A Day in the Life of a Cowherd Boy in New Vrindaban
A Day in The Life of One of Krsna’s Cowherd Boys
“By the end of this week, we’ll be all finished putting up the hay bales in the barn for the season!”
These are words that every farmer likes to be able to boast, before winter sets in. Down at New Vrindaban’s farm and cow shelter, Ranaka was able to make this claim with great satisfaction, as another summer leaves New Vrindaban. “We put up 800 to 1,000 bales this year. It was a good year,” declares Ranaka. This cowherd boy is especially happy because he is helping to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s vision for New Vrindaban, which includes the importance of cow protection
Hay’s In!
In addition to the hay, the acre of potatoes that Ranaka plants organically every year have just been dug up for collection, which is another sign that the summer is coming to an end. But Ranaka feels ahead of the game, in preparation for another beautiful, yet sometimes brutal, New Vrindaban winter. Self-sufficiency is one of the other main points in Srila Prabhupada’s vision for New Vrindaban, and the potato crop and other vegetables are a big part of that. As a matter of fact, Ranaka has lived through 36 winters in New Vrindaban, since 1977, and his devoted helper, Ray, has worked with him for most of those years. “Ray is a hard worker and a good guy!” declares Ranaka.
Farmers Ranaka and Ray
The barns in New Vrindaban first opened almost 28 years ago, in 1985, and have been continually serving Sri Sri Radha Vrindaban Chandra’s cows since that time, following Srila Prabhupada’s mood for the community. This year, there will be some new residents at Krsna’s Goshalla in New Vrindaban, according to Ranaka Prabhu.
“We have three heifers old enough to breed, so we have built a strong pen for them and the bull. Then, in about nine months, the pregnant gomatas can be moved up to the milking barn across from the temple to give birth to their calves.” And at the end of October, the 16 retired cows out to summer pasture in Bahulaban will be brought back down to their winter home at the farm and cow shelter. There’s a lot of action at the Goshalla.
The barn got a new coating on the roof this year! Chaitanya Bhagavat Prabhu was instrumental in organizing this for the barn roof. Ranaka explains: “They rolled out a new coat of aluminum roof coating on the almost 50,000 square footage of roof, to keep the rust under control. It was a hard job, but Chaitanya Bhagavat and some helpers worked hard until it was time for the contractor to come in and spray on the finish.”
We’re happy with it. We’ve been re-doing this barn roof every couple of years, but we’re hoping this new roofing to last longer.”
New Roofing Going On
