Student Program in Mayapur

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Vidyalaya Prachar Bivag

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS

Founder-Acharya: His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

 

UTTISTHATA JAGRATA CHHATRA SAMMELANA

(12th Student Conference 25, 26, 27th May 2006)

 

 

Dear Prabhu/ Maharaj,

 

Please accept my humble obedience's . All glories to Srila Prabhupada. This

is our great pleasure to inform you that 12th Student Conference (UTTISTHATA

JAGRATA CHHATRA SAMMELANA) will be held on 25th May 2006 here at ISKCON Sri

Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir. We request you to kindly grace the occasion and

extend your most valuable association on this program. We hope more than 500

Students(Selected) will participate in this and also attend in different

spiritual contests(i.e. Bhajan, Sloka recitation, Fancy dress, etc.),

perform dance, Drama etc.

HH Bhakti Purusottam Maharaj will give the seminar on different topics

during conference. This program will continue up to 27th May 2006. We need

devotee's help (who are very interested in students preaching). So please

inform to others about this. Thank you, so much. Hare Krishna.

 

Your Servant

 

Ananda Bardhan Das

Program Coordinator

On behalf of the devotees of

ISKCON (Students preaching Dept.) Sri Mayapur

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Program Schedule:

 

24th May: Inauguration

25 & 26 May: Temple program, Seminar, Student competition, Cultural program

27 May: Temple program, Seminar, Prize distribution, Cultural program

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Student preaching program: At a glance

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History

 

Students preaching (in High Schools) have been going on in Mayapur for last

12 years. Over the years various devotees became more involved in different

aspects of school preaching and met with varying degrees of success.

Although the Temple Authorities recognized it's importance, due to shortage

of manpower, lack of qualified preachers or other priorities, this area did

not develop properly.

Anyway, during Srila Prabhupada's Centennial period we conducted about 1000

school programs with standard presentation like student competitions,

lecture, video- show, Prasad distribution etc. After 1996 we changed the

mode of student program. To engage our trained student in active preaching,

practicing Krishna consciousness, we have introduced Jagrata Chharata

Samaj(enlightened student group) system. This effort has met with some

success, because after its introduction 56 centers of Chhatra Samaj are

actively running in different parts of Bengal through correspondence.

Anyway, our Jagrata Chhatra Samaj (student group) program has been

continuing without any interruption from 1997. So far, 100 groups have been

formed, each containing an average of 15 students. So now the total number

of students is 1500(approx).

 

Regular activities of Jagrata Chhatra Samaj:

 

1)Each Student group is meeting for one and a half hours weekly.

 

2)First of all they chant Hare Krishna Maha Mahamantra, recite Mangalacharan

and one sloka from Bhagabad-Gita.

 

3)They next read from Jagrata Chetana (text books with 100 basic spiritual

questions and answers) that we have published for them. Our devotees who

organized the program ask different questions from the books and also

discuss about particular topics (related to ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada) and

give a task for next week.

 

4)Students also speak their realization and then ask different questions to

our devotees.

 

5)They chant one round Hare Krishna Mahamantra on beads.

 

6)Our devotees give Prasadam to them.

 

7)Twelve devotees of preaching dept. have the duty to inspect Chhatra Samaj

and to preach Among them in the place where students meet in a School, Club

or in the house of a student. Every year an annual Student Conference, The

Bhaktivedanta Scholarships Examination is held at Mayapur. Also The Students

are engaged in various social works, such as the development of Mayapur

City, preaching to people how to develop their Krishna Conscious life. We

engage enthusiastic students as volunteers in different festivals of ISKCON.

Also for the benefit of the Society, seminars, local pandal programs (with

parikrama, class, drama and video-show) in different areas are organized by

student groups regularly.

 

Aims:

 

To organize systematic program for students (in School) course of

Bhagavad-Gita and other basic philosophy based on Srila Prabhupada's books.

Finally to make them devotees either in house or in Ashram.

 

What we need now for Preaching:

 

We have two specific difficulties. Firstly we need educated bramacharis.

Expert in Krishna Consciousness Philosophy although present devotees have

sincerity and devotion.

 

The other problem is financial. Somehow or other we collecting but that is

not sufficient.

 

We depend on the mercy of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Chaitanaya Mahaprabhu to

run on and to expand preaching activities. We also seek the blessings of

Higher Authorities (representative of Srila Prabhupada). We are grateful to

HH Bhaktipurusottam Swami under whose direct guidance activities of

preaching division area continuing.

 

PRESENT DEVOTEES ENGAGED IN PREACHING:

 

Director: HH Bhaktipurusottam Swami

 

Coordinator: Ananda Bardhan Das

 

Other responsibilities: Bramhananda Das, Sitapati Das, Subijaya Gour Das,

Kalosona Das, Satyavak Guru Das, Bhakti Dayal Das, Bh. Gopal Das, Pitavasan

Vanamali Das, Partha pratim Das,Mahadham vrindavan Das, Govindanam Das &

others.