German woman turns cow saviour
MATHURA: As many as 1,200 cows — mostly abandoned, sick and injured — have found a saviour in 59- yearold German national Friederike Irina Bruning.
“I came as a tourist and understood that to progress in life, you need a guru. I went in search of a guru in Radha Kund,” she said while narrating her journey in Mathura.
She then bought a cow at the request of a neighbour and since then everything in her life changed.
“I saw that people off late abandon their cows when they grow old and stop giving milk,” she said.
Fondly called Sudevi Mataji, she started her cowshed known as ‘Surbhai Gauseva Niketan’.
“They are like my children and I cannot leave them,” she says while referring to the large family of cows.
“Today, I have 1,200 cows and calves. I do not have sufficient place to accommodate more as the place is getting smaller. But still I cannot refuse, when somebody leave a sick or injured cow outside my ashram...” she said.
Bruning has divided her place in such a manner that cows needing special care are kept at one place.
When asked about the finances, she said as much as ₹22 lakh per month is required for medicines, foodgrain and salaries.
“I have some property in Berlin. I get rent from that. Initially my father used to send some money but now he is a senior citizen... I am not getting any help from the local authorities, but somehow managing my work,” she said.
“I cannot close this. I have 60 people working here and they all need money to support their children and family and I have to take care of my cows, who are my children.” She said the Indian government has not given her a long-term visa.