Thirtieth Anniversary Celebration in Italy
On July 13-14, five to seven hundred devotees from all over Italy and beyond are expected at Villa Vrindavana to attend the 30th anniversary of Sri Sri Radha Vrajasundara’s installation. The weekend festival will begin with a fire sacrifice on Saturday afternoon to create auspiciousness. Next there will be the inauguration of the Villa Vrindavana branch of MOSA (Museum of Sacred Arts), which was originally established in Radhadesh, Belgium.
Prison Preaching in America Raiford, Florida, USA: Devotees from ISKCON Alachua have begun to visit and hold programs at Union Correctional Institution in nearby Raiford, Florida. A maximum security prison for over 2,000 male inmates over fifty years old, it also has 320 inmates on death row, making it the third largest death row in the world. “We do kirtan at the beginning and at the end, chant one round of japa, read from Srila Prabhupada’s books, and the rest of the time it’s open discussion,” says Kaliyaphani Dasa, a theatrical actor originally from the UK. He explains that Krishna consciousness brings some light to the dark existence of the inmates.
Hungary’s Krishna Valley Celebrates Twenty Years Budapest, Hungary: Krishna Valley, ISKCON Hungary’s 660-acre sustainable farm, celebrated twenty years on May 15, with a special program and the official opening of its new reception building.
George Harrison Memorial Garden Opens to the Public London, England: The George Harrison Memorial Garden at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Estate near Watford is now open to the public.The Beatle who passed away in 2001 gave the site, formerly known as Piggots Manor, to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in 1973 after becoming a follower of the Hare Krishna religion.
The Name of God: A Vaishnava-Christian Dialogue Washington, DC: The Vaishnava-Christian Dialogue, an annual interfaith event held in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. every March or April, draws twenty participants, ten each from the Vaishnava and Christian traditions, for two days of discussion, vegetarian meals, and an experience of each other’s worship and prayer.
Srila Prabhupada’s First Russian Disciple Passes Away Moscow, Russia: Ananta Santi Dasa, the first Russian disciple of Srila Prahupada, left his body on June 3, 2013, as a result of a stroke. Ananta Santi met Srila Prahupada in June 1971, during Prabhupada’s short visit to Moscow. In a matter of just few days Srila Prahupada taught Anatoli the essence of bhakti-yoga, and soon Ananta Santi began his spiritual practice.
After a few months he received initiation from Srila Prahupada, and Ananta Santi started to preach actively.
In the 1970s he inspired hundreds of people to practice devotional service.
In the beginning of 1980s he was arrested by the KGB for his preaching and put into psychiatric hospital for six years. There Ananta Santi continued to chant the maha-mantra, follow the four regulative principles and preach.
ISKCON Devotees Help During Floods in Europe
Responding to the call by the Government of Hungary, ISKCON Hungary has pledged to provide 600 plates of free vegetarian meal daily to the dedicated volunteers, officials, firefighters and army, working hard day and night on reinforcing the permanent and temporary dams along the river Danube. Rising rivers menaced swaths of Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria this week, as flood waters inundated historic cities and forced mass evacuations of low-lying areas.