On 21.July 2012 ISKCON devotees gathered in the capital of Germany – Berlin, to celebrate the world famous Ratha Yatra Festival for the pleasure of Sri Sri Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Maharani. The main shopping street of the city – the famous Ku´damm – was vibrating at the sound of the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra and the enthusiastic dancing of about 300 devotees which attracted many guest to join in the parade.

For the second year in row the devotees dedicated the festival to the campaign to “BRING BACK THE HOLY RIVER YAMUNA TO BRAJ-VRINDAVAN”, where up to now not a single drop of original sacred Yamuna water is reaching holy cities like Mathura, Gokhul and Vrindavan in Braj.

To see the beloved river of Sri Krishna being literally kidnapped at Hathini Kund Barrage, Haryana, and to experience instead a sewage line in name of Yamuna river flowing through the holy land of Braj is very much painful especially for Krishnas devotees for whom the Yamuna plays a central role in their devotional life.

At the festival site devotees set up an information booth with graphic display of the current situation of the river as well as petition that demanded the implementation of Supreme High Courts orders regarding the securing of minimum flow of original Yamuna water in the river bed as well as measures for pollution control and sewage treatment.

Besides the devotees also many visitors that just happened to drop by the festival site and with apparently no spiritual background or Indian connection were shocked to see the pictures of the current state of the sacred river and signed the petition out of concern for the environment and to support a good cause. To witness that genuine feeling of concern of the common people to take care of nature was very much inspiring as well as it showed that Krishna is giving the opportunity of to serve Him by serving His beloved Yamuna river to each and every one. We just have to take to it.

To see more pictures of the Save Yamuna campaign-Ratha Yatra, Berlin, 2012 please visit:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/66746266@N07/sets/72157630708977854/