COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER ISKCON ISKCON -- LONDON LONDON
HIGHLIGHTS JANUARY TO MARCH 2021 Temple President’s Activities Communications Festivals London College of Vedic Studies
Project Grow Radha Krishna Records Sankirtan Spiritual Mentorship System
DEPARTMENTAL CONTACTS
JAI NITAI DASA
BHAVA BHAKTI DEVI DASI Temple Administrator Charity Secretary Member of Temple Leaders Council South Regional Secretary Mentorship System Coordinator Mentor
DAYAL MORA DASA
Temple President Charity Chairman Member of Temple Leaders Council South Regional Coordinator UK Zonal Supervisor Mentor
MURLI MANOHARA DASA
DARRYL BIGGS
RADHA RAMAN DASA
ROBERT GUPTA
RUPANUGA BHAKTI DASA
THIRUPATI GAURANGA DASA
Head Pujari Mentor
Charity Trustee
Community Development Coordinator Member of Temple Leaders Council
Temple Commander Member of Temple Leaders Council
Deputy Temple President Member of Temple Leaders Council Charity Trustee Men’s Ashram Leader Mentor
Charity Trustee Mentor
Govinda’s Restaurant Manager Kitchen Manager
ACUTYA CHARAN DASA
ADI GOPI DEVI DASI
ADILBEK SARSENOV
ANTOINE BOUR
DEVAKI DEVI DASI
DOYAL CAITANYA DASA
Food for Life Coordinator
Sankirtan Co-Leader
Radha’s Boutique Manager
Volunteers Coordinator
Russian Vedic Society Coordinator
Festivals Coordinator Volunteers Coordinator
JHULAN LILA DEVI DASI Ladies Ashram Co-Leader
KAPILA MONET
Radha Krishna Records Manager
KRISHNA KANTA DEVI DASI
Food for Life Coordinator
MICHELLE TCHOUKOV Financial Controller
NATASHA MENON
Communications Secretary
PADMANABHA NITYANANDA DASA
London College of Vedic Studies Coordinator
PRITESH PANDYA
PRIYA KUNDA DASA
REBECA SMITH
SHYAM GOVINDA DASA
SYAMA GAURI DEVI DASI
SYAMA KISORA DASA
Child Protection Officer
Outreach Coordinator
TITIKSU DASA
UK Rathayatra Coordinator
Atma Lounge Manager
Atma Lounge Manager
Ladies Ashram Co-Leader
Sankirtan Co-Leader
TABLE OF CONTENTS 06.
TEMPLE PRESIDENT’S ACTIVITIES
08.
COMMUNICATIONS
09.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
11.
DEITY DEPARTMENT
13.
FESTIVALS
16.
LONDON COLLEGE OF VEDIC STUDIES
18.
OUTREACH
20.
PROJECT GROW
23.
RADHA KRISHNA RECORDS
24.
RUSSIAN VEDIC SOCIETY
24.
SANKIRTAN
28.
SPIRITUAL MENTORSHIP SYSTEM
30.
VOLUNTEERING
Editors: Devaki devi dasi, Padmanabha Nityananda dasa Designer: Krishna Lila dasa Proofreader: Darryl Biggs Official photographers: David Crick, Pitambhara Govinda dasa Thank you to everyone who contributed content. For any comments or queries on this publication, please email newsletter@iskcon.london
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“The inhabitants of Vrindavana said, “By the will of the supreme authority and according to the results of our own work, we may take our birth anywhere. It doesn’t matter where we are born, but our only prayer is that we may simply be engaged in Krishna consciousness.” A pure devotee of Lord Krishna never desires to be promoted to the heavenly planets, or even to Vaikuntha or Goloka Vrindavana, because he has no desire for his own personal satisfaction. A pure devotee regards heaven and hell to be on an equal level. Without Krishna, heaven is hell; and with Krishna, hell is heaven.”
