Food for Life in Grozny
 MOSCOW
TRIBUNE: GROZNY, Chechnya, December 1995 — One can imagine
the surprise of the shell-shocked residents
of Grozny, in March 1995, when they saw a handful of shaven headed
Hare Krishna monks climbing out of armored cars carrying sacks of
rice, flour and beans. Sixteen months later, the Krishna's Food
for Life service had established itself as the premier relief
agency in Grozny, having
served well over 1,000,000 meals. Read New York Times Article
Danger and austerity
 Ten Hare Krishna Food for Life volunteers from
St. Petersburg lived in an abandoned canteen in the Zavodskoy district
of the city. Former Chechen Prime Minister, Mr. Salambek Khajiev,
helped to renovate the bombed-out
canteen, equipping it to serve both as a shelter and kitchen.
Every night was marked with several flurries of violence in
the close neighborhood
and most other parts of the city. "
Three months back there was a battle in our backyard," said Stanlislav
Lesovoy, 32, who directs the program. "The Russians were shooting
from the ground, just ten meters away from our kitchen, while the Chechens
were up high, atop a burnt-out three story building, right in our
courtyard!" "The bullets were crisscrossing over our roof for
one and a half hours," explained his colleague, Shula Vasiny, 28,
a former banker from St. Petersburg, who has been in Grozny since the
beginning of the war. "Both sides were careful to avoid shooting
our compound though," she added. "We were lying on the floor
praying, but lucky for us, only a few bullets flew inside."
| "I pray that
your Food for Life program will expand to bring about a
peaceful world."
- Salambek Hadjiev
(Former - Prime Minister of Chechnya)
|
A healthy menu  Every morning the Krishnas prepare ninety gallons
of porridge and kichri (a vegetable stew made of rice, lentils,
and vegetables) in huge gas fueled
boilers. An equal amount of a vitamin-rich tea made from "dog-rose
bush" berries, along with tens of trays of freshly baked bread,
that has a reputation for being the "best in the city." All
the food is first sanctified before being stored in sealed containers
and loaded into their trusty old Russian ambulance van. The hot porridge,
stew, bread and tea are then driven to seven different locations in the
city, where recipients gather to receive their only meal of the day.
As the van pulls in, the hungry, mostly elderly Russian men and
women, jostle to get the best spot in the long line, earnestly
holding out their
pots, pans, glass jars and plastic bags for their only meal of
the day.
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