Appointment of Global Duty Officers by the GBC
The average GBC member is now in his or her 60s, and some are in their 70s. ISKCON is an obvious need for younger generations of devotees to gradually take over the reins of the movement, and the Global Duty Officer service is one which will facilitate competent devotees to become trained and gain experience which will allow them to take up GBC service in due course.
Dedicated father and pujari Ragunath Das Zaldivar is currently celebrating an incredible 14 consecutive years of Kartik festivals at his and his wife Yamuna Devi’s home in Alachua, Florida. “People like it because of the personal, family-like environment,” Ragu says. “It’s especially nice for the kids, who can get really involved. Not everyone has home Deities, but they want to see their kids engaged in service to the Lord."
On October 16th, a well-known devotee of Krishna and successful Indian businessmen Sri Nathji Das (Dr. Narendra Desai) has left his body at the age 76 due to heart failure while traveling in Bhutan. The Executive Committee of ISKCON Governing Body Commission has expressed their greatest appraciation for him in a statement.
Back with new album K 2.0 and touring the U.S. for the first time in seventeen years, British rock band Kula Shaker are concluding a euphoric set of hits at New York City’s Rough Trade venue the same way they always do: with “Govinda.” “Govinda Jaya Jaya, Gopala Jaya Jaya, Radharamana Hari…” The crowd roars along as lead singer Crispian Mills beckons them to chant with esoteric hand guestures, then punches the air as his electric guitar surges back into the mix.
On Saturday October 8th, at Washington’s famed Lincoln Memorial, at the site of one of America’s most famous landmarks, an event never seen before on this scale in Washington will take place. Chant4Change will focus on the performances of dozens of musicians, from a variety of religious and spiritual traditions, who will join together for a day and evening of music calling out to the Divine in chant, prayer, and song. To celebrate the event, H.H. the Dalai Lama also sent a message.
Over 300 people attended the Gala event, seventy-five of them special VIP invitees including religious leaders, media, government representatives and political leaders.
Radha Damodar Das, One of the First Devotees in the Soviet Union passed away on September 3rd evening succumbing to lung cancer. ISKCON Communications Director Anuttama Dasa remembers: "Radha Damodara prabhu was a true, humble and dedicated servant of his guru maharaja and Srila Prabhupada. Despite the dangers and troubles of being a Krishna devotee in the early years in Russia, Radha Damodara was fully committed to Lord Caitanya's mission."
In May 1983, Radha Damodara was arrested and imprisoned for his faith. While in prison, he had to work in dangerous conditions, which included using a poisonous glue. He also suffered from malnutrition. Nevertheless, Radha Damodar continued to follow the principles of Krishna Consciousness and to preach. His health suffered, especially his lungs. Today, it is the lungs that have been affected by a dangerous disease.
Growing every year in size and popularity under a second generation team, Toronto Rathayatra has inspired younger devotees to take on more and more leadership in their community, and senior devotees to hand more and more to them. Today, the festival is put on by thirty-two younger devotees from high school kids to thirty-somethings, heading up twenty different departments.
"His Holiness Krishna Das Swami's life reads like a story from the scriptures, much like his glorious departure from this world." The Executive Commitee of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission has issued a following statement appreciating the service of Krishna Das Swami, who has recently passed away in Vrindavan.
On the eve of Saturday 2nd July in the outskirts of London, a cast and crew of 65 young people who are part of an upcoming performing arts group known as "Something Spiritual", came together to put on a spectacular production depicting the life and struggles of Srila Prabhupada. It was a night that captured hearts, moved people to tears and transformed the lives of many.
The book is an account of painful experiences of the first attempt to spread Krishna consciousness in the USSR, which was Srila Prabhupada’s desire; stories of devotees’ trials in jails and psychiatric hospitals, their encounters with the KGB, but the author Sarvabhavana Das doesn’t lack in humor when he recalls, as he puts it, “his painful but blissful past”.
The words “Kuli Mela” literally mean “celebrate community!” in Sanskrit. And the tenth anniversary of the very first Kuli Mela – coming back to New Vrindaban from June 15th to 19th --will do exactly that.
Russian devotees began their 2016 with the second annual “Our Prabhupada” festival. The first, in December 2014, saw Suresvara Das speaking about Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya. At this year’s festival from January 15th to 20th hundreds of devotees learned about Srila Prabhupada as a person from Hari Sauri Das, who personally served him for sixteen months.
