Preists launch counter attack

[Guest guest]

Dear Vaisnavas, Dandabats. All glories to Iskcon preaching mision. Please

enjoy nectar from Poland and join PFT conf to have current news.

 

 

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Text COM:2644370 (127 lines)

Sri Prahlada (das) HDG

21-Sep-99 18:34 +0200

Polish Festival Tour [58]

Preists launch counter attack

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Dear Vaisnava's and Vaisnavi's,

 

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

 

param vijayate sri krsna sankirtanam

 

I'm writing to you about the 2nd festival of our Autumn tour. The festival

took place in Miendzehud. We had beautiful harinams there. As in the 1st

town we did, most of the people were very friendly, waving to us as we

danced past their shops and apartments.

 

During one harinam devotees started getting tired so Indradyumna Maharaja

called an istagosti in the middle of the town Square. Maharaja spoke of

sankirtana as a privilege which benefits those who perform it, as well as

those who see and hear it. He urged the devotees to transcend their mental

and physical fatigue and be enthusiastic remembering why they were there.

 

After many hours of harinam, devotees had high hopes and expectations for

the upcoming two days of festivals. But on the way back to our base, news

came over the telephone that the festival might be cancelled.

 

Nandini and Radha Sakhi Vrnda mataji's had been in contact with the lady in

charge of Miendzehud's cultural affairs. She said that a member of

parliament, from the right wing party AWS, had called the Mayor telling him

many supposedly bad things about our movement. He insisted that the

festival be cancelled. The Mayor called for an emergency session of the town

counsel the next morning.

 

The following day mataji's Nandini and Radha Sakhi Vrnda went early to

Miendzehud and waited in the Mayor's office for the town council's decision.

To their surprise they got a positive answer from the town secretary that

the festival could go on. They immediately phoned Indradyumna Maharaja who

sent all of us on our way to set up the festival site.

 

When we arrived in Miedzehud the mataji's told us the story behind the town

council's decision. In the meeting most of the members had been against

the festival. There were three people in favor: the Mayor, the town

secretary and the lady in charge of cultural affairs.

 

Those opposing the festival said that we put drugs in our food, color our

cloths with the blood of animals killed in sacrifices, brainwash people

with our chanting and philosophy, and kidnap children. These are standard

arguments that people regularly hear in church sermons throughout the

country on Sundays.

 

In our defense the lady in charge of cultural affairs stood up and said,

"You are all educated, respected ladies and gentlemen. Do you really believe

these rubbish criticisms? Do you think that the government would tolerate

if the Hare Krsna's committed even one such illegal activity? We are

talking about a registered religion that represents one of the world's most

ancient cultures. Are we about to cancel their festival simply because of

hearsay?"

 

The council chamber erupted into a yelling match. Most of the council

members insisted that all of the criticisms against us were true. The lady

in charge of cultural affairs left the room in protest. The Mayor and the

town secretary were left to battle it out alone. The Mayor explained that he

had already signed a contract with us which he couldn't revoke (this wasn't

true). He told them that what had convinced him to sign the contract was his

own experience. During the last two years he has attended several of our

festivals while on summer vacation on the coast. Each year he and his

family have had a wonderful time. He said he was thrilled when approached

about the prospect of hosting such a festival in his own town. Hearing of

the Mayor's positive experiences with us somewhat pacified the council

members. And what could be done - a contract had already been singed! They

agreed that the festival could go on.

 

Later we found out that a priest from the first town we did, Skwierzyna,

had contacted the member of parliament who was actively campaigning against

us. So as to avoid any further problems, mataji's Nandini and Radha Sakhi

Vrnda went to visit this priest in Skwierzyna to speak with him. When he

first opened his door, he was very rude and chastised them severely. When

they asked if they could speak with him peacefully, he further insulted

them by taking them into a corridor next to some toilets - where he

continued to chastise them. Pauline, one of the girls who had been at our

festival in Skwierzyna, works as volunteer in the church office. When she

came out of her office to use the toilet and heard what the priest was

saying to our 2 matajis she broke down in tears.

 

After trying to speak to the priest, Nandini and Radha Sakhi Vrnda matajis

went and met with the vice Mayor of Skwierzyna. When they entered his

office he was as white as a sheet and could hardly speak. A few minutes

earlier a group of priests and right wing politicians had been in his office

chastising and threatening him because of our festival there.

 

Then Nandini and Radha Sakhi Vrnda matajis then went to visit the school

directress - who they found in a similar state of shock. She said that she

might be losing her job. But she was defiant. She said while most people

in town were speaking favorably about the festival, it was only the priests

and some politicians who were causing problems. She had an interesting

story to tell: The morning after the festival the children of her school

had been so excited by the event that they were running in the corridors

with their hands in the air singing Hare Krsna. The priests were very

disturbed and during religion class they made a list on the blackboard of

the advantages and disadvantages of joining the Hare Krsna movement ...

giving emphasis to the disadvantages. The priests grossly misrepresented our

movement and philosophy, but the kids, who had associated intimately with

the devotees at the festival, challenged the priests: "You don't know what

you are talking about! You don't know anything about reincarnation, karma or

vegetarianism! You are just speaking nonsense. In the end the priests had to

admit that they were not very well informed.

 

The controversy had almost caused our 2nd festival in Miedzehud to be

cancelled, but by Krsna's grace (and the good words of the Mayor) we were

able to go on. Actually if our harinams hadn't already generated enough

curiosity about the festival, certainly the controversy did! By 4:30 pm, a

half hour before the festival was to begin, there were hundreds of parked

cars lining the sidewalks all around the festival site. There were huge

crowds of people near the festival entrance and an ocean of people in the

festival area. A natural barometer of how many people come for the

festival is the restaurant tent. Only 1 hour after the festival had begun,

most of the prasad had been sold. It's always a bittersweet experience

when the prasad finishes so quickly. It's bitter because we should have had

more prasad and it's sweet because we know that so many people are getting

the mercy. All in all, despite the efforts made to close it down, the

festival turned out to be one of our most successful programs yet.

 

Our contacts are telling us that the local government and church are

developing a strategy to stop our festivals altogether in this region.

They know we are planning at least 8 more festivals in this area. But

Indradyumna Maharaja just smiled when he heard that news. He replied with

one of his favorite quotes from Srila Prabhupada:

 

"They tried to stop this movement, but Krsna said: 'No, let it go on!!' "

 

Your servant,

Sri Prahlada das

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