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Srila Prabhupada, Krishna Book, Chapter 47: Delivery of the Message of Krishna to the Gopis
2021 ORGANISATIONAL CHART OF ISKCON-LONDON
TEMPLE PRESIDENT’S ACTIVITIES
Jai Nitai dasa gave a number of talks for Kingston University’s Krishna Consciousness Society (KCSOC) on Friday evenings. These outreach events were organised by Bhaktin Vrishnee and covered a wide range of topics from the Bhagavad-Gita. The students that took part were very enlivened by the talks and their testimonials can be found below:
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“I have found the ‘Thoughtful Friday’ sessions with Jai Nitai dasa really useful and I have gained lots of spiritual knowledge which feels especially important during these lockdown periods when we have time to just sit and think more deeply about life. I always look forward to the sessions with him because I find that he creates a great space for philosophical discussion whilst also keeping the talks fun and relevant to our lives as students. He has helped me to understand the setting and concepts within the Bhagavad-Gita in more detail and I always appreciate his guidance. Overall, a massive thank you to Jai for sharing spiritual wisdom with us all in such an interactive and topical way!” Ellie
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“Since last year, Jai has joined our Thoughtful Fridays sessions bringing a higher understanding of the BhagavadGita and creating a sense of community and belonging amongst us. I couldn’t stress enough how enjoyable the sessions are, with thought-provoking questions and some comical examples as well. We cannot feel time passing, and we are always left with a cliff-hanger, wanting to know more and counting the days to our next meeting. I want to use the occasion to thank the Kingston University KCSOC team for bringing those experiences and Jai for the privilege of sharing his time, knowledge and life experiences with us.” Fernanda Temple President’s Activities
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“I joined KCSOC last year in the hopes of meeting new people and because I wanted to know more about what Krishna consciousness actually means. I can tell it was by far the best decision I’ve made. Not only have I met incredible, wonderful people with beautiful souls but I’ve learnt a lot about myself and our spiritual life. I plan to never leave KCSOC as I’m always happy when we have our sessions on Friday, including eventual yoga classes and especially when Jai Nitai is speaking to us. He is absolutely amazing, very friendly, knowledgeable and makes us comfortable to ask questions and share stories relevant to the session. I finish the week feeling light and happy. One hour and a half with Jai and the KCSOC team is definitely not enough!” Marcella
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Kingston University Online Programmes
“Over the last few weeks and months we have been having sessions with Jai Nitai dasa. Sessions full of spiritual knowledge and wisdom. Whether it be looking at the five topics in the Bhagavad-Gita or going in deeper to understand the true meaning of the Bhagavad-Gita and its impact on a student’s life. We were encouraged to think about our lives and reflect deeply on why certain things happen and to see what connection it has with Krishna. I personally feel that I have a wider understanding about the world around me.” Vishal
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Below are some of the outreach activities Jai Nitai dasa engaged in between January to March.
Kings College London Virtual Faith Crawl
On Wednesday 3rd March, Jai Nitai dasa was invited to take part in a virtual faith crawl organised by Kings College London. The faith crawl took place on Microsoft Teams and explored two different faith traditions in each session. Each place of worship had 30 minutes, with a 15-minute talk giving a brief overview of their place of worship, how the faith is lived out in the community and 15 minutes to answer any questions that people may have. The participants were especially interested to hear how ISKCON-London has engaged with the community during the pandemic.
Men’s Mentorship Meetings
Jai Nitai dasa continued regularly meeting his men’s mentorship group online and providing spiritual guidance to them.
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Temple President’s Activities
COMMUNICATIONS Westminster Council holds briefings and discussions for Faith Leaders on COVID-19 safety and vaccinations
On Wednesday 13th January and Monday 18th January Westminster Council held online engagement sessions for leaders from the key faiths in the City of Westminster on COVID-19 Safety and COVID-19 vaccinatioTns with representatives from Public Health, National Institute of Health Research, Clinical Commissioning Group and officers Cllr Heather Acton, Cabinet Member for Communities and Regeneration and Cllr Ruth Bush, Chair of the Westminster Faith Exchange. Representatives from ISKCON-London joined the online sessions.
Westminster South Clergy and Community Leaders Interfaith Forum
On Tuesday 9th February, Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi attended the quarterly Interfaith Matters meeting. This meeting was opened by the reading of scriptures from the Jewish tradition based on God’s protection and shelter. The group had a short discussion on these texts and everyone shared from their own faith’s perspectives. Reverend Graham Buckle shared how his parish had coped during the pandemic and how elderly community members have had to learn new technology like Zoom in order to stay connected. Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi shared their thoughts on the COVID vaccine and how they planned to communicate about the vaccine to their community. They also shared how Brexit had affected their volunteers and community and what to expect in the coming months. A guest speaker from the Office of National Statistics was present at the meeting and spoke about the upcoming Census 2021 and what to expect from the survey. Jai Nitai dasa was called upon by the Chair of the meeting to share details about the recent new electric Food for Life van purchase and what the future plans were for the new van. He also shared some of the electric van launch photos too. ISKCON-London devotees featured in the January to February edition of Back to Godhead magazine.
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Communications
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Annual Review
The 2020 Annual Review was launched at the Gaura Purnima festival. It highlighted all the achievements made by ISKCON-London during 2020, which was an incredibly unusual and a testing year due to COVID-19. You can read the publication online via the following link: www.iskcon.london/annualreview/2020 Hard copies are available at the Temple. If you have any feedback, please email: newsletter@iskcon.london
Krishna Club
Online sessions took place on Zoom on Sundays for the Krishna Club children. The children are learning teachings from each of the chapters of the Bhagavad-Gita each week. The teachers during January to March were Vrinda Sundari devi dasi, Bhaktin Indu and Bhaktin Gayathri.
