Can a video save a dead river? It may sound far-fetched, but miracles happen through public awareness—especially when Krishna Himself notices the sincere devotion of his bhaktas.
Despite the great efforts of and protests by hundreds of thousands of activists, and despite the countless promises by present and previous Indian governments, so far, there has not been any improvement in the Yamuna’s condition.
A new temple dedicated to Ganga Devi has recently been constructed by ISKCON Mayapur's Ganga Mata Seva Committee, where a Deity of Ganga Devi is worshipped along with Deities of Sri Sri Gaura-Nitai. This temple is only the beginning, for the committee has plans to construct a larger and more opulent temple for the worship of Mother Ganga.
On this occasion, the production team of ‘The Stolen River’, a 40-minute documentary about the sacred Yamuna, has made the film available for public screening for communities, temples, educational- and other organizations.
“The Stolen River,” which deals with an issue that has been of deep concern to devotees as well as environmentalists for years now, about the pollution of the Yamuna river, received its world premiere in India in October 2015. Since then, it has won Best Green Film at the LIFFT India Filmotsav, and was in the official selection at many other film festivals.
This short film was made in Russia in October 2015, by a small team of filmmakers who are passionate about sharing the culture of bhakti yoga with the world. It was shot on location in Moscow and Sochi, and profiles Jahnavi Harrison, who grew up with bhakti yoga and serves in the capacity of a kirtan (devotional call and response chanting) leader.
Six young people in India discover a major ecological disaster that we all unknowingly contribute. A documentary by Kristina Danka, Ph.D. For more information please visit www.stolenriverfilm.com
Recently, a high court in India declared the Yamuna river a living entity, bestowing on her the same legal rights as a person. Many shared the news on social media, excited about this seemingly major move towards cleaning up the heavily polluted river, once called “dead” by the United Nations. But a closer look shows that the development, while a nice gesture, won’t actually achieve much.
A court in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand has granted the same legal rights as a human to the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, considered sacred by nearly a billion Indians.
The mythical Saraswati forms the Hindu holy triumvirate along with the Ganga and Yamuna, and the hypothetical confluence of these three rivers in Allahabad is the source of humanity’s biggest gathering every 12 years during the Kumbh Mela.
The National Green Tribunal has directed a principal committee to hold a meeting to determine the environmental flow of Yamuna from Hatnikhund barrage in Haryana up to Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
The festival, which ran from October 9th to 13th at Delhi’s NDMC Convention Centre, is ranked in the top two environmental film festivals in the world. It deals with a vast range of issues including climate change, natural heritage conservation, biodiversity, and renewable energy. This year, the festival received a total of 178 entries from India and around the world.
"Rescuing the Stolen River", a feature documentary produced by ISKCON devotees will be premiered at Asia's largest green film festival in New Delhi on Saturday October 10th at 11.30AM at the Delhi Convention Centre. The admission is free, but registration is required: http://vat2015.cmsvatavaran.org
In a landmark case for the Rights of Nature, officials in New Zealand recently granted the Whanganui, the nation's third-longest river, with legal personhood.
The National Green Tribunal has directed a principal committee to hold a meeting to determine the environmental flow of Yamuna from Hatnikhund barrage in Haryana up to Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
Union Minister R. Prasad gave this assurance to the members of Yamuna Muktikaran Padyatra, undertaken for making Yamuna pollution free.