ISKCON Mayapur took part in Kolkata’s annual Travel and Tourism Fair for the first time this year, setting up a large pavilion at the Swabhumi-based event from June 20th to 22nd.

The fair had been advertised widely in Kolkata’s print and visual media, and crowds flocked to see the video show and panoramic photographs of Mayapur’s scenic delights, eager to learn more about the sacred travel destination.

Many posed for snapshots with western devotees clad in Indian traditional attire. Little Radhika from Russia, draped in her mini sari, was particularly popular and became quite the celebrity.

Travel enthusiasts were excited by the Mayapur Tourism Division’s handsome discounts and tailor-made package tours for every budget. Many promised to visit, much to the delight of tour guide Ananga-Manjari Dasi. “Getting people interested in visiting Mayapur Dham is a wonderful way of sharing Krishna consciousness,” she said. “I loved demonstrating to them how unique and beautiful it is, even in comparison to so many other popular tourist destinations. And their zest for learning about Mayapur surprised me.”

Approximately one thousand brochures on Mayapur were distributed, and just as many plates of sacred food offered to Sri Sri Radha-Madhava.

On the final evening of the event, Hari Narayan Dasa and the Lotus Acrobatic Troupe performed an acrobatic show in the Swabhumi gardens, accompanied by devotional music. It quickly became the highlight of the Fair, lodging ISKCON Mayapur firmly in people’s minds as they returned home.