Maha Japa Yagna
A Maha Japa Yagna took place on Saturday 13th March, dedicated to Srila Jagannatha Dasa Babaji whose disappearance day was on Sunday 14th March. It was a day of chanting, reading and bhajans glorifying the Vaishnavas. The event was facilitated by the ashram with community members participating via Zoom. 9
Community Development
DEITY DEPARTMENT Extra day opened up for service by community members
From Saturday 27th February, the Deity Department allowed members of the community to come for pujari services on Saturdays. This means that both Saturdays and Sundays are now open for devotees living outside the temple to come and render pujari services. Below is a selection of special darshans outside of the usual Temple festivals.
New Year’s Day Darshan
On January 1st, Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara were offered beautiful flower crowns made out of fresh flowers as part of a special darshan.
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Deity Department
Vasant Panchami – Tuesday 16th February
Vasant Panchami marks the beginning of spring. The sastric instruction is that on the fifth day of the waxing moon, one should celebrate the arrival of spring in Vrindavana by offering many types of flowers to Krishna. Inspired by this festival which is celebrated with great beauty in ISKCON temples in India, flowers were sponsored and extra flower garlands and ornaments made for a special Vasant Panchami darshan for Their Lordships’ pleasure.
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“I feel I have received a thorough grounding in all aspects of Deity worship at home for which I’m very grateful. The course has been very educational and inspires me to try to serve my home Deities better.
The UK version of the Deity Worship at Home course, an online course facilitated by the ISKCON Deity Worship Ministry, took place over six Saturdays, from Saturday 6th February to Saturday 13th March. It provided an in-depth training covering the knowledge, skills and values required for the daily worship of Deities in one’s home and introduced participants to concepts that are applicable both in the home worship environment as well as the temple. There was a balance between the theory and practical aspects of Deity worship in the home. The necessity of cleanliness was explored as well as the transcendental nature of the Deity. Each session covered different aspects of Deity worship practices and philosophy and built upon the prior sessions. Over 50 participants took part from across the UK with a few attendees from Europe and the US.
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Deity Worship at Home Course
The course was very well organised, with experienced teachers, an intuitive easyto-use learning platform, and access to a lot of resources. It was a great mix of live sessions and independent assignments to further embed our learning. There was also opportunity to learn from other students’ experiences and insights via the interactive Facebook group.
Throughout the course, I felt wellsupported with facilitators approachable outside of the sessions should I need. The best online course I have attended by far!” Devaki devi dasi
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“The course was really well planned and lots of additional resources were available. The course was practical and easy to follow each week. The facilitators were all fantastic and answered questions on chat and were very approachable. I would recommend this course to anyone who has Deities and wants to serve Them nicely. I liked the videos showing how to wake up, drees/ bathe, and offer arati. I will be watching these a few times more to get this right.” Yashvini Saci devi dasi
“This course was very well taught and the homework was very relevant and comprehensive to the topics of Deity worship - it was fun and enjoyable too! I would recommend this course to anyone who has Deities at home because you learn so many useful practical tips and the videos were invaluable. I look forward to more courses from the Ministry of Deity Worship!” Mani Gill
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Deity Department
FESTIVALS Nityananda Trayodasi – Thursday 25th February
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Festivals
Gaura Purnima – Sunday 28th March
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Festivals
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Festivals
LONDON COLLEGE OF VEDIC STUDIES a course aimed at children called ‘Dance for Krishna Workshop’, with dance specialists from Rushee, sisters Rupal and Sheetal Maru. Both are ISKCON-London community members. They taught a number of dances including Bharatnatyam and Harinama steps.
Other Course Updates
The Bhakti Sastri students started Unit 2 in January, which involved studying chapters 7 to 12 of the Bhagavad-Gita. These classes were facilitated by temple resident Shyam Govinda dasa. After completing Unit 2 in February, the students moved onto Unit 3, which was also taught by Shyam Govinda dasa. Unit 3 involved studying the remaining chapters 13 to 18 of the Bhagavad-Gita.
Introductory Courses
The new year 2021 started with the London College of Vedic Studies (LCVS) offering a number of online courses aimed at newcomers to spirituality. The Introduction to Reincarnation course took place on Saturday 16th January with Murli Manohara dasa, who provided a fascinating discussion on ‘if there is life after death and what can determine one’s next birth’, based on knowledge from the Bhagavad-Gita. A number of real-life cases were also shared from an American scientist who has investigated over 2,000 cases of reincarnation worldwide. Several newcomers to Krishna consciousness joined this session. On Sunday 17th January, the Introduction to Bhakti Yoga course took place with Vamsi-dhari dasa and he introduced a number of newcomers to spiritual topics including the difference between the body and soul, karma, reincarnation, the power of sound, mantra meditation and the timeless knowledge from the Bhagavad-Gita. The Journey of Self Discovery course started on Saturday 27th February with Vamsi-dhari dasa. This in-depth five-week course took newcomers through an introspective journey and discussed a range of spiritual topics.
