I believe that many of you are already aware of the critical threat to the environment of Braj Dham by illegal mining close to Barsana. In a nutshell, here is the problem:

In the last 10 years, illegal mining of the hilly terrain in the Braj region has grown nearly 25 times.  The focus of this activity is in the sacred groves of Kamavan where Sri Krishna had many pastimes with his cowherd boyfriends.  In addition to the brutal destruction of these sacred hills, the extensive use of dynamite has damaged some prominent sites of Krishna's pastimes, like Phisalini Shila a natural rock formation over which Krishna used to slide with his friends.

Inspired by the dedicated resistance that has grown up amongst the local Brijbasi community, I joined with other devotees to fund a Public Interest Litigation suit in the Supreme Court of India. The suit was successful and the Supreme Court ordered a complete ban last January. I also joined in forming the Braj Foundation to stimulate regeneration of the environment of Braj. However, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court,  backed up by several other Central government rulings and a ruling from the Rajasthan High Court, the Rajasthan government has been dragging its feet on stopping this illegal activity under the apparent sway of the mining "mafia."

This collusion of unscrupulous businessmen has gone so far as to threaten the lives of senior activists and has succeeded in orchestrating the murder of one of the dedicated volunteers.

To try to bring more pressure on the government, the local Brijbasis have mounted a demonstration, conducting continuous Harinam at the Jantar Mandir in Delhi since April 22nd  and will submit their petition to the Prime Minister on May 11.

I'm writing to ask you to support this effort with your own petition, signed by members of your congregations, and faxed to the Prime Minister care of the Indian Embassy of your country.

I also ask you to join the online version of this petition at (http://www.petitiononline.com/braj/petition.html). Please announce this to your congregation as well so they can join online and forward it to their friends and associates, helping create a wider awareness about this important issue.

The success of this effort will strengthen the foundations for increased action to stem the rapid environmental degradation of the entire Braj region. Your support today could mean the difference for our children tomorrow - a renewed Braj filled with sacred groves, forested hills and beautiful kunds, instead of a devastated and barren land.

I thank you for your support. Your servant, Ambarisa das Trustee Braj Foundation