Waterbody renovation by the Braj Foundation

From Raja Bir Singh of Orchha to Suraj Mal , the Jat king of Bharatpur, from Raja Bhagwan Das to Raja Mansingh; from Gokul Das , the treasurer of Scindia State to Rani Laxmi wife of Ranjit Singh of Bharatpur, the royalty and elite of princely states across India have always played a pivotal role in protecting and nurturing the historical, environmental, architectural and cultural heritage of Braj. Through the years, such people have served the holy land of Braj generously through endeavours that have had helped to sustain the exuberance of the rich and variegated heritage of the Holy Land. Today, after years of neglect and decay, when a task as daunting as the restoration of an entire cultural and religious fabric of a region has been successfully taken up by The Braj Foundation, it is as important to look at the people who are silently supporting such a cause from the background. Mumbai based industrialist and Chairman of the Gannon Dunkerley Group, Shri Kamal Morarka has emerged as an iconic figure in rekindling this tradition of serving Braj Bhoomi. Inspired by the revolutionary saint of Braj - Sri Ramesh Baba of Gahvarvan, Barsana and ably led by the committed professional team, the entire drive for Braj restoration taken by the foundation has been receiving a generous financial support from Sri Kamal Morarka.

De-silting of decadent water bodies

800 out of the 1000 odd water bodies of Braj were silted up and had become sludge tanks. They were to be de-silted so that fresh water could be re-filled in them. De-silting of decadent water bodies was a task of top priority and great fundamental importance. Hiring earthmovers was a costly and time-consuming affair. When approached for support, Mr. Morarka readily bought 3 earthmovers costing over Rs 75 lakhs to be used exclusively for de-silting the water bodies of Braj region. He also sanctioned the financial support to bear the operational cost of these earthmovers. Such a blanket support enabled The Braj Foundation to excavate over 35 water bodies spread all over the Braj region in a short span of 3 years. This expediency generated a tremendous public awareness and trust which nevertheless is the most important constituent for any project of such a grand nature to succeed. As a result of which, the water retention capacity has been augmented dramatically for most of the water bodies due to systematic and planned desilting. An additional water retention capacity of over 3 lakh cubic meters has been created so far whose valuation as per market rate is over Rs 2.25 crores. Old dried up water bodies like Anjani Kund, Dohini Kund, Garud Govind Kund, to name a few have been revived with influx of fresh water. The historic renewal of these kunds is rekindling faith among the locals and the environs are vibrating with fresh sound, smell and life. Most of the water bodies excavated by the foundation were devoid of water for decades. The augmentation of the water retention capacity coupled by dedicated efforts to bring in water from the nearby sources like canals etc. have resulted in thriving water bodies. Water is now readily available to villagers and in many cases kuchcha kunds have also been created for animals. Locals claim that there had been no water in these kunds for more than three decades and today they are overflowing with water. More information regarding the Foundation's work & pictures can be accessed here: Braj Foundation