FOREWORD BY ISKCON UK GOVERNING BODY COMMISSIONER 2019 was an extraordinary year, not least because it was ISKCON UK’s 50th anniversary. We all thought it would take something remarkable to top that year but lo and behold “remarkable” showed up in abundance in 2020 in the form of the pandemic that we are all still struggling to come to grips with. A key tenet of the teachings that ISKCON devotees live their lives by is that ‘nothing happens by chance’ and every action and reaction have a logical basis. Many have commented on that general principle as it relates to the pandemic with the view that the more we exploit Mother Nature and her resources, the more we will see a reaction to that exploitation. Another main focus in that regard is global warming and the connection between that dynamic and our exploitation of Mother Nature’s resources in the form of fossil fuels etc. However, with regards to the pandemic, there is increasing evidence that exploitation of animals in conjunction with general hygiene, and more specifically hygiene related to the exploitation of animals, is at least partly responsible for this pandemic. That said, whatever the cause and whatever the effect of this pandemic, we also understand that our primary business is to increase our understanding of, and deepen our personal relationship with, the Supreme Person, Sri Krishna. Arguably even more important is to make available to one and all the information and process as to how they can also do the very same.
To that end, the devotees serving at ISKCON-London have embraced all the challenges thrown at them in 2020 and have strived to maintain and even increase their efforts to make Krishna and Krishna’s service available to Londoners and beyond. Such efforts included: The temple being open for public darshan two days a week Book distribution going on with great enthusiasm via daily calling parties and books being posted out. Street book distribution has taken place whenever the Government rules allowed Online preaching programmes on social media and Zoom A range of courses being delivered virtually via the London College of Vedic Studies Mentorship sangas continuing to take place online. This is a clear affirmation that no matter what the material circumstances might be, Krishna consciousness can never be checked. Wishing one and all a gloriously Krishna conscious 2021 and looking forward to seeing ever-increasing numbers joining the ISKCON-London family during this coming year! Your servant,
Praghosa dasa UK Governing Body Commissioner
FOREWORD BY ISKCON-LONDON TEMPLE PRESIDENT For many of us, 2020 has been a very challenging year. We have lost family or loved ones, close friends, or even spiritual masters. As we move into 2021, it seems to be another year filled with more of the same. Krishna explains to us in Bhagavad-Gita 9.21 that this world is martya-loka - the planet of the mortals, or as Srila Prabhupada explained - the planet of death. Therefore this world is a place of challenge and difficulty. But the Lord explains that there is another realm - His divine realm, from where once we have gone, we never return. So, despite the challenges and distresses of this world, we must see every challenge or setback as an opportunity to make spiritual advancement, to embrace the teachings of the Lord and to take shelter of the Holy Name. There is no other way. Despite so many challenges in 2020, ISKCON-London managed to maintain many programmes and in some areas actually grow and develop to suit the needs of the day. For me, 2020 really showed how unstoppable Krishna
consciousness is, how much the gifts of Lord Caitanya and Srila Prabhupada are needed in the world around us, and how absolutely vital it is that we share this process of profound enlightenment and inner peace with the whole world. We offer our deepest condolences to all those who suffered loss, are facing hardship, or are suffering themselves. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and we want to know how we can serve you better. May Their Lordships always bestow the choicest blessings upon you and your loved ones. Your servant, Jai Nitai dasa Temple President and Charity Chairman
TABLE OF CONTENTS 04
DEPARTMENTAL CONTACTS
06
CHILD PROTECTION OFFICE
06
COMMUNICATIONS
09
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
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DEITY DEPARTMENT
14
FESTIVALS
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FOOD FOR LIFE
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GOVINDA’S RESTAURANT
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HARINAMA
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KIRTAN LONDON
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LONDON COLLEGE OF VEDIC STUDIES
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OUTREACH
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PROJECT GROW
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RADHA’S BOUTIQUE
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RADHA KRISHNA RECORDS
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REGIONAL
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RUSSIAN VEDIC SOCIETY
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SANKIRTAN
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SPIRITUAL MENTORSHIP SYSTEM
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VOLUNTEERING
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GIVING
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Editors: Devaki devi dasi, Padmanabha Nityananda dasa Designers: Chandra Bellamy, Krishna Lila dasa Proofreader: Darryl Biggs Main photographers: David Crick, Pitambhara Govinda dasa Thank you to everyone who contributed content.
View the online version: www.iskcon.london/annualreview/2020
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DEPARTMENTAL CONTACTS
JAI NITAI DASA
BHAVA BHAKTI DEVI DASI
DAYAL MORA DASA
MURLI MANOHARA DASA
THIRUPATI GAURANGA DASA
RADHA RAMAN DASA
ACUTYA CHARAN DASA
ADI GOPI DEVI DASI
ANTOINE BOUR
DARRYL BIGGS
DEVAKI DEVI DASI
DOYAL CAITANYA DASA
Temple President Charity Chairman Member of Management Board South Regional Coordinator UK Zonal Supervisor Mentor
Head Pujari Charity Trustee Member of Management Board Mentor
Food for Life Coordinator
Community Development Coordinator
Temple Administrator Charity Secretary / Trustee Member of Management Board South Regional Secretary Mentorship System Coordinator Mentor
Govinda’s Restaurant Manager Kitchen Manager Member of Management Board
Radha’s Boutique Manager
Volunteers Coordinator
Outreach Coordinator Men’s Ashram Leader Member of Management Board Mentor
Charity Trustee Mentor
Sankirtan Co-Leader
Festivals Coordinator Volunteers Coordinator
KAPILA MONET
KRISHNA KANTA DEVI DASI
MANJARI GOPIKA DEVI DASI
MICHELLE TCHOUKOV
NATASHA MENON
PADMANABHA NITYANANDA DASA
Radha Krishna Records Manager
Financial Controller
Food for Life Coordinator
Communications Secretary
Russian Vedic Society Coordinator
London College of Vedic Studies Coordinator
PRITESH PANDYA
PRIYA KUNDA DASA
RUPANUGA BHAKTI DASA
SYAMA GAURI DEVI DASI
SYAMA KISORA DASA
TITIKSU DASA
Child Protection Officer
Atma Lounge Manager
Atma Lounge Manager
Sankirtan Co-Leader
Temple Commander
UK Rathayatra Coordinator
Child Protection Office
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CHILD PROTECTION OFFICE ISKCON-London’s Child Protection Office is available for guidance in responding to any child abuse concerns connected with the temple. Their mission is to protect the children of Srila Prabhupada’s movement from child abuse and neglect. By doing so, the future of the movement – the children – is strengthened whilst providing an example to the world of a spiritual society that practices compassionate caring and protection.
“These children are given to us by Krishna, they are Vaishnavas and we must be very careful to protect them. These are not ordinary children, they are Vaikuntha children, and we are very fortunate we can give them chance to advance further in Krishna consciousness. That is very great responsibility, do not neglect it or be confused. Your duty is very clear.” Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Arundhati, 30th July 1972 For further details, visit the ISKCON Global Child Protection Office: www.iskconchildprotection.org
To write to our Child Protection Office: childprotection@iskcon.london You will be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
COMMUNICATIONS COMMUNICATIONS Westminster City Council’s Conference Call for Faith Organisations On Monday 20th April, Councillor Paul Swaddle, Cabinet Member for Community Services and Member of Westminster City Council held a conference call to discuss the implications of the current COVID-19 pandemic for Westminster’s faith organisations. Paul shared a summary of the sources of support available to the communities. Jai Nitai dasa and Natasha Menon attended representing the temple.
‘Someone of Soho’ Art Exhibition Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi were featured in ‘Someone of Soho’, a project by portrait photographer Richard Piercy, which focuses on people who live, work and play in Soho, an iconic square mile of Central London. In June, Richard
created an unforgettable open-air exhibition of these portraits across Soho. The exhibition took place during the first pandemic lockdown. Its purpose was to restore some humanity and positivity to the deserted streets of Soho.