Children’s Course
In January, for the first time, the LCVS organised 16
LCVS
The Importance, Care and Worship of Tulasi Devi Workshop took place on Saturday 27th February with Jaga Mohini devi dasi, who shared lots of advice on how to look after Tulasi plants. This included what best soil and lighting to use, how to deal with pests and diseases, and why we worship Tulasi devi. The ISKCON Disciples Course started on Sunday 28th February. This four-week online course facilitated by Murli Manohara dasa deepened devotees’ understanding of guru tattva and guru padasraya within the multiple guru environment of ISKCON. Other topics included understanding the position of Srila Prabhupada as the FounderAcharya of ISKCON, what qualities to look for in a guru and the importance of working in harmony with devotees in a multi guru environment.
Two New Courses Now Available On Udemy The Udemy platform enables people to view pre-recorded courses and study in their own time. In February, two new LCVS courses were made available on Udemy: Introduction to Reincarnation and Introduction to Bhakti Yoga. View the LCVS Udemy courses at: http://bit.ly/lcvs-udemy
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OUTREACH Bhakti Yoga London
Bhakti Yoga London is an outreach initiative, run by temple residents and volunteers, for young professionals. During the lockdown, the team have utilised online platforms such as Zoom, Facebook and Instagram to continue to offer a range of exciting weekly programmes.
Wisdom Wednesdays
Wisdom Wednesdays takes place every Wednesday from 6.30pm to 8.00pm via Zoom and live on the Bhakti Yoga London Facebook page. The online programmes kicked off in January with a unique Goal Setting Workshop Series with Bhuta Bhavana dasa. Guided by wisdom found in Vedic scriptures, the workshops explored what lessons could be learnt from 2020 and offered tools to set goals for 2021. This was followed by an illuminating Spoken Word Poetry evening entitled ‘Arise’ which featured bhakti artists from the UK, South Africa and the USA. Artists and devotees came together to share poetry, inspire and uplift each other to embrace 2021. In February, to mark the 125th anniversary of Srila Prabhupada’s appearance, they invited Trai dasa, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada, for a unique Wisdom Wednesdays evening. He took the group down memory lane sharing his personal experiences with Srila Prabhupada in the 60s and 70s, when ‘Hippies turned to Happies’ upon joining the Hare Krishna movement. 18
Outreach
During March, the team organised a session with Srila Prabhupada disciple Adi Karta dasa on the topic “Staying Sane Amidst Insanity” where he explored how people could still lead a peaceful and simple life amidst challenging times. He shared his experience living in a farm community and inspired us to be more close to Mother Earth to stay calm, balanced and spiritually fit. Bhakti Yoga London celebrated International Women’s Day in style with an inspiring session where Saradiya Rasa dasi used the tale of Draupadi in the Mahabharata to help address injustices and stay free from victim-mentality and grow through our challenges. This was a truly international sanga with participants from South Africa, Sweden and Zurich. The team drew March to a close with a special session with Mahatma dasa, who enlightened everyone on how Chaitanya Mahaprabhu started the movement of chanting the Holy Names, introducing the perfect form of meditation fit for the iron age.
Spiritual Technologies
Spiritual Technologies takes place every Thursday from 6.30pm to 8.00pm via Zoom and live on the Bhakti Yoga London Facebook page. This weekly Bhagavad-Gita study group provides an intimate and safe space for those who are new to bhakti to study and understand the teachings of the Bhagavad-Gita. Shyam Govinda dasa leads the interactive sessions. This sanga creates the opportunity for like-minded individuals to come together and reflect on how the Bhagavad-Gita’s teachings should be applied to transform one’s life. If you have ever felt the Bhagavad-Gita is difficult to read and understand on your own, or wanted to read it but never got round to it, this is the perfect session for you. No question will be classed as a silly question. This will also give you the opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and reflect on how we can use Vedic teachings to transform our lives.
New Weekly Podcast ‘Redefining Spirituality’
A new podcast called ‘Redefining Spirituality’ started taking place every Friday from 6.30pm to 7.30pm via Zoom and live on the Bhakti Yoga London Facebook page. This interesting and exhilarating podcast with Syama Kisora dasa and Bhakta Keshav explores various aspects of spirituality guided by ancient Vedic texts. They have been discussing the Sri Isopanisad. The upcoming sessions aim to delve deeper into the Vedic scriptures such as Srimad-Bhagavatam to develop an understanding of the culture and practices of Bhakti Yoga.
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PROJECT GROW February saw the arrival of the first offerings of the year from Project Grow gardeners. Offerings included fragrant spring flowers such as daffodils and hyacinths which were used in Their Lordships’ worship and decorations. Carrots and rosemary were also provided which were used in the food offerings.
Offering Cards
The Project Grow team have created an offering card to be used to record the donors name and a personal message to Their Lordships alongside their garden offering. Each offering card also has a harvest date which will inform pujaris to ensure the item is used while still at its best. To obtain an electronic copy of the offering card please contact the Project Grow team.
