In my wildest dreams it never occurred to me that I would spend Ramanavami practically on a battlefield but that’s how the day panned out. Accompanying my husband, Parasurama Das, we had already driven through seven countries in our round-about route to reach Ukraine. Ramanavami found me awakening in the Black Sea resort of Odessa. The previous day was spent with the wonderful devotees there visiting their prasadam distribution points, giving out prasadam and giving a class on my experiences with Srila Prabhupada. It was a great day meeting these dedicated devotees and visiting their free prasadam restaurant but now we were off to Kherson. In Odessa the devotees told me only two buildings had been destroyed by bombs but in Kherson the bombing continued daily. This was more than obvious on the road to Kherson when we passed an area where not a single house had an intact roof. All were destroyed. Repairs had begun and some of the houses had new roofs, patriotically repaired with tiles coloured the blue of the Ukrainian flag.
We also passed destroyed Russian tanks and other vehicles. It made me sad to think of the tears being shed by the Russian mothers and wives as well as the Ukrainian women who have lost their loved ones in this war. I questioned if there are any winners in war outside of the armament manufacturers. Surprisingly, it also made me think of my own Ukrainian babushka who I never met and the tears she must have shed for my father, her child, who she never saw again after he left his home during the Second World War.
The pradadam distribution had already started when we arrived in Kherson and it was very satisfying to see the long lines of mainly older people queuing for steaming hot borscht and halava. A kirtan was in full swing adding to the ambience of the scene. We accompanied the devotees to several Prasad distribution points including a school that was forced to close due a bomb blowing out all of the windows. It was here I first heard the bombs in the background. The brave devotees did not even flinch at this unwelcome intrusion on our seemingly peaceful day. ‘Outgoing’, they insisted. Meaning those bombs were heading in the opposite direction.
We continued distributing the prasadam and had a lovely program for Lord Rama’s appearance day. Naturally I went to see the famous swimming pool kitchen. The temple in Kherson was occupied by the Russian military and used as barracks by the army and the devotees are still unable to return due to snipers. Consequently they borrowed a house with an empty swimming pool that is used as a kitchen. Apparently, being below ground level makes it safer. When we arrived I was told how this area is considered safe but being the observant kind I couldn’t help but notice a destroyed building just over the fence. It occurred to me ones perception of safe can vary greatly.
Before we left Kherson completely, our friend Nama Kripa Prabhu wanted to show us the airfield which was completely destroyed by the earlier fighting. Strange to think RyanAir was flying in and out of this airport only a year earlier. Visiting we found the ground littered with bullet shells and the airport needing a complete rebuild. Then, suddenly, we heard the ‘incoming’ bombs and naturally decided it was time to leave. As we sped off the bombs rocked the van and something landed on the roof. Our work done, it was a relief to be leaving for the, hopefully, safer place of Mykolaiv.
On the road out of Kherson the tarmac was heavily indented with the track marks of the tanks from the earlier occupation. I also saw an upright rocket just sticking out of the black earth. On this road not a single building still had a roof, although repairs had begun on some of the homes.
Staying the night in the Mykolaiv Temple after an exhausting day, sleep came easy. But in the night I heard what I presumed, in my half-asleep state, were Russian tanks rolling in. Too tired to move, or even care, it was a great relief in the morning to discover I was sleeping next to the tram lines and in my sleepy state had mistaken the rumbling of trams for invading tanks.
Once again in Mykolaiv we delivered the goods and went out on Prasad distribution with the devotees. There was delicious borscht and a dense bread that was just delicious. I still dream about that homemade bread. Again, a wonderful day was spent supporting these brave and determined devotees. We left for Dnipro where to my surprise there was a large temple with lots of devotees. There everyone worked together to unload a large oven that was donated by Arjuna in Germany. It had taken a forklift to put it in the van but a bunch of Ukrainian lads managed to get it out. Again we went out on the Prasad distribution and I noticed how many of the old babushkas were wearing their fancy hats. War doesn’t stop these ladies keeping up appearances.
Zaporizhzhya was our next port of call where I was enamoured by the dome that stood out on the horizon as we approached the temple. Inside the dome was decorated with paintings of Radha and Krishna, the gopis and cows. It was beautiful.
Here I learnt that the nearby nuclear plant was now in the hands of the Russians and was now the centre of an ongoing nuclear safety crisis. But the temple continues to function as normal. How inspirational is that?
Our final destination before we headed west was the capital Kiev. I was surprised by the sheer size of the temple which was enormous. I gave my experiences with Prabhupada class and there was an audible gasp as I explained my father was Ukrainian from a village in the Lviv region. Afterwards, we had a fabulous hour long kirtan with everyone dancing. It was a wonderful experience. It would take more than a war to dampen the spirits of these inspiring devotees.
As we travelled west out of Kiev it was perturbing to see all of the damage. Every bridge over the busy road was blown up. I just kept uttering about the waste. I couldn’t get over the uselessness of it all and the waste of the precious resources that mother earth provides us with. Trees were missing their upper branches and houses, once again, were missing their roofs if not completely obliterated. A sad drive.
We stopped at the temple in Lviv, to say goodbye to our friends there and to eat the delicious borscht. As we left the temple to drive west out of Ukraine and across the Polish border I couldn’t help but notice a railway track running parallel to the road. It occurred to me that that must be how my father left Lviv during World War Two, what to speak of the Jews on their way to Auschwitz and the other camps. I felt myself confronted by a mixture of emotions. Firstly there was a certain relief at leaving a country at war and still be in one piece. Then there was the sadness of the situation we were leaving behind. Then there was the admiration for the devotees who continue in such adverse conditions. Then there was the sorrow of knowing that eleven or twelve devotees had died in the fighting so far plus the two devotees distributing prasadam in the Dombass area. Then there was the gratitude to Srila Prabhupada for giving us the opportunity to go back to Godhead and not be stuck in this material world. Thank you, Srila Prabhupada, for allowing me this wonderful experience with such exulted and determined devotees. The whole adventure was a very humbling encounter seeing first-hand the sacrifices of the Ukrainian devotees as they continued their devotional service.
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