Communications
Richard shares, “I photographed both Jai and Bhava for the project back in 2018. The purpose of the project was and still is to portray people from the many walks of life in the area. I’ve always believed that whilst the urban landscape may change, it’s the people that define its character. The Hare Krishna temple and its devotees make an important contribution to Soho’s character and I was delighted when Jai and Bhava agreed to take part.” Later in December, the portraits were displayed in a public access digital gallery on a series of digital light boxes on the side of the Flannels building on Oxford Street, one of Europe’s busiest shopping streets. It went live on the same day that London emerged from the second pandemic lockdown. Its purpose was to reinforce the notion that whilst a neighbourhood’s landscape may change, its people define its character. Shoppers not only got to see the two devotee photos but also got to read ‘Hare Krishna’ written under their photos.
Mayor of London’s Remembrance Day Service
City Hall annually pays tribute to the servicemen and women who died in active service in the two World Wars. As part of the 2020 ceremony, faith representatives were invited to say a short prayer from their own tradition. ISKCON-London (representing the Hindu Forum of Britain) was invited to represent the Hindu faith through a pre-recorded
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prayer delivered by Jai Nitai dasa. This was relayed into the live stream on the event day, Friday 6th November, and also on the actual day, Wednesday 11th November.
Diwali Prayer in My Westminster Newsletter
On the occasion of Diwali, Westminster City Council included a short prayer by Jai Nitai dasa in their digital newsletter. It read, “May this Diwali offer you hope. May a clear path be lit to guide you out of the darkness. And may you and your loved ones connect with the eternal supreme flame and may the spark of that connection kindle into a deep and everlasting faith that sees you through these troubling times.”
the Communications team supported various ISKCONLondon departments to bring to the community a range of opportunities to stay digitally connected with the temple during these challenging times. Community members can get their daily spiritual boost through live daily arati and darshan, japa sessions, scriptural reading sessions with the resident monks, and courses with London College of Vedic Studies. Visit www.iskcon.london/ staying-connected for details.
Increased Usage of My Temple Connect London App
Department for Transport’s Diwali Event
With the idea of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, the Department for Transport organised a virtual Diwali event on Monday 16th November. During the event, Vamsidhari dasa gave a talk on ‘The real purpose of Diwali’, which looked at the meaning of the festival and how it can deeply contribute to our everyday lives. The talk was followed by live streaming of arati and kirtan from the temple and concluded with questions and answers.
Staying Connected with ISKCON-London During the Lockdown
With the temple largely closed during the pandemic,
The app, which includes daily darshan, information on upcoming events and courses, and an ability to make donations directly via the app, has been extremely useful for devotees especially during the lockdown period. It has had more than 1,500 downloads. During March and April, at the start of the lockdown, the app was opened and used by all users approximately 12,000 times. This represents an increase of over 300% from earlier that year. In the pipeline is a music subscription service for Radha Krishna Records and other devotional music from within the app.
Communications
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Bhakti Vision Vlog
Press Coverage The Face Magazine interviewed Jai Nitai dasa on what climate change could mean spiritually: http://bit. ly/pr-030120
A new online vlog, Bhakti Vision, was launched. Created and produced by Bhava Bhakti devi dasi, it features short videos on different topics related to Hare Krishna life, both inside and outside the temple. A new vlog is released on Tuesdays on the ISKCON-London Facebook page.
ISKCON News featured a story on the virtual Rathayatra Festival jointly-held by ISKCON Berlin, London, Radhadesh and Zurich: http://bit.ly/iskconnews-310720
Tarun Krishna dasa, founder of Project Grow, an initiative to engage community members to grow their own vegetables, was interviewed by a series of BBC Local Radio faith programmes. Food for Life was on BBC Asian Network in an exclusive interview speaking about the electric food van launch: www.iskcon.london/media/ audio/bbc-radio/bbc_asian_161220.mp3
Food for Life was also on BBC Radio London in an exclusive interview sharing their goal of distributing over 5,000 meals during Christmas to the homeless: www.iskcon.london/media/ audio/bbc-radio/bbc_london_251220.mp3
Jai Nitai dasa was invited by BBC Local Radio’s Keeping Faith programme to share his reflections as part of a series around Hindu teachings and the COVID-19 pandemic: www.iskcon.london/media/audio/bbc-radio/ bbc_radio_300520.mp3
ISKCON News featured a story on Food for Life and Govinda’s Restaurant’s launch of the UK’s first 100% electric food van: https://bit.ly/iskconnews-070121 The latest press and media articles featuring ISKCON-London: www.iskcon.london/medias/press-and-media
Community Development
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COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Krishna Club
K
rishna Club started its second year in January. An addition to the classes, which take place on Sunday afternoons, was a monthly yoga session facilitated by qualified yoga practitioner Amanda Teeha and assisted by Jigna Chauhan. The fun and interactive sessions were intertwined with Krishna conscious story-telling. Following temple closure after the Government announced its lockdown measures, Krishna Club sessions were cancelled for the rest of the year. To keep the Krishna Club children engaged, the teachers gave them regular activities to do at home including craft activities such as making their own Rath cart for Lord Jagannatha, Lord Baladeva and Subhadra Devi, learning slokas from Bhagavad-Gita, and personal writing exercises. They also received daily activities to engage in during the month of Kartik.
Lockdown Activities
As an offering to the members of the community to keep them enlivened whilst the temple was closed, two online programmes were set up by members of the Community Development Team: Nectar of Instruction Online Reading Group Siddarth Vachhani facilitated an active reading group on Sunday mornings based on The Nectar of Instruction. The participants share their understanding, realisations and questions whilst going through each verse of the book. By slowly and steadily reading Srila Prabhupada’s commentaries, the group has been able to unpack the book and see it from new angles of vision. Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara Japa Sanga Since the end of March, Devaki devi dasi facilitated an online japa sanga on Zoom which took place from 6.00pm to 6.40pm every evening. At the start of each session, there are prayers for those who have been affected by COVID-19 or another illness, or who have sadly passed away. This is followed by a short reading about the
Holy Names and then 30 minutes of group japa. Afterwards, devotees share realisations on the sanga’s WhatsApp group. In November, the japa sanga introduced daily morning japa sessions from 5.00am to 7.00am. Devotees find the japa sessions a nourishing part of their daily schedule and many have said how it has helped them improve the quality of their japa.
“
I couldn’t join the chanting group since two days and felt that something inside me was really missing this beautiful association. Feel that my battery recharged today. Thank you for this amazing group that helps keeps us inspired and charged up. Japa Sanga participant
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Thank you for all your association. I feel this sanga is my backbone for this lockdown time. Thank you.
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Japa Sanga participant
Community Development
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Krishna in Vrindavana Virtual Retreat
Every year, the Mentorship Retreat Team organises a summer retreat. Due to the pandemic, this was not possible in 2020 but that did not hold back the spirit of offering something to the community. Over the summer Bank Holiday weekend, on Saturday 29th and Sunday 30th August, devotees were transported to the holy land of Vrindavana with the temple’s very first virtual retreat. Sessions were led by Sacinandana Swami, Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, Urmila devi dasi, Amarendra dasa and Bhuta Bhavana dasa on Lord Krishna’s pastimes. The nectar-filled weekend event was attended by over 300 participants. Both days ended with kirtan and live darshan of Their Lordships. Watch the classes: https://bit.ly/krishnainvrindavan-playlist
Krishna: The Darling of Vrindavana Virtual Retreat
After the success of the first virtual retreat, during the weekend of 21st and 22nd November in the auspicious month of Kartik, the Retreat Team hosted another weekend of nectar with online talks centred around the childhood pastimes of Lord Krishna. Speakers included Candramauli Swami, Janananda Goswami, Deena Bandhu dasa, Mahatma dasa, Amarendra dasa and Sutapa dasa. Over 300 attendees relished the different encounters of the Lord as the Darling of Vrindavana. Each day ended with a live darshan of Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara and the singing of the Damodarastakam prayers. Watch the classes: https://bit.ly/krishnadarlingofvrindavan-playlist Both retreats were a joint team collaboration organised by Radha Govinda dasa, Hema Shah, Mahaprabhu dasa, Natasha Menon, Siddarth Vachhani and the London College of Vedic Studies team.