Items Requested by the Deity Department
If you are growing this year, please consider some of the items below, as requested by the Deity Department: Fruits: All fruits are welcome, but not too ripe Herbs: Coriander, mint Vegetables: Carrots, courgettes, karela, peas, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin, sweetcorn Flowers: Roses and any scented flowers for arati
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“Our farm projects are an extremely important part of our movement. We must become self-sufficient by growing our own grains and producing our own milk, then there will be no question of poverty. So develop these farm communities as far as possible. They should be developed as an ideal society depending on natural products not industry… Therefore let everyone chant Hare Krishna, eat nicely and keep their bodies fit and healthy. This is ideal life style.” Srila Prabhupada, Letter to Rupanuga dasa, 18th December 1974
Project Grow
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Growing Calendar
A Project Grow growing calendar has been developed to help gardeners see when the right month is to sow, plant and harvest different varieties of vegetables. The items with a ‘+’ are favoured by the Deity Department and are used more often in offerings for Their Lordships. Use the calendar below to find out which months are the ideal time to sow seeds for various vegetables, when to plant the young plants outside and how long before you can harvest the crop. Do share photos of your plants and produce with the Project Grow team and bring in your vegetables and flower offerings to the Deity Department once they are ready.
Project Grow - What to grow and when - 2021 Vegetable
+
SSBSO SOvFFD
Artichoke Globe
3-4
6-8B
Aubergine
4-6
3-6B
Broad Beans
4-6
February March April May June July August September October November December January 3 10 17 24 7 14 21 28 7 14 21 28 4 11 18 25 2 9 16 23 30 6 13 20 27 4 11 18 25 1 8 15 22 29 5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 3 10 17 21 28 5 12 19 26 LF
4B 4B
Runner and French Beans
3B
Beetroot Broccoli Brussels Sprout
4-6
Cabbage (Spring)
4-5
3B 2B
Cabbage (Summer/Autumn) 4-6
Calabrese Carrot
3B
2B 0 -2 A
+
0-2A
Cauliflower 3-4
Celery Coriander
1-2A
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF FF FF
LF LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
+
LF
FF
LF
FF
+
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
2A
Kale
3-4
2A 2A
Okra Peas
+
Peppers
+
Potato
+ +
Radishes
3-4 3-4
2A 2A
4-6
3A
8 - 10
2-3A
Salad Leaves 8-9
Swede
2A
Swiss Chard
LF
Spinach
+
Sweetcorn
+
Winter Variety
Sweet Potatoes 6-8
1-2A
Turnip
LF
FF
Summer Variety
Grow on
Project Grow
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
FF
LF
Project Grow
21
FF
LF
FF
Endive (outdoor)
Tomato
LF
FF
3-4
Pumpkins & Squash
FF
LF
3-4
Cucumbers
Mint
FF
LF
LF
+
Karela (Bitter Melon)
FF
LF
LF
+
Courgettes
FF
LF
B = Before A = After FF = First Autumn Frost LF = Last Spring Frost + = Favoured by Pujari Team SSBSO = # Wks start seed before set out SOvFFD = # Wks to set out vs. frost free date
FF
Sowing
Plant out
Harvesting
Plant
A: Well, excuse the puns, but I think this ‘stems’ from reigniting our connection with Mother Earth. ‘Branching’ out from this, it helps us find our ‘roots’ in healing, therapy and education and ‘digging’ a little deeper, once these ‘seeds’ have been sown the essence and biggest inspiration ‘blooms’ from our desire to serve Their Lordships in ways we never thought imaginable.
Interview with Ankit Vyas
The Community Newsletter Team had a chat with Ankit Vyas, the new Project Grow Project Coordinator, to find out a bit more about him and what plans he has for Project Grow this year. Community Newsletter Team: Hare Krishna Ankit, thank you for talking to us. You’ve recently taken on the role of Project Grow’s Project Coordinator. Project Grow is a popular project with the community - when did you start gardening and what inspired you to do so? Ankit Vyas: Hare Krishna. I started my gardening journey at around 13 to 14 years old, helping my parents with our garden. Nature has always amazed me. Q: What inspires you to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables for Krishna? A: My inspiration comes from the beauty of nature, the happiness on my family’s faces when a flower blooms or fruit and vegetables are harvested, and gratitude to the Lord. Whether it’s growing tomatoes and courgettes to be used for Their Lordships’ offerings or roses for Their garlands, it’s all for the pleasure of the Lord. Q: What kind of plants do you like to grow? Do you have any favourites? A: I enjoy growing all plants, but my favourite is Tulasi devi. Serving Her is a pleasure. Her leaves can be offered to the Lord and ISKCON-London Temple President, Jai Nitai dasa gave me the rare opportunity to serve Sri Sri Radha-Londonisvara personally by offering a Tulasi plant I had grown, which now serves at Their Lordships’ lotus feet at ISKCON-London. I am eternally grateful for this.
