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The News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Tuesday, 19 August 2008

Inside ISKCON

A Learning Curve: Educational Options for ISKCON Children

By on 16 Aug 2008

When it comes to education, ISKCON has learned a lot.

In the sixties and seventies, when our society was but a tottering toddler itself, we had young children with an undeniable need: to be educated. Not even considering outside schools as an option, we began to teach them ourselves without first educating teachers.

Time to Burn: Krishna Camp Returns to the Desert

By on 16 Aug 2008

A new tradition has been born from the desert floor like a phoenix, and the fire of devotion continues to burn as Krishna Camp once again descends on Burning Man 2008, the annual festival of all things alternative, creative, and progressive, which ensues this year, as always, from the Black Rock Desert in Nevada.

ISKCON Devotee to be Featured on Primetime Reality Show

By on 16 Aug 2008

Detroit, Michigan (USA) - ISKCON devotee Saraswati Richardson will be one of three women featured on "The Secret Lives of Women," a reality television show on the Women's Entertainment cable network.  The episode with Saraswati, entitled "Extreme Beliefs," will air on  On August 19, 2008 at 10pm EST. 

Festival of the Chariots Lights Up Leicester

on 16 Aug 2008

Once again the Hindu festival of Rathayatra was celebrated in style by Leicester revelers, but with more chariots than before. Listen to find out what the festival is all about...

The annual Ratha Yatra chariot festival was bigger and better than in previous years with three sumptuously decorated chariots being wheeled from Leicester's Clocktower to Cossington Park in Belgrave.

UK Janmastami Festival Expects Record Crowds

By on 16 Aug 2008

Spritual food is the theme for this year’s annual Janmashtami festival at Bhaktivedanta Manor later this month.

The manor off Hilfield Lane in Aldenham, which boasts extensive grounds, will play host to the largest Krishna festival outside India when it stages the event on August 24 and 25.

Following the Editorial Audit Trail

By on 16 Aug 2008

In the late 1990s, a BBT conference handling questions from translators sparked a renewed interest in the history of Srila Prabhupada’s books.

To give satisfactory answers, BBT staff found they often had to go back to early manuscripts, Prabhupada’s dictated tapes, or original Sanskrit or Bengali texts.

'Children of Krishna' Organizer Passes Away

By on 11 Aug 2008

Alachua, Florida-Jahnavi Haggard, former Executive Director of Children of Krishna, a non-profit organization formed in 1996 to support second generation Krishna youth with grants for education and counseling, passed away on Saturday, August 9th, at the age of 36. She died at her home in Alachua, Florida, from a heart attack resulting from complications of her life-long struggle with diabetes.

Inking With the Supreme: Are Tattoos Taboo?

By on 9 Aug 2008

Tattoos have been inked permanently into modern culture. Walk down any busy city street and you'll spot a vast number of tattooees, ranging all the way from the young female professional with a butterfly on her shoulder blade to the wild punk rocker with hardly any space left for his white skin to shine. For some reason, having an unremovable image of a two-headed dragon eating its own face sprawled across their chest until their dying breath is an idea that appeals to a lot of people. National Geographic News reported in April 2000 that fifteen per cent of Americans were tattooed. That's around forty million people.

Now, surely a Hare Krsna devotee would be the last person you'd expect to see among those forty million, right?

Paris City Officials Support 2008 Ratha Yatra Festival

By on 9 Aug 2008

Lord Jagannath blessed the city of Paris with His Ratha Yatra festival for the eighteenth year on July 6th, 2008.

A dense maze of government beauraucracy in previous years encouraged devotees to personally approach police officers and city officials six months in advance for permission this year.

ISKCON Devotee Wins UK Recycling Award

on

UK charity ‘Food For All’ was presented with the first prize trophy at this year’s Novelis Community Recycling Project awards. The ceremony took place in central London and was attended by groups from all over the country who are pro-active in recycling.

Novelis, the largest recycler of aluminium drink cans in Europe, praised the charity's collection and distribution of fresh food from supermarkets which would otherwise be thrown away.