Community Development
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London Mellows 2020: A Global Offering of Love for Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara
On Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th June, the London Mellows annual kirtan weekend took place online. It was an amazing and uplifting weekend of kirtans by kirtaneers from across the globe for the pleasure of Their Lordships and the global Vaishnava audience. World-renowned kirtaneers performed throughout the event, including Sacinandana Swami and Kadamba Kanana Swami from Europe, and Acyuta Gopi devi dasi, Amala Harinam dasa, Gaura Vani dasa and Nadiya Mani devi dasi from North America. International kirtan groups Kirtan Dubai and Vrindavana 24 Hour Kirtan Mandali also joined in, as well as regular contributors to local mantra music projects and festivals including Abishek Singh, Ananda Monet, Caitanya Cintamani devi dasi, Kishori Jani, Radhika Ranjana dasa and Sri Prahlada dasa. Many other seasoned kirtan artists and talented performers also came together via the online streaming. Listen to the playlist: https://bit.ly/ldnmellows2020-playlist
“ On behalf of our London Mellows 2020
team, I am ever so grateful to all the wonderful kirtaneers from across the globe for making this year’s offering possible to Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. Although it was our first online event, everyone was extremely excited knowing that the kirtans were being played live in the temple to the Deities directly! It was truly a global offering and we cannot wait to see everyone next year! Gopibhava devi dasi, Event organiser
”
Team Update
Devaki devi dasi stepped down as CDT Coordinator in early 2020 after seven years in the role. She still continues to be actively involved with the team. Darryl Biggs has been appointed as the new CDT Coordinator.
Deity Department
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DEITY DEPARTMENT The lockdown impacted on the Deity Department quite significantly. Prior to the lockdown, 90% of Deity services were done by community members living outside. Now temple residents, which included seven brahmanas, had to cover all services that would normally be done by over 50 devotees during a given week. With guidance from the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, the worship continued with some adjustments made as a result of the lockdown and the shortage of pujaris. These adjustments were reviewed regularly as new Government guidelines were released. From August, garland-makers and flower arrangers were allowed to use the nearby temple office space to make Deity garlands and altar decorations for festivals. With the pujari rooms still off limits to outside devotees, Head Pujari Murli Manohara dasa also allowed pujaris to make bhoga offerings in their homes and bring to the temple for offering during the festivals. From October, community members were welcome to come back to the pujari rooms on Sundays to render a range of services from offering arati, cooking, dressing, transfers service, etc. Garlandmaking took place on both Saturdays and Sundays in the nearby temple office. Coming back for services was temporary with the Government announcing new lockdown measures starting from Thursday 5th November and lasting for one month. However, once these lockdown measures ended, devotees were pleased to resume their service again.
“ Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara remained ever-smiling.
After all, They are the controllers of London and the universe beyond. All was going on under Their divine direction. The plans of the Lord are beyond even the greatest of philosophers, as such it was a time for reflection and prayer. Is this an indication of worse situations to come? Whatever we are destined to experience, the devotees will continue serving the Lord and singing the Lord’s glories. Murli Manohara dasa, Head Pujari
”
Deity Department
Ahimsa Milk
The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation started delivering 80 litres of milk per week to use in the bhoga offerings cooked for Their Lordships, such as Their mangal sweets. This means that along with the milk bought from Bhaktivedanta Manor, all of Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara’s liquid milk needs are now being met by milk from protected cows. This is a wonderful achievement. The move to ahimsa costs ISKCON-London an extra £15,000 each year. To sponsor ahimsa milk for Their Lordships, please visit: www.iskcon.london/donate/deity-worship
Lord Jagannatha’s Mercy
Although Snanayatra and London Rathayatra were sadly cancelled in 2020, this didn’t stop the pujaris decorating Their Lordships with extra flower garlands and dressing Them beautifully on the days that the festivals would have taken place. Vimala devi dasi also cooked extra preparations on these days.
Radhastami Flower Outfit
Due to the lockdown, practical considerations meant that it was sadly not possible to offer flower outfits to all Their Lordships for Radhastami. Instead, in the morning of Radhastami, a new outfit was offered to Their Lordships. In the afternoon, when the temple opened for darshan, Srimati Radharani was offered a beautiful flower outfit and a fresh set of garlands and flower jewellery. The outfit was made by Arcana devi dasi and her small team in the Haveli at Bhaktivedanta Manor.
Pushpa Abhishek
Their Lordships still got a full Pushpa Abhishek on Their 51st anniversary, albeit with a small physical audience with only the temple residents present, and members of the community watching online. It took place in the morning of Sunday 20th December. 8,000 beautiful roses of a variety of colours were kindly sponsored for the abhishek by Gopal Dave and family from Kenya. Petals from the roses were picked by a small number of volunteers the day before in the Temple Room.
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Festivals
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fter Gaura Purnima festival, the global pandemic and Government measures meant that the way festivals were celebrated for the rest of the year had changed.
Until July, the temple was closed which meant that the public could not visit during Ramanavami and Nrsimha Caturdasi festival days. London Snanayatra and Rathayatra festivals were also cancelled. From July, the temple opened on Sundays and festival days for ‘darshan only’ during specific hours, in what became known as Darshan Days. Mahaprasadam was distributed to guests during each Darshan Day. Festivities such as abhishek, kirtan and special morning class still took place but this could only be attended by temple residents due to social distancing measures. Takeaway feasts, prepared by a team of community members, resumed from Janmastami onwards. During the month of Kartik, the Darshan Days extended to Wednesday evenings. Devotees had the opportunity to offer a ghee lamp to Their Lordships.
“ The year 2020! What
a year it was! Full of challenges and real tests in our dedication to Their Lordships and serving the community. After Gaura Purnima, Balarama Jayanti was the first festival open for public darshan since the start of the lockdown. I was surprised and amazed to see lots of volunteers coming forward to assist with the Darshan Days which turned out to be a great success. Despite all the challenges, the volunteers and the devotees coming for darshan were all blissful.
”
Doyal Caitanya dasa, Festivals Coordinator
Festivals
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‘Spirit of Rathayatra’ Virtual Festival On Saturday 18th July, as Rathayatra festivals were cancelled in cities across Europe due to large public gatherings not being allowed, a unique virtual Rathayatra festival was jointly hosted by ISKCON Berlin, ISKCON-London, Radhadesh (Belgium) and ISKCON Zurich. The festival included Deity darshans, guided meditations, kirtan, and talks with special speakers.
“ Through this virtual festival, our goal is to give our respective communities the chance to
celebrate Rathayatra, at least within their hearts, guided through katha and kirtan. We also want to showcase a new level of European collaboration by co-hosting this festival with four temples.
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Sadasiva dasa, Temple President, ISKCON Berlin
Food for Life
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FOOD FOR LIFE Serving the Homeless During the Pandemic Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the Food for Life (FFL) team were committed to their core values of serving the homeless and upholding Srila Prabhupada’s vision that no person within a ten-mile radius of our temples should go hungry. They were painfully aware that other food charities had stopped their service and if they followed suit, the homeless would go hungry. Thus, FFL volunteers channelled their efforts and energy to ensuring the service continued within legal boundaries whilst ensuring front line volunteers were not exposed to any risk. Once given permission to continue the service from the Temple Leaders Council and Westminster Council, the team started the process of arranging space to cook, volunteers to cook and distribute the prasadam, and a process to accept donations. Parasuram dasa, manager of the Food for All project, kindly offered the use of their kitchen in Krishna Castle in Holborn and their ingredients. There were also a number of kind supporters who donated both money and ingredients used to cook the prasadam. FFL also received a £11,000 grant from City Bridge Trust.
