Man Of The Week ( Ambarish das) by THE WEEK Magazine (India)

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Article appeared in latest "THE WEEK" Magazine (India) : March 20-28, 2004

issue.

 

Man Of The Week

Alfred Ford: Henry Ford's great-grandson wants to build a Rs 600-crore Vedic

city in India

 

By Tapash Ganguly/Mayapur

 

 

 

If Henry Ford left his legacy in motor cars, his great-grandson Alfred Ford

is

chasing a spiritual dream: to build a Vedic city in India. The only hurdle

in

his path is a stoic West Bengal government, which is reluctant to be a

strategic partner in the Rs 600-crore project. Three London-based firms have

submitted designs of the Vedic city, which Alfred has planned for Mayapur in

Nadia district. Mayapur, the birthplace of the 16th century Vaishnava saint

Sri

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is the headquarters of the International Society for

Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), of which Alfred is a member.

 

 

 

The CPI(M)-led government has reservations about supporting a religious

project. And without the government's support Alfred, chairman of Sri

Mayapur

Project Development Committee that promotes the Vedic township, cannot hope

to

realise his dream. "According to West Bengal Land Reforms Act, no charitable

society can have more than 25 acres," said Bhakti Charu Swamy, a member of

ISKCON's governing council. "ISKCON already has 25 acres in Mayapur. The new

project needs at least 300 acres. Local landowners are willing to sell, but

we

cannot buy unless the government becomes a partner in the project."

 

 

 

The government, which has spread a red carpet for investors of all kind,

could

not spare time for Alfred, cousin of William Ford (Jr), chief executive

officer

of Ford, when he arrived with his Bengali wife, Sharmila, in February. After

much lobbying, Finance Minister Dr Asim Dasgupta gave Alfred an appointment

but

nothing came of it.

 

Two other state governments, however, have evinced keen interest in the

project. Orissa has offered 400 acres on the Puri beach, where Sri Chaitanya

died at the age of 48. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav's

adviser Amar Singh has reportedly requested Albert to shift his project to

Vrindavan, where Sri Chaitanya spent half his life.

 

 

 

Alfred is a direct disciple of the ISKCON founder, Bhaktivedanta Swami

Prabhupada, who died in 1977. "I first met Srila Prabhupada in 1974 and he

became my spiritual master the following year," said Alfred, who took the

name

Ambarish Das and became a vegetarian Hindu. "His books and teachings gave a

meaning and purpose to my life." The Vedic city seeks to glorify Mayapur.

"We

are presenting the Vedic culture as the jewel of India," said Alfred. "We

are

not going to use this project to convert anyone. We want to present the

knowledge of the Vedas in a non-sectarian world-class project. This is

spiritual technology presented in a way which is open to everyone."

 

Alfred, a trustee of the Ford Motor Company Fund, had a hand in building the

first Hindu temple in Hawaii. He also helped found the Bhaktivedanta

Cultural

Center in Detroit, a major tourist attraction. He is the founding chairman

of

ISKCON Foundation and has contributed generously to the Hare Krishna

movement.

An arts graduate from Tulane University, Alfred started Ramayan Arts Inc.,

an

Indian arts gallery, in 1978. He co-founded RapportNET, a tech company which

provides communication solutions to corporates.

 

 

 

The Vedic city, as he has planned, will have a 50,000 sq.m cultural and

educational complex called Vedic Planetarium, showing the cosmology of

ancient

India. A botanical garden will surround the planetarium. According to Bhakti

Charu Swamy, using both modern and traditional exhibition systems the

complex

will provide a dynamic uplifting experience to visitors through an

exploration

of man's relationship with the universe.

 

"It will be different from other cities," said Alfred, who is also lobbying

for

a Vedic centre in Moscow. "The culture will be based on Vedic philosophy.

There

will be certain rules to follow for those who want to reside here because we

want to keep the atmosphere clean." The design of the Vedic Planetarium has

been drawn from the 'sacred architecture', in which the cosmos is revealed

through the medium of the building itself. The large scale of the building

with

its western facade rising over 30 storeys, combined with the elaborate art

and

sculpture, is expected to attract visitors.

 

"The city will sustain itself from pilgrim and tourist revenue as well as

cottage industries," said Alfred, who is in his forties. "The government can

help by developing the infrastructure. Waterways, as well as rail and road

systems in the region, can be developed. Such a project will enhance the

image

of West Bengal in the business and tourism world."

 

 

 

A complex of hotels, restaurants and retail establishments as well as

museums,

theatres and other recreational facilities are also being planned. The Ganga

and the Jalangi will be developed with water-based recreation activities in

mind.

 

 

 

"Service components of the project will generate direct employment and an

industrial park will be developed to promote food processing, handicrafts

and

textiles," said Bhakti Charu Swamy. Nadia, which is widely regarded as the

vegetable garden of West Bengal, is also famous for its handwoven Tant

saris.

"Besides, a technology park will be created for information technology

businesses such as Web design and development and software development."

 

 

 

Before conceiving the project, Alfred and his team collected data on pilgrim

centres in India. Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, with their temple towns,

attract a third of domestic tourists and Uttar Pradesh, with pilgrim centres

for Hindus and Muslims, attracts 30 per cent. Pilgrimage tourism is on the

rise

worldwide and interest in India's spiritual heritage is surging.

 

 

 

"Mayapur commands a significant percentage of domestic and foreign tourism

in

West Bengal," said Shankarshan Netai, general manager of ISKCON Center,

Mayapur. "In 2002 over 13 lakh people visited ISKCON Center." The number

will

grow manifold when the Vedic city is completed. According to Bhakti Charu

Swamy, Alfred will come down from Florida, where he lives with his wife and

two

daughters on a 200-acre farm, this October to finalise the details. By then,

it

will be clear whether West Bengal's loss would be Orissa's gain.

 

 

 

If that happens Alfred and his wife, whom he first met at the ISKCON temple

in

Melbourne, would be the saddest. "We would like to retire to the

tranquillity

and spiritual atmosphere of Mayapur," Alfred told The Week. Now, everything

hinges on the government's decision.