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Hometown: Berlin, Germany
Age: 63 Years
Marital Status: Unmarried
Some Lesser Known Facts About Friederike Irina Bruning
Friederike Irina Bruning is a renowned German woman living in India since she was 28 years old. She is an animal rights activist who founded the Radha Surabhi Goshala in Uttar Pradesh in 1996. She lives in Radha Kund in Mathura (Vrindavan), India and works for the abandoned, helpless and needy cows in India.
At the age of 20 in 1978, Friederike Irina came to India as a tourist after finishing her higher education in Berlin, Germany. She went to Radha Kund in Uttar Pradesh in search of solace and human life purpose. At Radha Kund, she became the disciple of Guru Srila Tinkudi Gosvami and started listening to his spiritual discourses on Bhagwad Gita.
While living in a local village in Radha Kund in Uttar Pradesh, she was advised by her neighbour to buy a cow. Soon, she began exploring books on cows. The books motivated and encouraged her so much that she soon started serving and taking care of the needy and helpless stray cows of the area.
In 1996, Radha Surabhi Gaushala Niketan in Radhakund was established by Friederike Irina. This Gaushala or cowshed is covered in approximately 3,300 square yards of area that can accommodate nearly 1800 sick cows. This cowshed has a unique ambulance facility for the cows that are injured in road accidents. The cows that are sick, injured, starved and unable to move are healed and medicated by the 90 workers in this cowshed. High nutritive food and health care facilities are provided to these needy cows so that they can heal and regain their health. Special arrangements, facilities and separate compounds are built for blind and severely injured cows.
Friederike Irina Bruning while feeding her cows
According to Friederike Irina, since her living in India, she was so fascinated by the tradition and spiritual culture of India that she decided no to go back to Germany. In a conversation with a media house, she explained that after becoming a disciple of a Guru in Mathura, she decided to stay in India. She said,
This country is known for its age-old culture and traditions and I believed that you need a Guru to move forward in the right direction and so I was searching for one in Mathura’s Radha Kund.”
She lives on the teaching and preachings of Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads that highly influenced her living style. Her western lifestyle was changed by the traditions and temples mentioned in Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. According to Friederike Irina Bruning, Indian people are very lucky as they were born and brought up with these religious preaching, songs and teaching since birth. They don’t have to search for it in the books as they are taught to them in their homes as well as by their gurus. In a conversation with a media house, she explained her beliefs after reading Bhagavad Gita,
Great gurus have resided in India, their teachings, Upanishads, traditions, the temples built here, everything is incredible about this country. People should consider themselves lucky to have access to this knowledge even as small children without having to search for it.”
In an interview, she expressed that humans had the greatest power of consciousness that was showered by God to them only, and the human race could avoid selfishness and greediness through religious practices. She explained,
People are carried away by greed and selfishness most of the time and it makes us human to have compassion and empathy, otherwise, we are not more than animals. Selflessly helping people is the only way to move forward in life, I believe it is God’s work.”
According to Friederike Irina, she is not accepting Indian Nationality as it would stop her rental income from Berlin, Germany. In an interview with Life Beyond Numbers, she stated,
My father was working at the German Embassy in India. My parents have helped me with the finances to run this gaushala, rest I fund it somehow. My mother has passed away and I go to Berlin to visit my father once a year.”
As per Friederike Irina, the population of cows are continuously growing in her cowshed. Arranging the funds for the treatment of cows is the major challenge faced by her. She further revealed in an interview that she rented her own property in Berlin so that she could receive rental income from there to support the cowshed in India. She narrated that she was not getting any compensation from the government of India, it is through donations and her own income that this cowshed was working. She explained,
I don’t earn so whatever funds I receive get exhausted fast and it will be very kind of people or organizations to come forward to help us.”
In a conversation with a media house, Friederike Irina recalled when she was first encountered with the cows and at that moment she decided to be their mother by healing them in pain. She disclosed,
I saw that people of late abandon their cows when they grow old and stop giving milk. They are like my children and I cannot leave them.”
In another instance, Friederike unveiled the expenditure she did monthly to feed cows and the payments she had to pay to the workers in her cowshed. She said in an interview the spending on the abandoned cows,
Rupees 22 lakh per month is required for medicines, food grain and salaries of about 60 workers.”
A worker of this cowshed revealed to a media correspondent in a conversation that they pour few drops of holy Ganga’s water in the mouth of every dying cow. He said,
We chant Ramnam (Lord Rama’s name) in the cowshed. We also pour drops of the holy Ganga’s water in the mouth of dying cows. We try to cure sick cows to the best of our ability.”
Friederike Irina Bruning is also known by the name ‘Gau Mata ki Aashraydaatri.’ She was honoured with the fourth highest civilian honour-Padma Shri in 2019 for her selfless efforts for the welfare of the animals.