“ The homeless are extremely
grateful for Food for Life’s services as most of the other charitable groups and organisations have ceased to continue serving during this period which has meant that a lot of them would have potentially been left with no food and gone hungry had the Food for Life team not continued to keep operating during this crucial time.” Rahul Singh, Food for Life volunteer
Food for Life
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With the various sources of support, FFL were able to not only provide free food during the pandemic but they also provided hand sanitisers and hygiene packs. Sleeping bags and specific items of clothing were also provided at the request of some of the more vulnerable homeless people. Many volunteers contributed to the successful operation of FFL’s service during the pandemic. They were engaged in organising various aspects, bringing in donations, cooking, packing and serving the prasadam. FFL would like to give special thanks to Parasuram dasa, and all the volunteers, donors and community members who pulled together so nicely to ensure the FFL service continued to run during this very critical and uncertain period. Without their support, many hundreds of people would not have been fed their daily meal and would not b e receiving Krishna’s mercy in the form of prasadam. If you would like to donate or volunteer for Food for Life, please email: info@foodforlifelondon.co.uk
Launch of New Electric Food Distribution Van
FFL marked a milestone in December by introducing the UK’s first fully electric zero emissions food distribution van to serve Londoners. Thanks to the efforts of the ISKCON-London community, the team are now able to serve fresh and hot nutritious meals to hundreds of people in an environmentally-friendly way. The van was unveiled at a virtual launch event on Sunday 20th December, which also marked the 51st installation anniversary of Their Lordships Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara. The event was hosted by Maria Karelina and Rahul Singh. It included a Vedic ceremony, and interviews with the Temple President Jai Nitai dasa, Govinda’s Restaurant Manager Thirupati Gauranga dasa, FFL Coordinator Acyuta Charan dasa, and the Project Lead Rajiv Nandha. Special guests who joined virtually, including Indradyumna Swami, Sacinandana Swami, Bhakti Rasamrita Swami, and Deputy Mayor of London Rajesh Agrawal, all shared their messages of support.
Food for Life
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Being inspired by “ Shyamasundar dasa’s
Chasing Rhino’s book, we decided to aim high and capture the rhino in the form of the UK’s first electric food van in service of the movement. Over 350 fundraisers walked and chanted the Hare Krishna mantra in the streets of London in 2019, and over 1,000 people from various backgrounds donated to the cause. It required a lot of time to obtain the van as a fully electric food van has never been manufactured before in the UK.
The van has received widespread praise for the design. The project team worked with designers Jagannath Sharan dasa, Henna Limbacia, Shyl Patel, and Ambika Design. One side of the van features the iconic London skyline, with a lotus flower representing ISKCON-London’s contribution of Krishna consciousness in the city. The back of the van contains the Maha Mantra and imagery based on the temple’s own harinama devotees. The other side shows Lord Krishna with a cow, representing ISKCON-London’s transition to Ahimsa milk, and a beautiful painting of Srimati Radharani. On the front of the van is Jagannatha, Baladeva and Subhadra Devi. As part of the launch, the team also served thousands of free meals over 10 days across 10 miles during the Christmas period.
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Rajiv Nandha, Project Lead
www.facebook.com/FoodForLifeLondon
www.instagram.com/foodforlifelondon
info@foodforlifelondon.co.uk
Govinda’s Restaurant
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GOVINDA’S RESTAURANT Govinda’s Restaurant was unfortunately closed for the majority of 2020 due to the pandemic. Where Government guidelines have allowed and where viable, the restaurant opened for indoor eating and takeaways, with social distancing measures in place. The restaurant also took the opportunity to register with a number of online food delivery services including Just Eat.
Marketing
Jagannath Sharan dasa has been working with Govinda’s Restaurant management and members of the Communications team to design a fresh new website for Govinda’s Restaurant. Its launch has been postponed due to the pandemic but is due to be launched in 2021.
Restaurant Award
Govinda’s Restaurant was awarded a Recommendation badge by Restaurant Guru based on its visitors’ online reviews.
Absolutely “loved the
atmosphere of the restaurant and the wide variety of dishes they had. The paneer was the best and the lassi was amazing. They also have vegan options so it worked well with all the friends.
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Customer feedback on Tripadvisor.com
Govinda’s Restaurant regularly in Soho. It serves the “bestI visit vegetarian food in the UK. The staff are super calm and
friendly and I always find peace and satisfaction by eating in this restaurant. They cater for both vegetarians and vegans. Everything from the thali to drinks to cakes taste awesome!
Customer feedback on Tripadvisor.com
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Govinda’s Restaurant
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New Electric Food Van
The new 100% electric food van will be jointly used by Food for Life and Govinda’s Restaurant. The restaurant is enthusiastic about the possibilities that will open up for food distribution to the public by being able to now take Govinda’s on the road anywhere.
The new van will help Govinda’s to expand, to reach more locations to “ distribute sanctified food. We plan to visit festivals, markets, Rathayatras, and even give people the option to rent for special occasions. The van is equipped with a fitted kitchen, full-size fridge, cooking facilities, and it even has two hatches from which food will be served. As well as Govinda’s famous thali, we also plan to serve dosas and pancakes.
Thirupati Gauranga dasa, Govinda’s Restaurant Manager
For catering enquiries:
www.facebook.com/govindaslondon
”
govindas@iskcon.london
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Harinama
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COMMUNICATIONS HARINAMA
T
he COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant rules and regulations set by the Government meant that harinama – which is usually a lively daily occurrence in the streets of central London, bringing transcendental joy to devotees and passers-by alike – was severely impacted. Here are some pictures from the harinamas that took place up to and including Gaura Purnima before the lockdown measures.
Kirtan London
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KIRTAN LONDON Kirtan London is a collaborative outreach project sharing kirtan and bhakti-yoga practices with Londoners, supported by both ISKCON-London and Bhaktivedanta Manor. 2020 was an extremely unusual year but this did not stop the team from continuing and growing their service to the wider public and cultivating their community. Before the first lockdown hit, the team had hosted 10 beautiful Mantra Lounge events in Neal’s Yard, organised a day retreat for 35 guests at Bhaktivedanta Manor with Sacinandana Swami, and started a book club with a group of regulars. When the lockdown started, Kirtan London shifted all events online. The enthusiastic team engaged in supporting the community through difficult times with daily kirtans, Mantra Lounge programmes,
Meditation: Kirtan London Live Volume 1’. During August and September, as the Government lockdown restrictions eased, Kirtan London had four lively Kirtan in the Park events in Hampstead Heath with lots of eager participants and passersby happily chanting Hare Krishna and dancing around the kirtan group.
Radhika Ranjana dasa also hosted several soldout meditation events at the OmNom Restaurant and online collaborative events with other kirtan communities around the world. A small group of regular guests and team members managed to take a trip to the Ahimsa farm and spent the day in the company of the beautiful cows there.
Wisdom Wednesdays, bhakti interviews, meditation sessions, sangas, and sharing spiritual stories and talks on Instagram, Facebook and Zoom. They also released a live kirtan album titled ‘Mantra Music
Kirtan London
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As the lockdown restrictions started to tighten up again, Kirtan London hosted a six-week online course with Mahatma dasa titled ‘Take Your Mantra Deeper’ which took 19 participants on a journey of self-discovery, exploring bhakti wisdom and inspiring them to take up daily chanting. A special winter kirtan was organised on Zoom, themed around the spirit of giving and compassion, which collected donations for Food for Life. In 2020, Kirtan London’s Instagram following doubled from 3,000 to nearly 6,000 followers due to increased social media presence during the pandemic and more people turning to kirtan during difficult times. In December, the team started a social media campaign for a 31-day Mantra Challenge and had an incredible 140 sign-ups to chant with them daily for the month of January 2021.
