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October 2000

Kirtans in the Country

Well, we managed to fit in one weekend congregational gathering this year just before the end of the summer. More than a hundred devotees got there in spite of the fuel crisis, a huge number considering what was going on all over the country in that petrol-starved week. We all took part in a lively and varied two days of thundering kirtan, classes, workshops and some great friend-making. Accomodation was simple but still great value for money; and the feasting was everything you'd expect from devotees when they get together in large numbers! If you missed it there will undoubtedly be other occasions. Until then, here are some comments from those who attended:

'Brill! It was just like finding lots of lost brothers and sisters who are all working for the same goal' - Len Wagstaff, Chelmsford. 'I would like to express how much I enjoyed the weekend. Since then I am now chanting every day two rounds. This I found difficult in past years. Also since the retreat I have tried to read the Srimad Bhagavatam, which I find heavy going'.

- Mrs. Prafula Divani, London

"Thankyou for the weekend retreat. I got a great deal out of it and really enjoyed it. The early morning kirtan and dancing in the temple were the best moments for me, followed by talking to devotees, and the very tasty prasadam. But the total experience was excellent. I did the cooking and yoga workshops and thought that they were both well presented, clear, and a lot of fun (the cooking one especially!). I have been doing the crocodile exercises every day and made subji and rice which tasted OK. It was really good to be totally immersed in Krishna activities for a whole weekend with a big group of people. It gives you a good taste and then you want more. I certainly do'.

-Peter Hayes, Cheltenham

'The old barn was transformed into a temple under the expert guidance ofDharanidhara, the devotees in the kitchen were surrendered to Pranabandhu, the head chef, (and missed all the classes to cook us the sumptuous prasadam), and I made many new friends'

- Chris Gunn, Cleveland

'A wonderful weekend'

-Clare Johnson, Wales

Tulasi finds a home in Norwich

Any readers who wear tulasi neckbeads will have heard how sacred the tulasi plant is regarded by devotees of Krishna.

Tulasi bushes, with their profusion of small dark green or sometimes purplish leaves are grown at temples where their leaves are offered on all food preparations which are placed on the main altar. Sometimes devotees even have chanting beads which are made from tulasi wood. In India, many people keep small tulasi bushes inside their homes or on a balcony. Now tulasi is growing in Norwich. "I was given some baby plants by Kanchanamayi who lives at the Manor", said Clare Tedds, "and four strong plants grew in pots in my flat. Now I have given one to Aldo who lives just down the road from me, one to Arcamurti dasi who has come to live in Norwich from Kazakhstan (!), and one to Mr.Vinay Chandra. We are all caring for tulasi very nicely and I feel having tulasi in my home has helped me in many ways with my devotional service". In the Skanda Parana it is written: If someone sows a tulasi tree somewhere, certainly he becomes devoted to Lord Krishna. Anyone who comes in touch with the tulasi tree lives eternally in the Vaikuntha world'.

Revival in Bristol

Nigel Hornsey wrote from Bristol: "Did you know that we have been out on harinam sankirtan in Bristol?

We have had four up to now lasting one and a half to two hours. We chant with instruments and give out prasadam, books and leaflets. They are very well received and we have had people take an interest". Nigel, thankyou for that; it must be said that street chanting can be pretty scary when you are doing it in your home town. You never quite know who is watching and what reaction you are provoking! But it is the yuga-dharma after all, and Srila Prabhupada said that although people would look first and think that devotees were mad, eventually they would look and see that they were happy too and want to join in! Public reaction to harinam has changed considerably over the years - devotees chanting along Dublin's O'Connell street in 1978 were arrested and charged for 'parading in offensive clothing', now they get invited to join in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade. Nigel also says that he has continued to go out on book distribution this year and his total is now an amazing 370 for this year - that's more than one book every single day!

Arjunanath and his family have now moved to a new home in Bristol and is looking forward to working more with local group members to spread the word in the city even more: Arjunanath das, Tel: 0117-958 0690.

Arjuna also runs this website and encourages all readers to visit this site and contribute to it by sending in some news if they can. It is a site just for the groups and features a map with all the current groups together with facts and addresses.

New restaurant finally opens

There was some delay, but finally the new restaurant in Swansea is open and the hungry customers are beginning to trickle in. The decor theme is old Indian temples, a theme which extends from the walls right down to the menus. If you are over that way, please call in and sample the specialities of the house:

'Govindas', 8 Craddock Street, Swansea, SAI SEN. Tel: 01792-468469.

Virgin Festival 2000

As usual, devotees came from around the country to put on a spectacular show.

This was our third festival; people are getting to know us, and every year it is getting better. A prasadam feast is served throughout the day while kirtan goes on in the tent. We are getting more and more organised. This year we brought ten trays of cake and sweets, served subji with paneer, fancy rice, poppadums and chapattis, sweet rice and juice. All our vegetables were pre-chopped at the Manor. The atmosphere was nice and many came to eat and to attend the question and answer session.

