2025.04.07 (Vrindavan Today News): On the auspicious occasion of Ram Navami, 16 April 1997, the residents of Vrindavan, known as Brajwasis, initiated a profound and spiritually driven campaign with a mission to free the holy land of Vrindavan from pollution. What began as a local environmental service has, over the past 28 years, evolved into a self sustainable model of environment management.
This historic environmental awakening was rooted in the cultural and spiritual heartland of India—Vrindavan, revered globally as the cultural capital of the world and the playground of Shri Krishna’s divine pastimes. At the time, however, the divine city was grappling with severe pollution. Almost every alley, market, and neighborhood in Vrindavan was plagued by massive piles of garbage. Open drains were choked with filth, and the streets were littered with broken earthen cups from sweet shops and remnants of street food.
Historian and spiritual leader Acharya Prahlad Vallabh Goswami of Shri Haridas Peeth recounts that in those days, the holy experience of Vrindavan was marred by the chaos of stray animals—cows, bulls, pigs, and dogs—that roamed freely, sometimes attacking or disturbing pilgrims. Temples lacked proper sanitation, and devotees left with painful memories, rather than the joy of divine connection.
In a bid to address this critical problem, a group of Braj enthusiasts joined hands under the leadership of Swami Sevak Sharan and Acharya Shrivatsa Goswami to form an environmental group and named it as ‘Friends of Vrindavan’. Under the guidance of its Founders, the then Director Mr. Michael Duffy and Project Manager Shri Sanjay Ratan successfully executed the ‘Swacch Vrindavan’ movement, perhaps the first initiative of this kind in the country.
With active support from the then senior officers of the Mathura-Vrindavan Development Authority—Mr. Ravindra Dutt Paliwal and Mr. Ashok Kumar Singh—the foundation was laid for a comprehensive pollution control plan for the entire Braj region. On that Ram Navami day in 1997, in the presence of numerous social workers, political figures, and prominent personalities, the movement was formally launched at the steps of the famous Shri Banke Bihari Temple.
The first actions of the campaign were practical and impactful. Security guards were deployed at all temple access roads to keep stray animals at bay. Shopkeepers were encouraged to cooperate, and waste collection drums were installed under each shop to collect used cups and leaf plates. Dedicated sanitation workers were employed to clean streets and drains twice daily, and vehicles began transporting waste to centralized dumping locations. These small but strategic steps brought significant improvements to the cleanliness of the temple areas.
Following the successful implementation at Banke Bihari Temple, the model was extended to Radha Ballabh Temple, Radha Raman Temple, Yamuna ghats, the parikrama (circumambulatory) path, and other key religious sites. Even today, this cleanliness service continues to operate at these locations.
Acharya Prahlad Goswami draws a profound parallel between this environmental movement and Lord Krishna’s own divine act of subduing the serpent Kaliya to cleanse the Yamuna River. Inspired by that sacred leela (divine play), the people of Braj launched the Pollution Removal Campaign—which has since become a model for religious and cultural spaces worldwide.
Today, the message of pollution-free sacred spaces, first voiced in Vrindavan, resonates nationally and internationally. It has not only inspired other pilgrimage sites but also caught the attention of both central and state governments, bringing sanitation and environmental care to the forefront of public policy.
What started as a small, heartfelt service offering on Ram Navami has transformed into a legacy—a movement that upholds both environmental integrity and spiritual sanctity, proving that true devotion lies not just in rituals, but in the protection and preservation of divine lands.
