“Hare Krishna! The Mantra, The Movement and the Swami Who Started It All,” a ninety-minute documentary film about the life and achievements of ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada, will start its nationwide roll-out in the U.S. this June. The ambitious film, originally titled “Acharya” and directed by John Griesser (Yadubara Das), has been much-awaited by ISKCON devotees and congregation everywhere.
Shri Radhe, the opening track of charity kirtan album “Bhakti Without Borders,” has been listed by Yoga Journal as one of the “10 Best Yoga Tunes of the Year.” The uplifting track, by second gen devotees Madi Das and Chaytanya, appears in the major magazine’s Spotify Playlist along with Tina Malia, Simrit, Deva Premal and others.
Many of the wrongs done to women for so many years have now been corrected and ISKCON women have recovered some of their rights. Unfortunately, they have been rehabilitated only to higher or lesser degrees according to the different leaders in different places. Much is still to be done for men to fully recognize women’s dignity.
On Tuesday, March 14, 2017, the Department of Sport, Recreation and Culture of the city of Durban, South Africa, hosted a panel discussion at the prestigious Durban International Convention Centre entitled, "Healing Historic Divisions - towards racial harmony". Over 150 delegates, including city officials, political councillors and religious leaders accepted the Head's invitation to attend this important and ground-breaking event.
Often pushed by his male disciples to minimize ISKCON women’s spiritual position, Srila Prabhupada reacted, for example, in the following way: Srila Prabhupada: ‘”You dance, she dances. You sing, she sings, you cook, she cooks, there is no difference. You are the same in Krishna’s eyes.”
The Mayapuris were one of the original second generation ISKCON groups to bring Gaudiya Vaishnava kirtan to the forefront of the burgeoning mainstream kirtan scene. Since their debut, others have continued to forge the path, with Madi Das and his Bhakti Without Borders charity album winning a Grammy nomination. Inspired by Madi’s achievement, the Mayapuris hope that with their second album, they can bring kirtan further into the mainstream, to places it hasn’t been before.
“Climate change and the unjustified consumption of energy are two of the most serious issues we face today at the macro-level.”
Last week the construction of the bas-relief dedicated to the first saint of ISKCON Jayananda Thakur has been completed. The artwork is situated near the samadhi of Jayananda, on wall of the Lord Jagannatha temple complex in Mayapur. Three sections of the bas-relief depict scenes from the life of Jayananda, glorifying his outstanding contribution to the development of the mission of Lord Caitanya, and his spiritual master Srila Prabhupada’s love and gratitude to him.
On Sunday January 29th in a special program at the New Govardhana Farm in Murwillambah, Australia, Mukunda Goswami shared memories of the Mantra-Rock Dance he helped organize fifty years ago on January 29th 1967. The Mantra-Rock Dance concert was a key event in both ISKCON’s early growth and in the counterculture scene of the time, and commemorating it is an important part of ISKCON’s 50th anniversary celebrations.