It was at night that the real action happened. The tent was literally packed with singing and dancing guests. At 11.30pm the security guards forced us to end the kirtan because all the festival-goers had to go back to their tents, located in another area of the site. The guests wouldn't leave the tent and kept shouting for more. We had to lead a massive 200-strong harinam around the site in order to get them to leave.

Another festival we visited was the 'Exodus' in Luton during September. We got there by 10am on the first day but we were in for a surprise. It was pretty wild: most of the young people were on drugs and on the second day many were being taken away in ambulances. Still, harinam and prasadam distribution went very well. We gave out around 8,000 plates. As we were leaving the site, a group of young people came to thank us: "You saved so many lives with your wonderful food. I hope you are successful on the path of enlightenment". Moments like these are what keep Krishna consciousness alive in the devotees.

- Parasurama das.

Media Bits

The Mayapura temple and devotees were featured on 'Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends' on BBC 2 on October 3rd.

The producer of this programme was surfing the waves of India's spiritual culture but didn't really go out that deep with his intellectual surfboard. It was only popular television after all. But it was good to see someone being given a tour ofISKCON's headquarters and shown how to chant japa - even if he did gently rib one of the sanyasis about his followers' adulation. One good thing about any type of exposure on the television is that there's always someone, somewhere in the country for whom even such a light-hearted television show comes as a wake-up call.

For every humorous slant on the devotees there's another production team taking them seriously. On October 12th the BBC in conjunction with the Open University, visited the Manor to film for an educational programme on the 'worship of the sacred image', or 'Deity Worship' as we say in devotional circles.

'The Legend of Bagger Vance', the film loosely based on the structure and teaching of the sacred Gita will, so we're told, be coming out in America in November. They delayed the realease to aid its chances of being in the running for next years Oscars. Anyway, devotees in the States are quietly confident that the film will promote interest in the Gita and two authors have produced works specially to coincide with the film's release. Kalakantha has written a poetry version and Satyaraja has written a book to tie in with the film which is currently being considered by a major publisher. In a real literary coup for ISKCON, the book's very friendly foreword has been written by Steven Pressfield, none-other than the author of the original 'Legend of Bagger Vance' novel.

ISKCON in America could do with some help from the media. It has not been easy for them over the past few months with the child-abuse case being filed in the court. Director of Communications Anuttama das has been interviewed many times, including on a national news show, '20/20', a cross between 'Newsnight' and 'Panorama'. In this country, the BBC 9 o' clock news had a short piece at the end of one programme. The producer of the piece, Naresh Puri, brings his mother to the Manor and took pains to point out that these incidents took place 15-20 years ago and that the high proportion of Asian members involved in ISKCON in this country have contributed to the increased sense of 'family values' in the movement.

Chanting devotees featured on a free compilation CD stuck to the cover of 'Fast Car' magazine in September. Abhimanyu and Adiguru recorded a track with a friend, a producer with his own studio.

Another True Story

Senorita Lucia Sodano is a middle-aged Spanish woman who lives in a rural part of central Spain.

She is a devout Catholic and helps in the local church by keeping the altar clean and arranging the fresh flowers you will always see in vases there. In keeping with Catholic custom the church features a three feet high statue of the young boy Jesus, his face gentle and compassionate, his head adorned by a golden crown set with jewels. Lucia loves that statue and prays often to the young Jesus. Part of her service, which she guards jealously, is to clean the velvet cape and cotton clothes of Jesus. She likes to do this personal service for Jesus and feels very satisfied in her heart when, finishing her work, she steps back to look at him standing on the altar, adorned with clean clothes, fresh flowers and softly burning candles.

She knew she should not have gone to the Krishna temple and that the priest of her church would not have liked her being there. But they seemed such friendly and happy young people and she felt herself drawn to talk to them. Then, when the curtains were drawn back revealing Krishna and Radha standing on the altar she felt a strange and unexpected familiarity, as if this was not another religion at all but an unknown form of her own. She stepped closer, drawing her breath at the sight of Krishna's beautiful clothes: beautiful cream silk, intricate embroidery, studded with small coloured stones and trimmed with lace. A strange desire grew within her and she timidly asked the question: "Could you make a set of clothes like this for Jesus in our church?" So that is why, if you go to a little rural church in central Spain, you will find Jesus dressed in beautifUl hand-sewn, delicately embroidered clothes, all the way from Vrindavan, land of Lord Krishna. But please don't tell the priest!

The Dashboard Gita

This is one of the best-known verses from the 700 that make up the Bhagavad-gita. It is one of the Lord's final instructions to his friend and disciple Arjuna, and one of the main verses that devotees learn off by heart - including the Sanskrit. Cut it out and stick it in a place where you'll see it every day. Pray to the Supersoul to award you a good memory. Use it in a conversation so you don't forget it. Impress your friends!

Sarva-dharmin parityajya
mam ekam saranam vraja
Aham tvam sarva-papebhyo
moksayisyami ma sucah

"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender to Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear".