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May 2000

Rathayatra at a new early date

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has again given permission for the Rathayatra Festival to be held right in the heart of London in Trafalgar Square. Please make a note of the date in your diaries: Sunday, June 18th. This festival is our big national festival and attracts devotees and friends from all over the country for an ecstatic day of kirtan and stings. In order to make it even better than last year I am making a small request here in these pages: we need at least 25 volunteers to help set up the square early on Sunday morning and more volunteers to help clear up afterwards. We will only get the square next year if we leave it as spotlessly clean as we did last year. If you can get down to Trafalgar Square by 8.00 a.m. and help with setting up tables, canopies and the decoration of Nelson's column then you will definitely find a unique devotional opportunity waiting for you. Similarly, at the end of the day we will need at least 20 volunteers to sweep the square. Don't forget to sweep at Rathayatra is one of the services traditionally favoured by the Lord. If this type of opportunity appeals to you please call Abhimanyu on 07957-467734. The procession will begin as usual at Speakers Corner on Hyde Park and wind its way down Mayfair, Piccadilly, Haymarket and on to Trafalgar Square where again we will have full use of the square for stalls and prasadam serving. Speeches, , sankirtan and cultural presentations will again take place on Nelson's column.

Lottery money boosts Oxford Centre

The Heritage Lottery Foundation has awarded a grant totalling £86,200 to the Oxford Centre for Vaishnava and Hindu Studies. The grant is to fund a specific educational cause, a three-year oral history project to record the life stories of the first generation of Hindu immigrants in Britain. By recording British Hinduism scholars both in the present and the future will be able to understand and appreciate the nature of Hindu religious and cultural identity in this country.

The Oxford Centre for Hindu and Vaishnava Studies, set up three years ago, received another helping hand recently when a meeting at the House of Lords resulted in pledges of support and further introductions to potential supporters. The December 15th event, promoted and chaired by Lord Dholakia, attracted many influential business people including Mrs. Pathak of 'Patak's Pickles'. The purpose of the meeting was to highlight the importance of formal education in the theology and culture of Hinduism. Britain now has 500,000 Hindus but as yet there is no major library for its texts, or recognised centre for theological training. Hindu culture, like Christian and Jewish culture, has its moral foundation in its holy scriptures. Without that foundation, any culture withers away in two or three generations. The OCVHS, it was explained to the assembly, can enhance and promote the studies necessary to safeguard that foundation.

Speakers were Professor David Paterson, founder of the Oxford Centre for Jewish and Hebrew Studies, Dr. Gillian Evison, head of the Indian Institute Library in Oxford, Ravi Gupta, an 18 year-old Indian student now at Oxford, and Rishi Shonpal, also a student. Both the young speakers talked about discovery of their religious and cultural identity after being raised in America and England respectively. It was essential, they claimed, that every young person he given the chance to understand such a valuable tradition. The activities and plans of the OCHVS have been given an enthusiastic and supportive response both by Oxford's academic community and by Hindu community leaders. The centre has a staff of four headed by Saunaka Rishi dasa and now there are four students affiliated to the centre taking part in courses at the university. Visiting professors, funded by the centre, give lectures attended by many graduate and post-graduate students. Guest academics have included Dr. Thomas Hopkins, Dr. Klaus Klostermeir both specialising in Hinduism. Next to visit will he Professor Joseph O'Connell, an expert in Gaudiya Vaishnavism, who will give eight lectures on Hindu scriptures and three on the history of the Gaudiya Vaishnava community. Dr. Guy Beck, also from the USA, will speak on Indian religious music.

In his introduction to the Srimad Bhagavatam Srila Prabhupada wrote of his wish that academics would come to appreciate the wisdom within its pages: 'I am hopeful of its good reception by the thinkers and leaders of society" The Oxford Centre seems to have taken many steps towards that good reception.

Planting the seed in Canterbury
(And raising the ceiling!)

by Amanda Holley

On Sunday 26th March the London Radha Krishna Temple attended the first public Nama Hatta group in Canterbury. It was held at the Friars Healing Centre on St. Peters lane just off the High Street and it was a resounding success.

There was no doubt that Krishna was opening doors for us to run a public Nama Hatta group in Canterbury. Bhaktin Melissa and myself had spent time trying to make dates, find a venue etc. and our path was blocked. But early in February Krishna made the shift we needed. lan, the manager of the Friars Healing Centre, offered the venue free of charge and Melissa and I sat down to look at dates proposed by Radha Raman for the year. With only one exception every date was open to all of us to do! The work to organise the meeting just flowed effortlessly from that point. After having seen a flock of wild peacocks in our local woods (no-one else has ever seen them!) I decided to do a free prasadam day on "The Wagon" in Canterbury (a mobile kitchen from which I sell bhajis and pakoras) while Shane was distributing books. I thought we might raise enough donations to pay for fresh flowers for the altar at the meeting. A few days before this I found a £20 note on the pavement which I decided could pay for the market pitch fee (£35) and the two local organic farms that supply me had already very willingly donated the vegetables for both days.

