Krishna Mondal, 61: I am with Shyama Maa to serve more Matas!

Place of Origin: BaaraSaath, District 24 Pargana

Living in Vrindavan Since: 3 years

Krishna Maa’s husband was alcoholic and very abusive and violent. She could not tolerate the torture and violence in her marriage and came back to her mother, when she was hardly 25 years age and already had three children from her marriage. For a short period, she worked as a domestic help at Kolkata and later moved to Mumbai, where she spent her rest of the life working as a caretaker for the mother and new-born child. Against all challenges, she persisted in her efforts to earn and support her children.

Now that all her children have grown up and married and own their small homes too. But, Krishna Maa found it difficult to live with them because of their bad temperament and dis-respectful attitude. Hence, she decided to come to Vrindavan and spend rest of her life in an Ashram with total devotion to god.

When she landed at Shyama Didi’s ashram and soon found a home for herself along with several other Matas who are many years elder to her and needed more support to live a normal life. She started assisting Shyama Didi as a voluntary straff and went out to collect vegetables, accompanying sick ones to the hospital visits and taking care of them in the Ashram.

“I have come to Vrindavan after fulfilling all my family responsibilities and bringing up, educating and settling my two sons and one daughter. Now they are ill-treating me, hence, I was very unhappy with my children, because of their indifference towards me and bad atmosphere at home, I decided to come to Vrindavan. Since four years I am living at Shyama Didi’s ashram. I want to spend my last years in service to other Matas and practice devotion to god.” Recently, she lost her mother during the COVID lock-down, she could not go to join the last rites of her mother. But, Krishna Maa says that, Shyama Didi was there with me to go through this crisis and helped me perform all the rites in Vrindavan. I have no regrets that I have left my children behind, they never bother to call me and ask me about my welfare.

Krishna Maa says “I really enjoy my work here and finally I have a purpose to live, I want to continue to serve other needy Matas and support Shyama Maa in running the ashram. I wish, many people will come forward and support our seva and one day we will have our own space. Housekeeping, accompany Shyama Didi for all meetings.