KIRTAN LONDON www.facebook.com/kirtanlondon www.instagram.com/kirtanlondon www.kirtanlondon.com info@kirtanlondon.com
MANTRA LOUNGE www.facebook.com/mantraloungelondon www.instagram.com/mantraloungeuk info.mantralounge@gmail.com
London College of Vedic Studies
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LONDON COLLEGE OF VEDIC STUDIES The London College of Vedic Studies (LCVS) was pleased to offer a wide range of educational courses, seminars and workshops, including a number of free online seminars during the lockdown, aimed at providing spiritual guidance and inspiring newcomers on the journey of self-discovery. In 2020, there were 30 courses with a range of international speakers. Below are some of the highlights from 2020:
Bhakti Sastri Certificate Ceremony
During the Gaura Purnima festival, which took place just before the lockdown, LCVS arranged a certificate ceremony in the Temple Room for the Bhakti Sastri graduates from the 2018-19 cohort. ISKCONLondon’s Head Pujari, Murli Manohara dasa, who is one of the Bhakti Sastri teachers, presented the students with their certificate. A total of 11 students graduated.
Online Courses
To keep the community spiritually inspired during the lockdown, LCVS introduced for the first time, free online courses between April and August. The online courses took place via Zoom and Facebook Live and helped many people who were
unable to leave their homes due to the lockdown to reconnect to spiritual classes and Vedic wisdom. The sessions were wellreceived and had participants from far and wide. Watch the free seminars on the LCVS YouTube page: http://bit.ly/lcvs-youtube
Free Yoga Classes on Instagram
In August, LCVS introduced free live yoga classes on Saturday mornings with qualified yoga teachers, Amanda Teeha and Sophie Georgiou. Both yoga teachers are ISKCON-London community members and are in Bhava Bhakti devi dasi’s mentorship group.
Self-Study Courses Launched on Udemy
In November, LCVS launched three self-study online courses on the Udemy website - Introductory Mrdanga Drum course, Home Deity Worship course, and How to
London College of Vedic Studies
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Worship Tulasi at Home course. Students can study from the comfort of their own home and in their own time with these pre-recorded classes. Over 60 students from over 14 countries signed up to these courses by the end of December showing a great amount of interest. More courses are planned for 2021 including a Harmonium course. The launch was possible due to the hard work of Krishna Lila dasa and Jai Nitai dasa in creating the videos and promotional material. View the LCVS Udemy courses: http://bit.ly/lcvs-udemy
Some of the Courses Delivered in 2020 Unlock the Mysteries of the Bhagavad-Gita with Dayal Mora dasa. An introductory course exploring the Bhagavad-Gita, discussing the soul, karma, reincarnation, and the benefits of bhakti-yoga.
Secrets of the Vedic Universe with Radha Mohan dasa. A detailed look at the Vedic perspective of the Universe, creation in the Vedic texts, and astronomy.
Home Deity Worship with Murli Manohara dasa. Over 65 eager participants took part. As well as from the UK, there were participants from the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland and the USA.
LCVS was pleased to offer for the first time an online Bhakti Sastri course in 2020, attracting 40 participants including from Hungary, India and Lithuania. This year-long course offers an indepth study of four key texts - the Bhagavad-Gita, Sri Isopanisad, The Nectar of Instruction, and The Nectar of Devotion.
Overview of the Bhagavad-Gita with Jai Nitai dasa. Six sessions looking at the key themes and messages within each of the 18 chapters of the Bhagavad-Gita. Importance, Care and Worship of Srimati Tulasi Devi with Jaga Mohini devi dasi. Over 70 participants joined from Finland, India, Norway, South Africa and the UK.
LCVS Marketing Material
An important aspect to advertising the LCVS courses is the marketing material. Throughout 2020, all the LCVS posters, social media posts and promotional videos have been expertly designed and created by Nelly Guseynova. LCVS is appreciative of all the creative work that has been produced and the support given throughout the year.
www.iskcon.london/lcvs/signup www.instagram.com/londoncvs lcvs@iskcon.london
Subscribe to the newsletter
www.facebook.com/londoncvs
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Student Feedback
“ I always struggled to study properly Srila Prabhupada’s
books. Therefore I convinced myself to attend the Bhakti Sastri course at LCVS to help me study more. I found the Bhakti Sastri course very interactive and useful in many ways learning verses, writing essays, discussions and very important association with devotees. It is definitely worth it and a once-ina-lifetime experience. Visodhani devi dasi
”
“ I attended all three parts of Murli Manohara dasa’s online
seminar on ‘How to Improve Your Chanting’. He shared his wisdom, experience and elaborately described aspects of chanting. He gave very useful insights and inspired me. Great investment during the lockdown time, highly recommended! Maxim Chernetskiy
”
“ At first I thought this might be too advanced for me (the
Siksastakam Prayers seminar by Keshav Anand dasa) but after a short while I realised I could understand. I have found this so very helpful. Especially as I really wondered why we chant and have been talking to devotees about prayer. Pure nectar. Can’t thank you enough for this service. Kelly Hendrick
”
“ This is the first time I have attended one of the LCVS courses and the course has certainly helped me tremendously in my spiritual journey. I was really impressed with the attention Jai Nitai dasa gave to the students. I look forward to learning more and most importantly applying the wisdom to my day-to-day life. Jay Lakhani
”
“ I can say hand-on-heart that this short course was brilliant.
I would recommend the course even to those who are familiar with the Bhagavad-Gita because the teacher Jai Nitai had so many wonderful insights to share about this ancient wisdom that made it relevant to what was going on in my life right now. Steven James
”
“ The online mrdanga course on Udemy is a wonderful course
and well presented by Radha Londonisvara dasa, super easy to learn and understand. It didn’t take me long to pick up the beats basically from scratch. The 6 S’s are great and I keep them in my mind every time I lead kirtan now. I am eagerly waiting for a sequel. Overall I highly recommend this course! Jasmine Jakubowski
”
Outreach
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OUTREACH 2020 started in full force with regular outreach activities such as book distribution, harinamas, university programmes and weekly gatherings, and an India bhakti retreat. But many of the plans for the year had to be put on hold from March when the pandemic hit and the Outreach team had to quickly adapt to online outreach activities and rise to this new challenge. The team have been innovative, learning new skills and introducing new ideas to reach out to newcomers with successful results.
India Bhakti Retreat
In January, the adventurous India Bhakti Retreat took place which was organised with the help of Champakalata Priya devi dasi. Dayal Mora dasa and Shyam Govinda dasa took a group of 24 people which comprised mainly of regulars from the Wisdom Wednesdays and Mantra Lounge programmes. Over sixteen days, the group visited the ISKCON Juhu temple in Mumbai, the Govardhan Eco Village just outside Mumbai, and the holy land of Sridhama Mayapur, West Bengal.
Online Programmes
The range of online programmes during the pandemic have included: Wisdom Wednesdays: an outreach programme for newcomers with Shyam Govinda dasa and special guests every Wednesday at 6.00pm on the Bhakti Yoga London Facebook page. Spiritual Technologies: a new programme introduced in 2020 for Wisdom Wednesdays regulars who are interested in deepening their commitment to bhakti-yoga. It is facilitated by Shyam Govinda dasa every Thursday at 6.30pm on the Bhakti Yoga London Facebook page. Study of the Bhagavad-Gita: a detailed study facilitated by Dayal Mora dasa every Monday to Saturday from 11.00am to 12.00pm on the ISKCON-London Facebook page. Contemplative, Reflective and Prayerful Reading of Srimad-Bhagavatam: facilitated by Syama Kisora dasa and others on Monday to Friday from 1.15pm to 2.00pm on the ISKCONLondon Facebook page. Daily Readings of Caitanya-Caritamrta: facilitated by Syama Kisora dasa and Antoine Bour every Monday to Saturday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on the ISKCON-London Facebook page. Recordings of all of these programmes are available on the respective Facebook pages.
“
The retreat allowed all participants to deepen their interest in bhakti, to daily experience ecstatic kirtans, ask questions, and profusely discuss spiritual topics. The retreat was a full-on bhakti immersion and many reported that the retreat was life-changing overall.