Then, when the market day came and Melissa and I were setting up the Wagon, the market manager told us we had a free pitch! He said that 'Hare' had got him in one ear and 'Krishna' in the other and that he couldn't say no! The day was exhilarating. Melissa and I served around 250 people and received £120 in donations! What a lot of flowers that would have bought! (But we did find other uses for those funds!) Many other things have happened and all these signs leading up to the day told us that this was the right time to publicly worship Krishna in Canterbury. Krishna is working very hard for Canterbury. Shane and Melissa had been distributing books during the week to support the day.

'A crack appeared in the ceiling'

Then came the big day. Radha-Krishna was in Canterbury! The excitement was so incredible I could hardly hold it. Melissa and I served the devotees with prasadam first so that they could perform kirtan without grumbling tummies and this in itself was an honour I will not easily forget. Devotees were busy preparing food, decorating the Temple room with the Jagannath tapestry, mantra signs made as a gift by a local artist, a miniature Gaura-Nitai, photograph of Srila Prabhupada, garlands, Indian fabrics on the floor (a huge discount given by a friend of Melissa), incense etc. The scene was set! It felt and looked so good. Wouldbe-devotees began arriving while we were all still setting up. There was some chaos behind the scenes but around 25 people came into our Temple room (the room was full) and waited expectantly for the programme. Needless to say, it was a resounding success and more than met our expectations! The kirtan was very powerful and even the most reserved of the guests began smiling away, then we had to stand up and dance, and then ... the ceiling began to crumble! A crack appeared along one side of the ceiling and dust began falling into the room. Everyone was laughing and we all felt purified by the energy. The centre manager was dancing too and he assured us that the building had been there a long time so he wasn't worried and in any case he was having a wonderful time! Mahadyuti then gave a wonderful class followed by questions; the visitors were very curious, asking lots of questions so that excellent discussions continued throughout the prasadam feast. We served plain organic rice with flaked almonds, winter squash and cauliflower picked the day before, channa dahl patis, tahini sweets coated in coconut, halavah with apricot, a spicey cinnamon & ginger drink, plum chutney. (Hmm-maybe you need my help with the next meeting?-KMd) The programme ran from 3-6 pm but devotees were still answering questions at 8:30 pm - the guests just didn't want to leave! Melissa and I had felt so full before this all happened but to see tile Radha Krishna devotees leaving Canterbury left us feeling quite sad - we wanted them to stay forever! But they will be back every month fora programme and we feel confident that this is a small and hugely significant beginning for Canterbury. If you have any questions please ask Bhaktin Melissa at Soho Street Temple or me, Amanda Holley, on 01227-731817.

Brighton (and the missing member...)

Dharani dhara reports that one young woman was so intent on locating the devotees in Brighton she had returned no less than five times to the Friends Meeting House where the original festival was held last year. She had not attended the initial follow-up meeting, lost the local contact telephone numbers, and assumed that the meetings would be held there. No-one at the Friends Meeting House knew where the 'Krishnas' were in Brighton and they were not listed in Yellow Pages. Fortunately she found out one number from a friend of a friend of a friend and happily got back in touch.

An Important Lesson

Dharani's experience is an important lesson for those of you organising public events locally. Please make sure a contact telephone number or address is provided for those who attend. You can photocopy it onto slips of paper or incorporate it into a one-sheet description of what you are trying to do locally. As a further aid to better communication, you could collect your visitors' names and details. People easily lose pieces of paper and you will certainly want to re-contact those who came to your event. Sometimes they forget about the next meeting, an emergency comes up, or they genuinely cannot make it for a few weeks. If you move from a hall or library to a member's home during that time you may lose touch completely. Do make sure that people find it easy to find you again. Don't assume that people are shy about handing you their details; most people want to be kept in touch - especially if they are curious about Krishna consciousness and want to know more. And if they don't show up for a few weeks it may be one of many genuine reasons. Spiritual life is not always at the very top of their shopping list, so they may have other things to attend to; but they will be back- if you stay in touch! Here are some actual reasons why those who came to festivals were not seen again until much later:

1. "I really meant to come but my Mum went into hospital on the day of your follow-up meeting and then I didn't know where you were meeting after that".

2. "I lost the piece of paper with your telephone number on it six weeks ago"

3. "Why didn't you ring me? I gave you my telephone number and I thought you were going to invite me to the next meeting. I thought you'd forgotten about me..."

