Rani. The deities are adorned with the garland of Tulsi and scented flowers.

While the sandal wood paste brings pleasure to the body of the Lord, the darshan of the deities smeared with sandalwood paste brings peace to the eyes of the devotees. According to the Vedic Calendar, Akshaya Trititya, is a day considered to be conducive to success in any significant endeavour. Apart from the Banke Bihari and the Sapta Develaya Temples, Lala Babu, Imlitala and ISCKON are other temples which attract thousands of devotees.

A statue of Bharat Ratna Madan Mohan Malviya (1861-1946) was unveiled during the Gau Seva Festival at Hasananda Gochar Bhumi situated on the Mathura Vrindavan Road. The Minister for State (Agriculture and Food Processing Industries) Mr. Sanjeev Kumar Balyan unveiled the statue and said that Malviya Ji established many care centres for the protection of cows. The Hasananda Gochara Bhumi was started by him in 1935 and was one of the earliest modern goshalas in Vrindavan.

Dr. Suresh Dwivedi, Suresh Chandra Agarwal, Chandra Mohan, Madhav Gopal Das, Devi Das, Dr. Kapil Mohan Varshney, Rakesh Bansal, Lokesh and Baba Damodar Das and others were honoured for their services to cow welfare during this event.