Q: Spring has arrived and the new growing season has started. What plans do you have for Project Grow this year? A: In 2021 we want to inspire many community members to really think about their food source choices and to grow their own flowers, fruits, herbs and vegetables. We started the new season off with a workshop on how to approach the growing season. In a few weeks, we are planning on having more workshops on composting, organic pest control and organic fertilisation. Q: You mention about the Project Grow Workshops - what were they about and how did they go? A: The workshop was a big hit amongst members and there was a request to have another the week after. The workshop covered items such as getting prepared with tools and supplies, deciding on the growing method and also the first Project Grow growing calendar, which vegetables to grow, when to grow, harvest and sharing the items preferred by the Deity Department. Q: How can anyone interested get involved with Project Grow? A: Anyone interested in the project can: • Join the dedicated WhatsApp Group (see QR code) • Follow our Instagram page @projectgrowiskconlondon • Join our Facebook group www.facebook.com/iskconlondonprojectgrow • Join our Telegram channel t.me/projectgrow
Q: Last year we saw many community members inspired to grow fruits and flowers and offer the fruits of their labour to ISKCON-London’s Deity Department. What do you think inspired so many to get involved? www.facebook.com/iskconlondonprojectgrow
www.instagram.com/projectgrowiskconlondon
RADHA KRISHNA RECORDS Upcoming Album: Mantra Lounge Volume 4
The eagerly anticipated Mantra Lounge Volume 4 album is planned to be released in summer 2021. Some beautiful tracks have already been recorded in the studio in 2020 by devotional artists including Ananda Monet, Asta Bria, Gaura Vani, Govinda Priya, Kal Key, Madhvi Mulji, Radha Londonisvara dasa and Radhika Ranjana dasa. Work is in progress on the album artwork and on the right are some of the initial designs for the album cover.
Gaura Vani dasa on his new song ‘The Sun Rises in the West’ From where does a new song come? The ether? The creative mind of a musician? This song was born when I stumbled across a recording from the 1970s or 80s of the humble saint Akincana Krishna Das Babaji Maharaja. Godbrother and dear friend of our Founder-Acharya Srila Prabhupada, they had a deep and intimate relationship. Babaji’s voice and lyrics, ‘Jaya Deva Hare, Jaya Rama Hare, Jaya Krishna Hare, Jaya Sacinandana Gaura Hare,’ was a river flowing into my dusty heart. I found the mantras bubbling on my lips without my awareness and the currents filled the nooks and crannies of my life lifting me with them. Years later, when Kapila Monet encouraged me to collaborate with Jagannatha Suta and Mantra Lounge I was a blank slate. Then I found those same mantras on my lips. They’re simple. Of the village. Of the Earth. Of humble people with chapped hands, prayers woven into their labours. Now I had a plan. Only a voice and sounds of the earth. Simple ektar. Wooden Rajasthani kartals. Stripped down sound. Essential. But as always these mantras had a destination of their own. They were thirsty for sounds, for beats, for violin, flugelhorn, tabla, bass and voices. Soon everyone in the village had appeared at the studio doors offering something unique from their hearts. We surrendered. ‘The Sun Rises in the West (Jaya Deva Hare)’ features my children Revati, Kaira and Kirtan. 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. How can we work in a way that allows us to continue to serve together for the rest of our lives? Please invite this river of mantra into your heart and watch where it carries you. www.radhakrishnarecords.com
rkrecords@iskcon.london
RUSSIAN VEDIC SOCIETY The Russian Vedic Society are continuing to meet online regularly. Below are the programmes taking place currently: Mondays: Ladies Sanga with Jambavati devi dasi Wednesdays every fortnight: Mens mentorship meetings with Yogapati dasa Thursdays: Organisational meetings Fridays: Bhagavad-Gita readings with Bhakta Mairis and Bhaktin Daria Sundays: Weekly Sunday programmes; Ladies mentorship meetings with Jambavati devi dasi every fortnight During March, a number of seminars were organised with Akshayananda dasa from Paris about the subject matter of Bhakti-tattva.
rvs@iskcon.london
www.facebook.com/russianvedicsociety
SANKIRTAN The Sankirtan movement is unstoppable because it is maintained and directed by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates.
During March, the focus was on distributing Sri Caitanya-caritamrita sets as part of the Gaura Purnima celebration.
In January, the Sankirtan team focused on following up on contacts made and distributing books through parcels. They also delivered thousands of books to the Food for Life programme and to Mantra Caitanya dasa in Canterbury who is distributing books to local universities.