4. "I really wanted to come but my boyfriend didn't want me to get involved. Anyway, I'm not with him anymore so I'm going to come every week from now on."

5. "I thought a big organisation like yours would be in the telephone book so I didn't pick up a sheet with the number on it. "

The list goes on and on. If you seriously want to gather up all those in your town who could regularly come to meetings for kirtan, discussion and prasadam, whether you have an initial festival or not, it's a good idea to make sure there's a few ways people could find out about you locally. Get yourself listed at the Town Hall or local library as a religious group. You can be listed under 'Hindu', 'Vaishnava', 'Hare Krishna' or 'ISKCON'. Get your details (or a box number), along with a short description of what your group does, into the local free newspaper, and finally make sure you have some sort of advertising going on in the places where those you want to attract come together. People stick 3x5 cards or small posters advertising all sorts of meetings in health food shops, clubs, cafes - why not you? And if your meeting is already up and running - do it anyway to attract more members.

(A lot of ideas on how to get the message out in your town are explained in the booklet 'Getting Started' which you can order free from yours truly-KMD)

Galway has prayers answered

Uddhava dasa from Wicklow in Ireland, who travels to several towns across the country and also helps to organise two groups in Dublin, reports that the group in Galway is finally underway. After three festivals in the town over a period of a year, numerous harinams and lots of praying, the group now has eight regular members a week. "We had two festivals in the town hall," said Uddhava, "Each one was attended by a very substantial crowd-300 came to the big one-but when we had the follow-up meeting no-one turned up. We were disappointed and a bit puzzled, especially after the very promising attendance at the festival." But Uddhava, helped by local devotees Annette, Uwe and Mary pushed on, did more advertising, held one more festival, and now they've been meeting regularly for some months. "For sure Lord Chaitanya reciprocates with all our efforts" analysed Uddhava, "He actually wants to reward His devotees' attempts. It is Him who desires to see sankirtan go on in that town after all. We are not alone! But it also seems vitally important to have at least one member who lives in the town and who can help with advertising and talking to those who have shown interest. The more people are talking in the town about 'Hare Krishna', the more it will be on their minds and the more likely it will be that they come along to a meeting. Then when they like it they'll bring their friends. The word will get around town that we're here and something's happening every week".

Swansea - new Govinda's in June

The new restaurant will open its doors to the city quite soon, probably at the end of May or midJune. Tarakanath has been in India buying items for the shop inside the restaurant, Devaprastha and his wife Maharani-vrinda have settled into a flat nearby and Mishrani and Gareth have been very busy preparing the premises and directing the builders in the refurbishment. Once open, the new restaurant will be serving the same delicious prasadam as in the previous location but will be only two minutes from the city centre. The address is: Govinda's, 8 Craddock St., off the Kingsway, Swansea. As well as the restaurant, much bigger than before, there will be a shop with books and gifts from India, a library and a temple room.

Festivals - is there one near you?

There's many more coming up this year. Tribhuvanath and his team will be staging festivals for 150-400 people in the following towns:

Canterbury	May 8th
London (Camden Town Hall)	June 1st
Glastonbury	June 24-27th

There's also a festival planned for Jersey down there in the Channel Isles on July 22nd, and one for Cardiff. These are closely followed by Virgin 2000 in Chelmsford after which the team travels to Africa for their annual tour of many towns in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi.

Anyone up for an adventurous autumn as a member of the African Hare Krishna roadshow safari? Please ring Giridhari on 07931 - 318151 if you've got what it takes.

Smaller festivals will be staged by a team from Bhaktivedanta Manor headed up by Jaigopala das. These will be for audiences of 30-80 and will take place in Bournemouth, Brighton, Exeter, Cambridge, Bedford and Reading.

Begins with Reading on May 2nd. Further information from Jaigopala on 07970-219344.

Thanks to our readers

To readers who took money boxes - Bhakta Aldo-Norwich, Kevin Stopford-Stroud, The Ray family, Indrajit and Abhijit-High Wycombe, Ahmena Rahman-Swindon, Chris Clark-Manchester, and Michelle, Marianne, Stephen, Marcus, Ralph and Chris of Cambridge. The money-boxes now have a very attractive label of Lord Chaitanya dancing on Britain with a fruit tree behind him. Drop me a line or call for yours today. Gifts received from Mark McGuire, Gavin, Emidio Milletti, Mark Sibley, Vinay Chandra, and Harpenden Christian Spiritualist Church totalled £85. Jonathan Brogan of Edinburgh began a standing order for £6 per month.

Dates for your diary

Readers are invited by devotees in Germany to attend the festivities for the Appearance of Narasingha on the weekend of May 20/21 on the Jandelsbrun farm community in Bavaria. Anyone interested?

