ISKCON Berlin, London, Radhadesh and Zurich Hold Joint Virtual Ratha Yatra Festival
From July 1st to 12th, ISKCON Toronto, Canada held a 12-day series of online events. More recently, on Saturday July 18th, ISKCON of Berlin, London, Radhadesh (Belgium) and Zurich jointly hosted a unique first-time European virtual collaboration festival, “Spirit of Ratha Yatra.”
The podcast boom has accelerated in the first half of 2020, perhaps partly due to the appetite for more streaming content while people stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. ISKCON devotees have also embraced the medium.
While the coronavirus is spreading throughout the world, so is kindness. Even though they are physically restricted in their movement, people find ways to reach out, express appreciation to and care for one another.
“Every year, there’s some new challenge that comes up while organizing Toronto Rathayatra, and we joke that Lord Jagannath always throws us a curveball,” says Rukmini Dasi, co-chair of the Rathayatra Committee. Little did they know, however, that 2020 would bring the ultimate curveball – a global pandemic that required people to social distance from each other and saw all gatherings and public festivities banned.
It was the Ministry of West Bengal led by the Honorable Chief Minister Sushri Mamata Bannerjee who facilitated the final journey of the vapu (body of ISKCON-guru Bhakti Charu Swami, who passed away on July 4th in Florida, back to Mayapur.
ISKCON Berlin, London, Radhadesh and Zurich are organizing the Spirit of Ratha Yatra, a unique first-time European virtual collaboration festival jointly hosted on Saturday 18th July, 11:00 - 17:00 CEST / 10:00 - 16:00 BST.
The hallmarks of ISKCON, its seven purposes were reaffirmed through a series of interviews and dialogues by the exemplary leaders of ISKCON who personify these seven purposes in their own exquisite ways. This symposium was the brainchild of a brilliant disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami who embodied Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and worked towards uniting everyone.
Food For Life Wales Director Tarakanatha Das has received a Points of Light award from the UK Prime Minister’s office. The prasadam distribution organization has distributed over 40,000 meals during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Offerings of appreciation and love have continued to pour in from ISKCON leaders, senior devotees and disciples, as well as other religious and secular leaders. Even newspapers and TV stations in India and abroad have covered Bhakti Charu Swami’s passing, demonstrating his great impact on the world.
Husband and wife Radhe Radhe Devi Dasi and Nandanandana Das, second generation devotees and disciples of Bir Krishna Goswami, are running a series of online kirtan festivals to bring devotees around the world together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When devotees at the ISKCON temple in Sydney, Australia, couldn’t organize their regular full-fledged outdoor Rathayatra festival due to COVID-19 restrictions, they decided to bring the whole city of Puri and a new custom-built chariot into their temple room for a small indoor Rathayatra.
"'My true disciple is a perfect gentleman,” Srila Prabhupada said. No one exemplified this quality more than you. Whomever spoke to you felt like the most important person in the world. Regardless of the problem or question they would bring to you, you would listen carefully and reply with wisdom, compassion and tact."
His Holiness Bhakti Charu Swami, a beloved disciple of Srila Prabhupada, GBC member, ISKCON initiating spiritual master, and Gaudiya Vaishnava sannyasi, passed away the morning of July 4th due to complications related to COVID-19. He was 74 years old.
From his earliest days as a young devotee, Maharaja had the extraordinary privilege of serving as one of Srila Prabhupada's confidential, personal servants. And ever since, His Holiness Bhakti Charu Maharaja's life has been an offering of love at the lotus feet of his spiritual master.
The ISKCON Chandradoya temple, Mayapur, will be opened for devotees, pilgrims and visitors from Sunday, 5th July onwards. However, to implement precautionary measures some restrictions have been imposed.
New Zealand has been widely praised for its aggressive response to COVID-19, aiming for an elimination strategy early on that many thought would not work. On March 25th, when the country only had 205 COVID-19 cases and no deaths, the government announced Alert Level 4 and implemented one of the strictest lockdowns in the world.
Despite cancelation due to the Coronavirus, the show still had to go on with many performances, highlights and activities being broadcast online or on TV instead. The devotees were no exception. Organisers of ‘GlastHomeBury’ made a special request for the Hare Krishnas to take part.
A new short film by Karuna Productions, released on July 1st, depicts the journey of Avelo Roy (Ajita Das), a shy, often bullied, introvert boy from Kolkata, who moves to Chicago at the age of 19, and convinces major corporate CEOs to invest in his startup. He makes his first million dollars at 22, and now, ten plus years later heads six businesses, while inspiring thousands to use their skills and passion to find their purpose in life.
Since the beginning of the global pandemic caused by COVID-19, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has been doing its part to help, worldwide. The major donor of this food has been ISKCON in India, that has served more than 50 million meals and dry good boxes through its 75+ kitchens across 22 states.
“When the lockdown started, nobody thought we could distribute books, and everybody was worried about what would happen,” says Shyama Mohini Dasi, co-sankirtan leader at ISKCON Toronto, Canada. “But Vaisesika Prabhu encouraged us to think differently, and innovate.”
Evoking a deeply affecting mixture of regret and hope, Gopagana Dasa’s new album “A Surge of Bhakti to the Heart” might be the perfect soundtrack to these difficult times for humanity.
How about some humility? How about admitting that we are not the supreme controllers, at least as of now? How about admitting that we don’t yet fully understand the mysteries of the universe.
“Gita Made Easy”, an 18-day online course designed and facilitated by Amarendra Gaura Das and Sukirti Madhavi Dasi from ISKCON Chennai started off as a course aimed at an audience of 300, ended up with 10,800 people signing up.
As ISKCON GBC member Bhakti Charu Swami struggles in the USA with COVID-19, devotees around the world are deep in prayer for his rapid recovery. Kirtan Fest Global for Bhakti Charu Swami is an opportunity to pray together.
ISKCON GBC member and initiating spiritual master Bhakti Charu Swami has tested positive for Covid-19 and is currently on ventilator, in critical condition in an intensive care unit at a hospital in Florida, USA.