To sponsor books for distribution, visit: www.iskcon.london/books
During February, the Sankirtan Calling Party programme continued on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The team also organised the monthly Sankirtan Festival on the 20th February. The team started a new reading programme for the ISKCON-London community taking place every Tuesday at 6.00pm. The reading group finished reading Sri Isopanisad and have started reading Srimad-Bhagavatam. To join the reading group, contact: sankirtan@iskcon.london
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RVS / Sankirtan
Thank you to those who are participating in sankirtan services. Everyone is welcome to join in. Please get in touch by emailing: sankirtan@iskcon.london
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
Laxmi Collected
Laxmi Collected
Laxmi Collected
£8000 4,700
Books Distributed
50
Maha Big Books Distributed
2
CC Sets Distributed
1
SB Sets Distributed
25
Sankirtan
£7000 2000
Books Distributed
186
Maha Big Books Distributed
13
CC Sets Distributed
2
SB Sets Distributed
£8000 2,364
Books Distributed
11
CC Sets Distributed
2
SB Sets Distributed
Q) How does the Gita Project work and where are books placed? A) We ask ISKCON temples to provide the Gita Project with sponsored books. Organisations are contacted, added into a database and orders are collated. Each book is labelled with the Gita Project contact details so that there is a dedicated avenue for organisations to contact us. Book orders are sent with thank you letters, flyers outlining key concepts and a catalogue containing a wider range of Srila Prabhupada’s books. Books are placed in care homes, courts, hospitals, hotels, libraries, prisons, schools etc. The list is endless because it’s about making the books available, anywhere and everywhere.
Sankirtan Interview with Radha Dasi
Radha Dasi has been coordinating the Gita Project for several years. She is very enthusiastic about placing Srila Prabhupada’s books everywhere and making the books accessible to the public. In 2020, the Gita Project distributed an incredible 33,000 books placing them in care homes, educational institutions, hospitals and prisons. The Community Newsletter Team caught up with Radha Dasi to find out how the Gita Project distributes so many books and what plans they have for 2021. Community Newsletter Team: Hare Krishna Radha Dasi, wow that is an amazing achievement last year! What inspired the Gita Project? When did it start and how long have you been serving on this project? Radha Dasi: Srila Prabhupada and his books have always been a constant source of inspiration to me. The photograph hanging in his Vrindavana residence showing him translating the SrimadBhagavatam right to the very end became imprinted in my heart a long time ago. I was profoundly touched by his unconditional compassion to share this wisdom even during his final moments and unwavering determination to serve his Guru no matter what. My best friend Laku Lall was in hospital and became very serious very quickly. I wanted to read to him from Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-Gita and didn’t have mine with me. I couldn’t get a copy anywhere in the whole hospital. His simple request that this wisdom should be available everywhere to everyone, inspired me to start placing books to try and honour the sacrifices that Srila Prabhupada made throughout his life. 26
Sankirtan
Q) What inspires you about the Gita Project? A) That books are in places that they weren’t in before. These books are non-different from Krishna. Whether an organisation takes hundreds of books or just one, it’s about the presence, power and potential of each book and the spiritual vibration that it creates within the organisation. It’s a flexible service empowering anyone and everyone to get involved and full of grace because it enables devotees to distribute books from anywhere, even from home. Q) You are well known for getting your parents, family members and basically anyone you meet (!) involved in the Gita Project! Please share what services your parents and family/friends do? A) This is the marathon beyond the marathon as it goes on throughout the whole year. There are many services to get involved in from labelling, packing the letters, sorting through different orders, delivering and so much more that goes into delivering these books in an efficient and systematic manner. For example, my mother and father are both over 85 and help with labelling and preparing the envelopes that contain flyers, catalogues and letters. There is room for people of all ages to be engaged. Q) The Gita project distributed an amazing 19,000 books during the Srila Prabhupada marathon in 2020. That is wonderful and very inspiring! How did you and the team achieve this? A) We reached out to devotees through different forums to come forward and help. Entire families got involved from the children to the grandparents! It was this coming together and united spirit that helped us to distribute so many books! Around 40 devotees came forward during the marathon.
Q) So, what are your plans for the Gita Project in 2021? A) To expand the team of dedicated callers (the devotees who call to place the books) as this would directly increase our placements. To build positive relationships and connect more organisations to the temples and devotees. To place 40,000 books this year (last year we placed 33,000 books). Q) Has COVID-19 inspired you to think outside the box in terms of book distribution? If so, how? A) During the first lockdown we created special care packs with thank you flyers and sweets and placed over 9,000 books in care homes to reach out to key workers. Q) How can volunteers and anyone interested in helping to place Srila Prabhupada’s books get involved with the Gita Project? A) We are always looking for new people to get involved and we need as much help as we can get because there are so many services. If anyone is inspired to get in touch, please email: info@thegitaproject.org
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“I am writing to thank you for running the Gita project. Our library in this prison has several of your books on open display and they are being taken by our men. I rejoice that spiritual teaching is being made freely available to this very secular, cynical population. As a Christian chaplain, I work hard with those who listen, and commend exploration into spiritual realities. I enjoy reading your books so I see things from a different angle. It has improved my understanding of my own faith, of spirituality without distinction. So many people say that they are spiritual but not religious, because they have been so put off by the different religions and their endless chatter. Already there are signs of ideas like ‘karma’ and that everyone is part of the one thing there is, integrated into the universal spiritual being that is all things, are taking root. That life continues beyond death in some way; maybe that we existed before birth.