I join the online Wisdom Wednesdays and Spiritual Technologies every week. It brings like-minded spiritually curious folk and devotees together...Shyam Govinda dasa, who hosts the programmes, is always very inclusive and happy to be challenged and debate issues so you never feel like you can’t raise anything. Dee Welihinda
”
Outreach
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Free Spirit Sundays
During the summer, after some lockdown rules were relaxed allowing people to spend more time outdoors, the Outreach team started a new outdoor kirtan programme called ‘Free Spirit Sundays’ taking place in Soho Square Park, with social distancing measures in place. It took place on Sunday afternoons and many Wisdom Wednesdays followers took part. It quickly proved to be an attractive and inviting programme for devotees and passersby to come and join in the kirtan. Those that joined in found the Hare Krishna kirtan enchanting and meditative.
UK Padayatra
Due to COVID-19, the annual seven-day UK Padayatra event had to be cancelled. This event had been taking place annually since 2016, organised by Dayal Mora dasa and Parasuram dasa. The Padayatra team had a great alternative idea for the year and introduced one-day walks outside of London (which could technically still be considered a Padayatra according to the official ISKCON Padayatra standards) to different locations such as Dover, Eastbourne, Hastings and Hythe, and Seaford Seven Islands. These small group walks included harinama, picnic prasadam, devotee association and talks about Krishna in outstanding natural environments. They were powerful experiences for newcomers to taste the joy of devotion.
Bhagavatam Bites
During the lockdown, Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi undertook a vow to read Srimad-Bhagavatam together three times a week, at least for 30 minutes, from Cantos 1 to 12. These readings are shared live on the ISKCON-London Facebook page.
êRúMAD BHìGAVATAM Second Canto Part One
êRúMAD BHìGAVATAM Second Canto Ò Part One
RœMAD BH“GAVATAM Second Canto Part One
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupÉda
One gentleman who watched one of the readings left a comment saying he was very inspired and ordered 28 Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 2.1 books for his business clients. The books he was sent were the special 50th Anniversary edition copies with Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara on the front cover.
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupƒda
A
Translated from the original Sanskrit and explained
brilliantly by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupÉda, the most distinguished modern-day teacher
ISKCON LONDON
50th
of India's spiritual culture and philosophy.
Includes DOWNLOAD code for complimentary ebook edition
ISBN 978-91-7769-138-9
THE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
9 789177 691389
THE BHAKTIVEDANTA BOOK TRUST
Anniversary
1969 2019
His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami PrabhupÉda Founder-ìcÉrya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
For more details on outreach events:
www.facebook.com/bhaktiyogalondon
www.instagram.com/bhaktiyogalondon
byl@iskcon.london
Project Grow
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PROJECT GROW “ It is my ambition that all
devotees may remain selfindependent by producing vegetables, grains, milk, fruits, flowers, and by weaving their own cloth in handlooms. This simple life is very nice. Simple village life saves time for other engagements like chanting the Hare Krishna Maha Mantra. Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Tusta Krsna, 23rd August 1976
”
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new initiative called Project Grow was set up by Tarun Krishna dasa. This exciting project engages the ISKCON-London community in growing their own flowers, fruits and vegetables to be used for the Deity worship at the temple. It reflects one of Srila Prabhupada’s desires to use the land and promote selfsufficiency, simple living and environmentalism. Devotees have eagerly taken to this project and the team is continuing to grow. Beautiful home-grown offerings of flowers, fruits and vegetables entered the Deity Department throughout
the summer and autumn seasons. Offerings were used in Their Lordships’ garlands, the flower vases, during arati, daily worship, and decorating Their Lordships. Pujari cooks used the fruits, herbs and vegetables in the offerings for Their Lordships. Home-grown honey and pure natural rose water were also received and used for bathing Their Lordships. ISKCON-London deeply appreciates the service that the Project Grow team are rendering from their gardens and allotments. Everyone is welcome to join the team of growers and start growing for Their Lordships!
“
Of all areas that ISKCON devotees still need to make progress on, it is the production of our own food. Such production will be good for our health, will be satisfying to Krishna (that He is being offered as pure a food as possible) and will also go a long way to solving our economic challenges. So let me fall at the feet of all the wonderful devotees engaged in Project Grow - what a wonderful initiative! Praghosa dasa, UK GBC
”
www.facebook.com/iskconlondonprojectgrow
www.instagram.com/projectgrowiskconlondon
Radha’s Boutique
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RADHA’S COMMUNICATIONS BOUTIQUE
Radha’s Boutique was largely closed during the pandemic, opening for a few hours a week whenever the temple was open for public darshan so that the community could purchase devotional supplies. A long-time desire was fulfilled in August, on the auspicious day of Radhastami, when Radha’s Boutique launched its brand new online store which offers a range of spiritual books, candles, clothes, Deities, jewellery, stationary, and spiritually-inspired accessories. Radha’s Boutique is a yogic and spiritually inspired lifestyle brand, promoting fair trade, low impact on the environment, and bringing a positive change with the communities it works with in India. A 10% discount code is available on the website for first-time purchases. Special thanks to Darryl Biggs and Nik Parmar who were involved with the design and development of the new website. www.radhasboutique.london
shop@radhasboutique.london
RADHA KRISHNA RECORDS Radha Krishna Records is a not-for-profit record label run by ISKCON-London and is now in its twelfth year. In 2020, the Radha Krishna Records website was totally revamped and now features regular and exciting new content. The team also launched an exclusive product, Hi-Res Audio downloads, which is unprecedented and provides an exquisite listening experience for the connoisseur. These collections consist of recordings as close to the original studio recording as you can get.
Upcoming Album: Mantra Lounge Volume 4
During 2020, production of the eagerly anticipated Mantra Lounge Volume 4 album was the main focus in the recording studio. Some beautiful tracks have been completed by devotional artists including Ananda Monet, Asta Bria, Gaura Vani, Govinda Priya, Kal Key, Madhvi Mulji, Radha Londonisvara dasa and Radhika Ranjana dasa. The team is also working on tracks by two guest artists. The album is planned to be released in summer 2021.
“
Gaura Vani discusses his track in the upcoming album: The Sun Rises in the West (Jaya Deva Hare) is a track that features my children Kaira, Kirtan and Revati. As I received this song from an elder, I now gift it to my children. This is also a true collaboration with producer Jag. We kept one vision between us at all times. Please invite this river of mantra into your heart and watch where it carries you.
”
Radha Krishna Records
34
New Music Videos Released
2020 saw the release of two beautifully animated music videos for tracks taken from Mantra Lounge Volume 3. Music production was by Jagannatha Suta dasa and video production by Kavi Karnapura dasa.
Journey Towards Truth: Gopinatha by Asta Bria View the video: https://youtu.be/ zQEe6DG-JuI
The Ultimate Protection: Narasimha Mantra by Kishori Jani View the video: https://youtu.be/E_gg_0seQLw The video has had over 12,000 views since its release in May.
Hari Om by Jahnavi Harrison Reaches One Million Views The exceptionally popular music video ‘Hari Om’ by Jahnavi Harrison, from the album Mantra Lounge Volume 2, reached an unprecedented one million views on the Radha Krishna Records YouTube channel. View the video: https://youtu.be/3fT9k-bS_C0
Listener Feedback Radha Krishna Records received an overwhelming response from listeners worldwide who had taken solace and inspiration during the pandemic from the devotional music created by Radha Krishna Records. Here are a few of the comments: “I’ve been having anxiety each night; after playing one of your devotional albums I fell asleep feeling great peace.” Atzilleli, Mexico “Very beautiful - your voice is so peaceful - looking forward to more videos please.” Kristy Boyer, UK “Thanks so much for sharing the links to the albums! Much needed at this time indeed!” Taravali devi dasi, Australia
Follow Radha Krishna Records
www.radhakrishnarecords.com www.radhakrishnarecords.com/shop Also available on all major digital platforms including iTunes and Spotify.
www.facebook.com/Radha.Krishna.Records www.instagram.com/radha_krishna_records www.youtube.com/radhakrishnarecords rkrecords@iskcon.london
Regional
35
REGIONAL The following regional areas have regular Krishna conscious programmes taking place which are supported by ISKCONLondon. For further information, contact details for each centre can be found at the end of this section.