Kazakh's Krishna Society Threatened With New Court Cases

By on 2 Aug 2008

Immediately following the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Astana dedicated to "Transparency in the OSCE" the Kazakhstan government has begun a new attack on the embattled religious community of the Society for Krishna Consciousness.

The Karasai District Hakim, A. Musakhanov, has cancelled the license to use the buildings possessed by the Krishna Society. The deputy Hakim, M. Bigediev, has told the directors of the Krishna Society to "be ready for new court cases."

European "Kulis" Unite at Belgium's Radhadesh Castle

By on 2 Aug 2008

There’s a certain electricity in the air this weekend at the historic Radhadesh castle in the Belgian countryside. 350 first and second generation ISKCON youth and alumni from ISKCON schools, commonly known as Gurukulis, have gathered for Kuli Mela 2008. And organizers say the numbers could swell to 500 before the weekend is up.

Jamshedpur Celebrates Second Annual Ratha Yatra

By on 2 Aug 2008

This year, the city of Jamshedpur in Jharkhand, India, saw the world-famous Ratha Yatra festival parade down its streets for the second time.

The deities of Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra were as glorious and colorful as ever, blessing enthusiastic onlookers and devotees alike.

Sri Nathji: The Transcendental Cowherd Boy Goes West

By on 26 Jul 2008

Sri Nathji gazes down at the thousands of pilgrims who have decided to use their July 4th long weekend to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of his installation in New Vrindaban, West Virginia. His mischievous smile captures their hearts instantly, and as they look up at him, with his left hand raised and holding a flower symbolizing Govardhana Hill, they wonder at how “The Master of All Creation” can look just like a charming young cowherd boy.

Krishna.com's Live Help Reaches Out Over the Net

By on 26 Jul 2008

The spiritual path can be a rewarding yet difficult one. There comes a time when all of us need need a shoulder to lean on, a friendly push in the right direction, or a few strong words of encouragement. Oh, wouldn’t it be great if every time you stumbled in your faith, you could just open up your instant messenger and talk to someone would could help you right back up?

West Africa Remembers Bhakti Tirtha Swami

By on 26 Jul 2008

Disciples and admirers of the late Bhakti Tirtha Swami in Benin, Nigeria honored him with a memorial festival on June 27, the day of his passing. True to Vaishnava tradition, the event was a joyful one, attended by devotees from many countries across West Africa.

ISKCON Statement on The Love Guru Make Waves

By on 26 Jul 2008

Its official: Mike Myers’s raunchy take on Eastern spirituality, The Love Guru, has some seriously bad box-office karma. Although the film was accused of being anti-Hindu even before its release, the poor ticket sales seem to have more to do with the lowbrow jokes and tired bathroom humor than religious insensitivity.

Manor's Cow Carnival Thrills Crowds

on 26 Jul 2008

A celebration of all things bovine is underway as part of Britain's first ever cow carnival.

The event, organised to celebrate the cow and everything associated with the animal, is being held at Bhaktivedanta Manor, in Letchmore Heath, this afternoon.

The Highlight of Llama Fest? Llamas, of Course

By for on 26 Jul 2008

SPANISH FORK — Llamas are native to lands far from where Hinduism originated, but in these docile creatures, Charu Das sees an exemplary adherence to one of the main tenants of his faith: tolerance.

"There's only so much you can do about your environment," said Das, 61, who manages the Hare Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork. "We can't make it dark at noon, we can't make it light at midnight. ... Our response should not always be to control nature. It's better to learn to tolerate, just like animals."

Clean Vrindavan Project to Promote Spiritual Tourism

on 26 Jul 2008

VRINDAVAN: Noted for its numerous temples, the holy land of Vrindavan in Mathura district, where Lord Krishna spent his childhood, has seen a huge increase in pilgrims and tourists in recent years.

However, over-flowing drains, strewn garbage and crowded, littered streets is what greets the thousands of pilgrims who visit this historic place every year.