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I see the Gita project as contributing to the transformation of British society, even in Liverpool, into a spiritual community, and am grateful for your work.”
Gita Project feedback from a Prison Chaplain based in Liverpool
To get involved with sankirtan activities:
sankirtan@iskcon.london
SPIRITUAL MENTORSHIP SYSTEM Initiation
Rupanuga Bhakti dasa received second initiation on Wednesday 10th January. His spiritual master Janananda Goswami is currently in New Mayapur, France so the initiation took place over Zoom. Jai Nitai dasa facilitated by placing the sacred thread on Rupanuga Bhakti dasa and training him on how to chant the Gayatri mantra. Maharaja spoke the mantra to Rupanuga Bhakti dasa in private on the phone. Rupanuga Bhakti dasa is a mentee in Jai Nitai dasa’s mens mentee group.
Mentorship Meetings
Mentors are continuing to have twice monthly online meetings during the lockdown as they cannot meet in person. Chandravali devi dasi’s mentee group have been having regular reading sangas three to four times a week with a different speaker each time including Vamsivata dasa, Murli Manohara dasa and Nama Sankirtan dasa. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi’s community ladies mentee group have been taking part in presentations on a particular topic. Each mentee has been presenting the talk in their own way. In one of the meetings, Bhaktin Sophie gave a talk entitled: “What is good association and how can I get good association during lockdown?”
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Spiritual Mentorship System
Bhava Bhakti devi dasi shares: “She had a really nice PowerPoint presentation on this talk and it led to a group discussion on being honest about what association we willingly take as we are weak, how we need to become good association for others, not forgetting the human touch in relationships, and always strengthening our association with Prabhupada.” Dayal Mora dasa’s mentee group have been making pledges for the glorification of Srila Prabhupada in this 125th year of his divine appearance. Ideas included: 125 hours of kirtan, 125 hours of cleaning, extra daily reading of Prabhupada Lilamrita, cooking of Srila Prabhupada recipes, and singing of Srila Prabhupada bhajans. The grihasta mentee group facilitated by Jai Nitai dasa and Bhava Bhakti devi dasi had a presentation by mentee Nimai Candra dasa and Prana Sakhi devi dasi on Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 4 Chapter 10. Nimai Candra dasa and family ended the presentation with a pre-filmed short silhouette drama of the whole chapter which was super impressive. Also during the meeting, group members all had to say one line each of the main pastimes in Chapter 10 as an exercise to see how well they had remembered the pastime from the reading. Next
they played the game ‘Articulate’ - each couple were a team and one of them had one minute to describe ten words from the pastime which their partners had to guess. Jai Nitai dasa’s mens mentee group have been chanting Bhagavad-Gita verses 8.5 and 8.16 and learning them as part of their homework. One of the mentees, Yoga Pati dasa, gave a talk to the group on the topic “What does Initiation Mean?”. Jai Nitai dasa shared, “It was a wonderfully sobering talk with a good discussion.”
They have also continued with studying the Mahabharata Chapter 20 - “Draupadi dragged to the Assembly Hall”. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi also arranged a drama about investigating the assault on Draupadi, to help dive deeper into this pastime. Each mentee played one of the main characters in this pastime and had to remain in character while Bhava Bhakti devi dasi (like a judge) questioned them about the incident. Bhava Bhakti devi dasi shared: “All the ladies acted so well and managed to remain in character while I questioned them. I was very impressed!“
During one meeting Jai Nitai dasa gave a presentation on the topic “The Initiation Standards for ISKCON UK” and he went through them line by line. They also discussed their sadhana charts competition. Ladies Ashram mentee group, facilitated by Bhava Bhakti devi dasi, took part in the ‘Be a Sage Page by Page’ challenge and read “Perfect Questions Perfect Answers” in one month. The challenge was to read two pages a day and share their realisations daily on a WhatsApp group. Everyone was enlivened after the challenge.
Satya Narayan dasa and Madhvi devi dasi’s mentee group celebrated Advaita Acharya’s Appearance day in one meeting. The whole group joined Candramauli Swami’s class online at ISKCON Birmingham and then shared realisations from the class with each other. Bhaktin Gayathri also did a presentation on Ragunatha dasa Goswami, which was well presented and inspiring. The next month, Bhakta Amrit did a wonderful presentation on Rupa Goswami.
Interested in joining the mentorship system? Email:
bhava.bhakti@iskcon.london
VOLUNTEERING
Interested in volunteering at ISKCON-London?
Email: volunteers@iskcon.london
DAILY SCHEDULE ARATI TIMES 04:30 05:00 07:00 08:00 12:30 16:15 19:00 21:00
DARSHAN TIMES 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.
Mangal Arati Tulasi Arati Deity Greetings Dhoopa Arati Raj Bhoga Arati Dhoopa Arati Sundara Arati Sayana Arati
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
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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
