Where is Braj?

• Braj is not just Mathura or Vrindavan alone as is popularly believed by devotees from all over the world.
• The entire expanse of 84 – Kos periphery around Vrindavan is Braj.
• The region spans across the Mathura district of UP, Bharatpur district of Rajasthan and Faridabad district of Haryana.
• The entire region has over 1300 villages, each of which are associated with one or the other Krishna leelas. Their very names refer to their connection with Krishna.

How does one reach Braj?

Faridabad District of Haryana begins right as the NCR limits end on the Mathura Road/ NH2. Vrindavan- Mathura the popular townships of Braj are merely a two and a half hour drive from New Delhi on the Delhi Agra Highway. There are daily trains to these towns as well from New Delhi Railway Station.

What are the steps in the entire restoration process?

• Initial process - Survey of the Kund site
• Mobilizing the local community
• Legal, Administrative and Community negotiations
• Generating funds
• Necessary permission & go-ahead from District and Local Administration
• Preparation of detailed restoration plan
• Pumping out the dirty water, if any
• De-silting of the Kund
• Repair/ construction of side walls, ghats
• Creation of Kund Sanrakshan Committee (villagers’ group takes charge of preservation and maintenance)

What homework does TBF do on the kund site before starting a project?

• Identifying the water body and documenting its historical significance.
• Conducting Land survey for information on: feed in water channels (if any), alternatives to divert drain water falling into the water body
• Recording GPS coordinates of the water body, and procuring concerned cadastral maps for location
• Superimposing survey map, cadastral map and satellite imagery to identify the legal boundaries
• Assessing the water retention capacity of the structure and related water levels; underground water table, feeder channels etc

Who all have supported TBF so far?

• State governments of UP, Rajasthan and Haryana
• Private philanthropists, prominent industrialists from across the country, leading industrail houses like the Gannon Dunkerley Group, Nicholas Piramal Group, Gujarat Ambuja Cement
• PSUs like IOCL, NTPC, Power Grid Corporation, Union Bank of India, Bank of Baroda, etc.
• NRI Groups
• Religious groups like the World Vaishnav Association.

To what extent have women been involved in the projects? How have women been impacted by the restoration projects?

• Women have been actively involved in all community sensitization drives and restoration work
• Select women from various villages were sent for leadership camps to undergo training on health, sanitation, leadership and community work.
• Restoration of traditional water harvesting structures has brought potable water within easy reach and cut down on the time and effort women spent in traveling miles in search of water.
• Women are largely responsible for fulfilling household water needs; they are being initiated into taking responsibility of maintenance of restored kunds etc. by being active members of the maintenance committees.

What have been the long term benefits of TBF’s efforts in Braj?

• Revamping of Local Ecology
• Re-established cultural vibrance
• Re-kindling of Public Faith & sense of ownership
• Influencing public policy
• Re-invigorating Research into the Engineering and Architecture of water bodies
• Listing, Documentation, Survey of 400+ water bodies
• Generating employment
• Creating awareness among the community for protection of the restored water body

What are the cost benefits of working with TBF?

• The cost of renovation of a Kund (depending on its size and the amount of work to be done) varies from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 50 lakhs
• Our cost of de-silting is 1/10th  of that of governmental rates
• Our costs for restoration are 1/3rd  that of  private sector