Atma Lounge, Folkestone
Atma Lounge facilitated a number of online programmes during the pandemic, peaking at nine programmes a week.
During the summer, they took advantage of the sunny weather and the easing of lockdown restrictions by taking kirtan out to the park, followed by sumptuous picnic prasadam.
In December, Atma Lounge was in full spirits for Srila Prabhupada’s Book Marathon, with several book tables, street sankirtana, and books flying out of the gift shop too.
Bhakti Yoga Centre, Crawley
Bhakti Yoga Centre continued their regular programmes online during the pandemic. During the virtual Rathayatra and Janmastami festivals, local devotees helped with preparing and distributing prasadam to the local community. During Kartik, special online classes were organised, and during Diwali, the Bhakti Yoga Centre arranged for community members to receive a special decorated candle delivered to their homes.
ISKCON Brighton
The year 2020 certainly had its challenges but the Brighton community were determined to stay connected, support one another, and continue to share Krishna consciousness with others. The popular Friday night sanga continued online. Additional online programmes included a daily early morning japa group, Krishna Book reading and ‘Bhakti Chat’ sessions which provided newcomers the opportunity to ask questions. A revamped website helped newcomers join the online programmes. During the summer, a regular ‘Kirtan on the Beach’ was organised, with social distancing measures in place. It attracted many passersby to join in and hear the Holy Names. When permitted, a Saturday harinama by the seafront provided a welcome relief from the atmosphere of stress and anxiety in these troubled times.
ISKCON Canterbury
During the pandemic, ISKCON Canterbury were busy working with the Food for All team and Margate Mantra Lounge to cook and deliver over 200 free prasadam meals and meditation packs a week to those that need them in Canterbury and Margate. Special children’s meals were also available for those affected by school closures. Mantra Caitanya dasa and his wife Hema Mukhi devi dasi organised online weekly programmes on Facebook, consisting of kirtan, readings from scriptures and question and answer sessions. The popular sessions have been helpful to the community in Canterbury. There was also regular book distribution at the University of Kent – on campus, at student flats, and by inviting students to online programmes. Mantra Caitanya dasa and his student team
Regional
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enthusiastically reached out to students to give them the spiritual tools they needed not only to survive the pandemic but to thrive in it.
North Kent Sanga
When Government guidelines permitted, the North Kent Sanga met for their regular Friday evening programme at the Quakers Meeting House in Rochester, consisting of a spiritual talk and kirtan. During the summer, they organised a number of popular outdoor kirtan events, in line with social distancing guidelines, such as ‘Kirtan at the Castle’ at the Rochester Castle Gardens.
ATMA LOUNGE
ISKCON Wimbledon
Before the pandemic, ISKCON Wimbledon ran a monthly mantra meditation and Vedic philosophy workshop at Wimbledon Library. This programme was supported by the ISKCON-London Sankirtan department who would organise a full day of book distribution in Wimbledon on the day of the workshop. Since then, online programmes have been organised.
South East Regional Retreat
Due to the lockdown, the annual South East Regional Retreat, themed ‘Mahabharata,’ took place online on Zoom during the Easter Bank Holiday weekend from Saturday 11th to Monday 13th April. There were wonderful and insightful classes on the great epic, Mahabharata, from Candramauli Swami, Prahladananda Swami, Bhakti Rasayana Sagar Swami, Jai Nitai dasa, and Nitai Kirtan dasa.
BHAKTI YOGA CENTRE
www.atmalounge.com
www.facebook.com/iskconcrawley
info@atmalounge.com
info@iskconcrawley.co.uk
CANTERBURY
www.harekrishnacanterbury.com
NORTH KENT
www.iskconnorthkent.org
BRIGHTON www.harekrishnabrighton.com
WIMBLEDON
www.facebook.com/iskcon.wimbledon
www.facebook.com/canterburykrishna
www.facebook.com/northkentsanga
www.instagram.com/iskcon.wimbledon
harekrishnacanterbury@gmail.com
northkentsanga@gmail.com
wimbledon@iskcon.london
RUSSIAN VEDIC SOCIETY
During the months of January and February, Russian Vedic Society (RVS) held their weekly Bhagavad-Gita discussions in the Seminar Room, as well as participating in cooking the Sunday feast and leading kirtan in the Temple Room. There were also programmes held in the homes of RVS members. During the lockdown, RVS were very active online. There have been daily japa sessions in the morning and scriptural readings in the evenings. The weekly Sunday programme took place on Zoom, and there have been a number of additional online programmes with senior Russian-speaking devotees giving classes on various topics. In April, several devotees from RVS participated in the organisation of an online international seven-day SrimadBhagavatam reading marathon titled ‘Exit from Quarantine: Spiritual Victory in Seven Days.’ Devotees also took part in the readings and assisting with translating the lectures. The marathon was joined by thousands of participants all over the world. Many were inspired to continue to meet daily to read together. The RVS team also organised group visits to ISKCON-London for darshan during the Darshan Days.
www.facebook.com/russianvedicsociety
rvs@iskcon.london
Sankirtan
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SANKIRTAN New Sankirtan Co-Leaders
In January, Nama Sankirtan dasa left his role as Sankirtan Leader after seven years leading sankirtan services with great dedication. Temple residents, Syama Kisore dasa and Antoine Bour, were appointed the new Sankirtan Co-Leaders. They took on the service in an unprecedented and challenging year – travel restrictions and social distancing measures meant that they had to think of new ways to distribute books. However, that did not stop their determination.
Book Distribution During the Lockdown
During the lockdown, the men’s ashram arranged Bhagavad-Gita, Srimad-Bhagavatam and Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta online reading sessions. The aim was to use the time to become spiritually strong by taking more shelter of studying Srila Prabhupada’s books.
In May, the Sankirtan team organised their first Sankirtan Calling Party. This was inspired by Vaisesika dasa. It is a simple programme which involves calling the contacts the Sankirtan team have made over the years while distributing books. They ask those they call how they are and if they would be interested in receiving a Spiritual Care Package, which includes a meditation kit and a book, and if they would like to make a donation. Contacts were also invited to join online reading sessions to develop a taste for reading Srila Prabhupada’s books.
As the easing of lockdown restrictions started, Syama Kisora dasa had the idea to hold kirtan in local parks with a book table and some prasadam, sticking to social distancing guidelines but allowing the public to come and take books if they were interested.
The lockdown also gave community members new ideas on how to continue distributing Srila Prabhupada’s books while maintaining social distancing rules. Yamuna, aged five, daughter of Jagannath Sharan dasa and Vrinda Sundari devi dasi, distributed books from afar with a little book table outside her home. Nalini devi dasi distributed books by leaving them in a box outside her home with a note saying ‘Please Help Yourselves: Meditation Books.’
Gita Project
The Gita Project, coordinated by Radha dasi, distributed an incredible 33,600 books in 2020, sponsored by ISKCON-London devotees, to places including care homes, educational institutions, hospitals and prisons.
Sankirtan
39
“
There is a lot that goes on behind the scenes of placing books in organisations from the calling, labelling, packing to delivering…The volunteers are selfless devotees, many who haven’t been able to go out but by these services have placed thousands of books in many organisations.
”
Radha dasi, Gita Project Coordinator
‘Live to Give’ Srila Prabhupada Book Marathon
The UK yatra took part in the worldwide ‘Live to Give’ marathon, which aimed to distribute two million Bhagavad-Gita’s before 25th December. The UK Sankirtan Leaders decided that the scores for the 2020 marathon would be counted for the three months of October, November and December. ISKCON-London had set itself a target of distributing 5,500 Bhagavad-Gita’s.
Antoine hosted a daily Sankirtan Calling Party from 10.30am to 1.00pm on Zoom with a small but dedicated team. Syama Kisore dasa arranged book tables in Bond Street, Camden, Oxford Circus and Portobello. Individual book distributors were also distributing books in the streets either every day or a few days a week. The team beat their target of 5,500 Bhagavad-Gita’s, distributing over 7,000.