Spiritual Master and Disciple day workshop May 27th 10am - 5pm; lunch provided. This workshop is good for you if you've ever had unanswered questions on this subject, if you want the whole thing de-mythologised, if you want to know the details; and if you think you might want to become initiated at a later date.
Speakers: Srutidharma, Sitarama, Kripamoya.
Cost: £5.00

Don't forget! Rathayatra Annual Camp at the Manor is on Saturday, 17th June. Kirtans, speakers, devotee family company. Chariot Procession through London to Trafalgar Square Sunday, June 18th. Nearest tube to start: Marble Arch. Nearest to Trafalgar Square: Strand.

Second meeting of Council

The Congregational Council met on April l' and further discussed how to increase the flow of information and the sense of connection within ISKCON. One of the many improvements required within the movement, it was felt, was to reduce the isolation felt by many people who have already read Srila Prabhupada's books but have no local meeting or contact to help them. Other gaps in ISKCON's communications with newcomers and existing members include offering better advertising and promotion of events, listening to people's needs, providing local response to requests for information or complaints, and getting more experienced devotees away from London and out to the groups! Council members then took responsibility for providing extra services to members in the counties closest to them.

Births

Congratulations to Isvara Krsna dasa and Radha Madhava Devi dasi on the birth of their daughter Kamalini in January, to Nimish and Anita Desai on the birth of their son Shyam in February and to Bhaktavatsala dasa and Veronica on the birth of their son Devaka in March. (Please send in your own happy news for announcement in the next issue)

Astrological note: There is a Grand Planetary Alignment during May 2-8. While some astrologers warn of instability in relationships, oppression by political rulers, madness and natural disasters, others say this same period can be the birth of new times for those who are on the upward path of spiritual progression. Whatever happens at this time, I ask all readers to join with those across the globe who will be using this period to make a new beginning both in their personal spiritual life and in the sharing of their spirit with others. Hare Krishna.

Along the river bank - A true story

Andy was a middle-aged man who enjoyed fishing. He would spend hours on cold weekend mornings sitting patiently on the riverbank, waiting for the elusive tug on his line. This was his meditation, and it made him very peaceful, just sitting there quietly, staring at the spot where the line disappeared under the water. Andy began thinking about the meaning of life during those quiet hours and concluded that Eastern philosophy might be worth examining. He bought a book with a funny name from a young lad selling them in the town square one lunchtime. Bhagavad gita. It was a difficult book to read, but Andy made an effort. It gave him something to think about during those hours on the riverbank and he felt sure it was improving his mind.

Then he heard about a small group of people who met every two weeks in the library. They all read this book, had discussions about it and practised meditation. He went along and surprised himself by liking it very much. He found the chanting quite intriguing and there was something about the words of this person Krishna that touched him. One nice feature of the meetings was the food at the end. Andy never thought vegetarian food could taste so good; he found the arguments for giving up meat very persuasive and, over the next few months, gradually dropped meat from his diet. He felt better for it. Andy kept up his newly acquired good habits for a long time, but there was something he really missed: fishing. Try as he might he could not free himself from the desire to catch fish - even though to do so was against everything he now believed to be true. Andy did go fishing again, and felt so bad about it that he didn't attend the meeting that week. After returning to the group and still feeling uncomfortable, Andy decided he would not attend any more meetings but would, of course, still keep up his spiritual practises.

He didn't. In fact he felt himself exposed as a hypocrite and dropped everything - his reading, chanting, and his vegetarian diet. He felt that his philosophical conviction of the existence of God was no more than a passing fancy. How could there really be a God? And especially one so personal as Krishna? Thinking like this one cool summer morning on the riverbank, Andy felt a fish take the bait. His line went taut - he pulled - his rod became an arc and he excitedly began to reel in. It felt like a big one - maybe a good size trout.

Suddenly Andy grimaced in disappointment; it was nothing more than a white plastic bag full of rubbish that had become snagged on his hook. He waded out and pulled the dripping bag from the swirling water. it was heavy, knotted at the top, and out of curiosity he brought it ashore and began to undo the knot. Something bulky was inside, rectangular and stiff. As he brought his hand out from the bag he could not believe his eyes: there in his hands was a copy of the Bhagavad gita! He blinked. Was he seeing things? Could this be happening? But it was true. In all the possible places, out of all the possible people, the Gita - Krishna himself - had found him. This was no coincidence but a genuine sign, a sign even the greatest sceptic could not ignore. Andy re-joined his local group, and in fact is now a very active member, confident that Krishna does indeed exist, and came to find him one day on the riverbank.

Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare,
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

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Page last updated 28 April, 2001
© 2001 International Society for Krishna Consciousness
Founder-Acharya His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada