This feature brings us reports, comment and advice from our conferences on COM, the North-European Bhaktivedanta Book Trust e-mail system.

The following report is edited from a message that Priyavrata Dasa, the International Food for Life Co-ordinator, submitted to the European Communications Europe (ICE) and Food for Life COM conferences on 15 October, 1993.

Priyavrata had visited Sukhumi, Georgia (CIS) earlier this year as part of his mission to inspire and enthuse devotees who have volunteered their services to the worldwide Food for Life programme. On his arrival in Sukhumi, Priyavrata was shocked to find himself in the middle of a war zone, with devotees risking their lives every day to feed thousands of people who were dependent on the food provided by the programme.

A civil war was being waged between the Georgian army and the Abkhazian rebels. However, Mayuradvaja Dasa and Yamaraja Dasa - the former from Georgia, the latter Abkhazia - chose to ignore to sectarian call to arms and instead decided to work together to feed prasadam (sanctified food) to all who were in need, thus starting the Food for Life programme.

A large percentage of the food was donated by other ISKCON temples in the CIS, although the Red Cross and the Georgian army also giving supplies. In addition, the army provided all the cooking equipment.

Early in October 1993, the Abkhazian rebels broke a fragile truce, attacking and overwhelming the city of Sukhumi. As a result, all contact was lost with the devotees there and ISKCON feared for their safety. Priyavrata's report was the first to come out of the fallen city.

Sender: FFL (Food for Life)<112>
Receiver: ICE (ISKCON Communications Europe)
Subject: FFL news from Sukhumi

SUKHUMI, 24 September. After the Abhazians had broken the truce and taken over the city, the situated looked critical for the local devotees. Fighting got as close as the same street in which the devotees were living and they couldn't go anywhere without the risk of being shot. The Abkhazians had captured the boat carrying all the food supplies, forcing the stoppage of the programme for the first time in twelve months.

However, Mayuradvaja Dasa, its director, was determined not to give in. He still tried to secure food , fearlessly driving round the city even though soldiers frequently shot at his car. Having just returned from undergoing heart surgery in Moscow, Mayuradvaja had been specifically told to relax and avoid stressful situations by his doctors. However, Mayuradvaja chose to ignore this advice, wanting only to save people from starvation even at the risk of his own life.

Mayurdvaja then heard that Raghava Pandita Dasa, who had been organising the Food for Life programme in Gudauta (another rebel stronghold), had received a shipment of food previously destined for Sukhumi but stolen by the rebels from another devotee, Parjanya Dasa. However, the soldiers had appreciated Raghava's efforts to save the local Abkhazian people and had subsequently handed over the food to him.

However, Food for Life in Sukhumi was still without food after five days, resulting in the deaths of many starving elderly people. Meanwhile, the Abkhazian soldiers continued to attack the city, killing every Georgian in sight. Fortunately, most of the Sukhumi devotees were Russian by birth, which meant they were a little safer: however, some still decided to leave. Mayuradvaja encouraged those who remained by explaining that Krsna would take care of them.

He was proved right; the solders purposely avoided shooting at the devotees or at their temple, although many houses in the same street were destroyed by shell fire. The devotees remained inside the temple and chanted, while Sikhamani Dasa continued his worship of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai. Bullets criss-crossed the sky as angry Abkhazian soldiers reclaimed Sukhumi. No-one was able to leave or enter the city: three Aeroflot planes were shot down, killing hundreds of people; another was blown up as it prepared to leave the airport, carrying two hundred fleeing Georgia citizens.

Eventually the fighting ceased. Raghava Pandita, together with his Food for Life team, arrived from Gudauta and immediately began arranging food distribution. Once more the Sukhumi devotees could get back to work; solders even began coming to the temple to take prasadam. Before it had been the Georgian solders, now it was the native Abkhazians. It seemed the soldiers were unconsciously aware that the devotees were unconcerned about the politics and nationalism that had started the war. They were not on anyone's side - they were simply there to help.

In Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, a television news reporter observed that everyone and everything in the city of Sukhumi was being shot at except a group of brahmans who were feeding the people.

2 October

Mayuradvaja eventually had to leave Sukhumi to organise a Food for Life programme in Tbilisi, where many of the Georgian citizens from Sukhumi had fled. However, the city and countryside were still under blockade, with checkpoints at all the exit routes - getting out would be dangerous. Mayuradvaja decided to attempt something even the Georgian soldiers had not dared to try - driving cross-country.

Together with three other devotees, Mayuradvaja drove out of the city in the temple's small grey lada. They passed through several checkpoints, finally arriving at the last one on the border separating Abkhazia from Georgia. The devotees knew that if the border guards checking the cars discovered three of them were Georgian (including Mayuradvaja himself), they would be shot on the spot. However, they joined the line of waiting cars. After some time, Mayuradvaja decided they should keep moving; he got out of the car and walked to the front to speak with the Abkhazian soldiers about the Food for Life mission. One of the soldiers recognised him from Sukhumi; another had heard about the programme. They told Mayuradvaja to return to his car and drive to the front. Bypassing the long line of cars, the devotees passed through the border without inspection. Krsna had protected them again.

Mayuradvaja has arranged for food supplies to be sent to Tbilisi, where thousands of Georgian citizens are struggling to survive. The United Nations and the Red Cross are meeting to discuss plans for feeding the Georgian refugees. The United Nations' local representative, Pierre Urloffe, had visited Sukhumi earlier in the year and witnessed, with tears in his eyes, the devotees' Food for Life programme. In a subsequent report to the United Nations Headquarters, he stated how the Hare Krsna movement was saving the lives of thousands.

Mayuradvaja wants to return to Sukhumi, despite the danger. 'I have a taste,' he explains. 'I want to help these people. Someone has to do it, and it may as well be us. There is nothing more beneficial than Krsna prasadam, food offered first to God. This is the real welfare work - we're saving people's souls.'

Majuradvaja has now taken up directorship of the Moscow Food for Life programme, from where he plans to direct activities all over the CIS.