Top 10 Book Distributors During The Marathon:
1. Sankirtan Calling Party 2. Sarada devi dasi 3. Fortunate People Party 4. Vasudeva dasa 5. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi’s Mentee Group 6. Vamsidhari dasa 7. Srila Prabhupada’s Mission Ladies Group 8. Govinda’s Restaurant 9. Vayu dasa 10. Rsi Raya Gauranga dasa
Final Marathon Scores:
Over 13,000 Books Distributed 7 Sets Distributed 14,000 Book Points 50,000 Laxmi Points
The Sankirtan team would like to thank everyone who participated in book distribution throughout the year.
To get involved with sankirtan activities:
sankirtan@iskcon.london
Spiritual Mentorship System
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SPIRITUAL MENTORSHIP SYSTEM Online Meetings
Initiations
Mentorship meetings were moved online during the lockdown. They gave mentors the chance to have regular interaction with their groups without losing touch, and provided mentees with devotee association and spiritual stability at an unprecedented time of social distancing. Mentorship meetings with ashram residents continued to take place in person as they were isolating together.
The following mentees received first initiation in 2020. Due to the travel restrictions, their initiation ceremony took place via Zoom.
Jenny Yue was initiated on Sunday 30th August by Mahatma dasa. Her new name is Jayaradhe-devi dasi. Her mentors are Satya Narayan dasa and Madhvi devi dasi. Hanel Gir was initiated on Monday 30th November by BB Govinda Swami. Her new name is Maharani Radhika devi dasi. Her mentor is Bhava Bhakti devi dasi.
“
We have several classes each week via Zoom which are soul-reviving during this lockdown time. The systematic, continued study of The Nectar of Devotion, Krishna Book, selected prayers from Srimad-Bhagavatam, Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta, Suddha Bhakti Cintamani, and Venu Gita is giving devotees association, bliss and encouragement in their spiritual lives, and allowing them to go deeper in their sadhana. They have the opportunity to read, ask questions, have open discussions, etc. A special thank you to the advanced speakers who are giving the classes.
”
Chandravali devi dasi, Mentor
My mentors have been “ invaluable in my journey...
Reading Challenges
During the lockdown, several mentorship groups started reading challenges to inspire group members to connect more with Srila Prabhupada’s books. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi’s ladies mentee group read Easy Journey to Other Planets, Sri Isopanisad, The Nectar of Instruction, and Waves 1 and 2 of The Nectar of Devotion. They read a minimum of four pages a day and shared their realisations on a dedicated WhatsApp group.
I am incredibly grateful that I have had the opportunity to learn from their wealth of experience in Krishna consciousness and can never repay them for their selfless support. I felt very fortunate and humbled to be able to receive initiation.
Jayaradhe-devi dasi, Mentee
Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi’s mentee group read The Nectar of Instruction, The Nectar of Devotion, and The Science of Self Realisation by reading four pages a day.
Chandravali devi dasi’s mentee group also engaged in weekly reading of The Nectar of Devotion and Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta.
Interested in joining the mentorship system? Email:
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bhava.bhakti@iskcon.london
Volunteering
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VOLUNTEERING Volunteers have always been a valued and integral part of the ISKCON-London community, giving their time, ability and dedication to a wide variety of services that support the temple. Due to the pandemic, the subsequent closure of the temple, and lockdown measures, various services have been put on hold and many volunteers have been patiently waiting the time they can resume their services again. Other services, such as book distribution (albeit mainly done virtually) and Food for Life, have continued with great determination.
Devotional service is always ever fresh and expanding, and devotees have engaged in new service opportunities also, for example in areas such as online preaching and sangas.
In the second half of the year, the temple reopened for darshan on Wednesdays, Sundays and festival days, which engaged a team of volunteers happy to come on a regular basis to assist. In October, pujaris were allowed to come in on Sundays to serve in the Deity department.
The hope is that sometime in 2021, the temple will fully reopen and warmly welcome back the entire volunteering community who can resume their wonderful devotional services. In the meantime, the Volunteers Team have tried to extend support to volunteers and keep them spiritually inspired through regular communication. To enquire about volunteering opportunities at ISKCON-London, please contact: volunteers@iskcon.london
Become a Regular Donor
Would you like to become a regular donor at ISKCON-London and support the worship of Their Lordships and various initiatives? There are a number of different membership options, starting from only £5 a month! You have the option to pay monthly or annually.
GIVING
Sign up at www.iskcon.london/donate/ membership or via My Temple Connect London app.
• MAHA BENEFACTOR: £901 per month • BENEFACTOR: £451 per month
• MAHA PATRON: £251 per month • PATRON: £108 per month
• HALF-PATRON: £51 per month
• SUBSCRIPTION MEMBER: £25 per month • SUPPORTING MEMBER: £11 per month • MEMBER: £5 per month
Sponsor the Worship on a Special Day
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It is very kind of you to be donating... and surely Krishna will bless you for your sincerity. It is this willingness to serve which Krishna wants to see in us. We have nothing to offer Krishna because He is the proprietor of everything that be. But when He sees that a living entity is trying to serve Him, that is appreciated. Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Carl Lange, 14th November 1969
There are certain days of the year where you may desire specific blessings of Their Lordships, whether it is a birthday, a wedding anniversary, the arrival of a new baby, or the anniversary of the departure of a loved one. We have a range of opportunities to sponsor Their Lordships’ all-day worship or Their aratis, bhoga offerings, garlands, etc. on your chosen day. You can also sponsor a cake or a feast and get the devotees’ blessings too.
Sponsor Vedic Literature
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Printing Vedic literature for mass distribution was referred to by Srila Prabhupada as his “heart and soul” and he encouraged everyone to help him. You can sponsor books that the Sankirtan team will distribute on your behalf, for example in care homes, educational institutions, hospitals and prisons.
Visit www.iskcon.london/donate or My Temple Connect London app to make a sponsorship.
Sponsor a Campaign
Are you inspired to support a particular initiative, event or festival at ISKCON-London?
Visit www.iskcon.london/donate or My Temple Connect London app to see a range of opportunities.
Visit www.iskcon.london/books or My Temple Connect London app to sponsor Srila Prabhupada’s books and help spread transcendental knowledge.
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Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord’s mercy upon him. He thinks, “Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.” Therefore he is always calm, quiet and patient, despite many distressful conditions. A devotee is also always kind to everyone, even to his enemy. Nirmama means that a devotee does not attach much importance to the pains and trouble pertaining to the body because he knows perfectly well that he is not the material body. He does not identify with the body; therefore he is freed from the conception of false ego and is equipoised in happiness and distress. He is tolerant, and he is satisfied with whatever comes by the grace of the Supreme Lord. He does not endeavour much to achieve something with great difficulty; therefore he is always joyful.
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Srila Prabhupada, from purport to Bhagavad-Gita As It Is 12.13-14
DAILY SCHEDULE ARATI TIMES 04:30 05:00 07:00 08:00 12:30 16:15 19:00 21:00
DARSHAN TIMES
Mangal Arati Tulasi Arati Deity Greetings Dhoopa Arati Raj Bhoga Arati Dhoopa Arati Sundara Arati Sayana Arati
Although Their Lordships’ arati is taking place as normal as part of the Deity worship, please note ISKCON-London Radha-Krishna Temple, at the time of publication, is closed and only open for darshan during select times on Wednesdays, Sundays and festival days. Please visit www.iskcon.london for the latest information.
CLASS TIMES 07:30 Srimad-Bhagavatam / Sri Caitanya-Caritamrta At the time of publication, classes in the Temple Room are only taking place in the morning which are available to view via live broadcast. Please visit Bhakti Yoga London, ISKCON-London and London College of Vedic Studies Facebook pages for the latest information on additional online classes, programmes and courses.
These are times when items are offered for the pleasure of Their Lordships.
ISKCON-London Radha-Krishna Temple 10 Soho Street London W1D 3DL
+44 (0)20 7437 3662
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HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS FOUNDER-ACHARYA: HIS DIVINE GRACE A.C. BHAKTIVEDANTA SWAMI SRILA PRABHUPADA
