Although multimedia and the Internet are no longer new to preachers, the continued development and increased availability of digital communications is giving rise to a new surge in electronic religion.
A position is open immediately to serve ISKCON as Executive Assistant to the Minister of Communications, Anuttama Dasa. The service will be performed at the ISKCON Communications (IC) offices at the Washington, D.C. temple, in suburban Maryland, USA.
After a series of successful communication conferences in the Northern, Western and Eastern parts of India, ISKCON Communications conducted its annual "All India conference", at one of the prominent temples in South India, at Sri Radha Govinda temple, Tirupathi.
Importance of the ISKCON Strategic Planning Meetings: Anuttama Dasa
Anuttama Dasa has been a member of ISKCON’s Governing Body Commission (GBC) since 2000 and is also the Minister for ISKCON Communications. His vision for the future of ISKCON is that it will mature and grow to be a respected and influential culture and religion around the world. A valuable member of the Strategic Planning Initiatives, he is involved in both the Communications and Succession Committees
The Office of Communications for ISKCON launched its brand new website, communications.iskcon.org. The site’s main purpose is to serve as an initial touchpoint for outside parties. It allows groups such as the media, academics, neighbors and the interfaith community to find contact details for their local ISKCON communications liaison, and to get some basic information about what ISKCON is and what it does.
We live in an overcommunicated world. Good etiquette insists we reply to all text messages within 10 minutes, be mindful of the mountain of emails building up in our inbox, and unfailingly return all ‘missed calls’ on our phones.
Over thirty devotees from the UK and Ireland attended a special ISKCON National Communications Training Day at Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK.Taking part in a series of innovative and interactive workshops, the group learned about why engaging with the media matters, what makes a good news story and how compatible the worlds of spirituality and media really are.
Hasty communication can break relationships and ruin careers. Too often we write an email or send a text without double-checking the content or being mindful of the tone of the message.
The first day of the conference at Kanpur was indeed a day of inspiration and planning for the near future. Prominent ISKCON leaders addressed the audience which consisted of communication personnel from different parts of the Indian subcontinent. Devotees were also given the opportunity to give detailed reports on their communications efforts at their respective centers.
Effective communication is not easy. Communication doesn’t happen merely by our sending the right message – it happens when our message is rightly understood.
ISKCON Communications Ministry is looking back on decades of gaining support for Prabhupada’s society.
This year, ISKCON Communications Europe invites devotees from outside of Europe as well to discuss important international strategies and issues.
It was the first time Anti-Cult members have visited an ISKCON temple and did a presentation. It was held during Radhadesh’s hosting of the ISKCON Europe Communications conference. ISKCON is no stranger to the organisation. Over the years Anuttama Das, ISKCON Global Communications Director, has built a relationship with the organisation by attending conferences and speaking openly about ISKCON’s issues.
I'd like to point out an important aspect of ISKCON's interaction with anti-cult organizations, or cult-watching organizations. The goal of such dialogue is not to ascertain whether ISKCON is, or is not, a "cult."
We live in an overcommunicated world. The prevailing culture insists we reply to all text messages within 10 minutes, be mindful of the mountain of emails building up in our inbox, and religiously return random ‘missed calls’ on our phones.
Anuttama Dasa Speaks About ISKCON 50
Major newspapers and TV channels across four continents covered the 50th anniversary of ISKCON’s incorporation on 13th July with positive stories that reached out to millions of people around the world. The BBC UK, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the Chicago Tribune, the Times of India and India’s government-owned DD National TV gave extensive coverage to the history of ISKCON, the achievements of Srila Prabhupada and local events happening in their area.
The average person spends 23 days a year on the phone. Ironically, we seldom use them for the purpose they were invented – to audibly speak to people.
One of the final events of the ISKCON 50th anniversary year, the 85-minute film has been called “one of the best films ever produced about ISKCON” by the society’s Communications Minister Anuttama Das.
At the 2017 Religion Communicators Council (RCC) annual DeRose-Hinkhouse Memorial Awards ceremony in Chicago, Illinois on March 30th, ISKCON Communications won several awards for excellence in religion communications, including a Best of Class award for “The Joy of Devotion” film. “The Hare Krishnas: Celebrating 50 Years” magazine also won an award for excellence in overall design and a merit award for single-issue periodicals.
Forty communications staff will meet in Villa Vrindavana, Italy from May 13th to 16th for the European ISKCON Communications Conference. The conference will tackle several issues that are very relevant to ISKCON today. These include ISKCON and Politics, ISKCON and the Gaudiya Math, and Media and Religious Freedom.
A 10-minute video has been released about the prestigious ISKCON50 Gala event that took place in September 2016 at the Hilton Presidential Ballroom, in Washington, D.C. Over 300 people attended the event, seventy-five of them special invitees including religious leaders, religious liberty experts, members of the media, and political leaders. The video presents the highlights of the Gala, including some of the speeches and Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard's leading kirtan.
