Communications for July.

[Guest guest]

Dear Maharajas and Prabhus

 

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

this meet you well in health and Krsna consciousness.

 

From now on there will be no longer any individual reports from NCD

members attached to this e-mail. Members will continue to submit their full

monthly reports but for the purpose of the overall NCD report only the

highlights from their month's services will be refer to in this cover

letter. Please see at the end of this letter the content page of the hard

copy report, which is being circulated to select devotees, but available on

request to others.

 

Janmastami: I am pleased to announce that our persistence and the

lobbying behind the scenes by our political contact has paid off, and this

year will be the first time that the House of Commons will host Janmastami

on the 7th of September 2004. The event has been confirmed in writing by Mr.

Tony McNulty MP and Labour Minister. The Prime Minister, members of the

cabinet, opposition and party leaders, and MPs would attend the event which

will, for political correctness and due to sensitivity towards other Hindu

temples, be unofficially "hosted" by ISKCON, with Bhaktivedanta Manor

playing a major role in the organisation of it.

 

The NCD is now also in full swing with preparations for the

forthcoming Janmastami celebrations at Bhaktivedanta Manor. This year the

communications department will concentrate all their efforts in securing the

attendance of top VIPs and providing them with first-class facilities on the

festival site. We have been allocated two tents, one for our VIPs and the

media, and the other will exhibit the life and times of Srila Prabhupada

(for his 108th appearance day), with continuous video and DVD broadcasts of

ISKCON UK's television exposure over the years.

 

Media: Channel 4 television has yet again contacted us for a comedy

series in which Hare Krishna devotees will feature on a hariman in Bristol.

"Teachers 2" is a light-hearted avant garde repeat comedy series to be shown

on prime time. Channel 4's documentary department continues to film at

Bhaktivedanta Manor and elsewhere around the UK for an hour-long programme

on how we train our devotees.

 

Public Relations: I am in negotiations with the management team of

the international pop group "Blue" to feature a Hare Krishna band in the

re-launch of their hit single "One Love". It has been suggested that they

change the current lyrics to be more Krsna conscious. It is envisaged that

devotees will make public appearances with the band for promotional purposes

with female devotees dressed in deep blue saris and the men in deep blue

kurtas and white dhotis.

 

Her Majesty, the Queen: Varsana dasi, and my wife and I attended the

annual garden party hosted by the Queen. We were able to present her with a

copy of Krishna Dharma prabhu's "Mahabharat".

 

National Maritime Museum: ISKCON has been invited to join a

consultancy group to advise on the preparations for and presentation of the

National Maritime Museum's Diwali 2005 national festival to be held in

Greenwich.

 

The Parliament of the World's Religions: A delegation of ISKCON

Europe devotees attended this international conference in Barcelona where

Sivarama Swami gave a presentation on poverty and globalisation in context

of a modern and traditional (Vedic) society. Krsna Ksetra prabhu joined a

panel discussion on the art and significance of speaking and listening in

our tradition. See attached reports.

 

Academia: Radha Mohan dasa continues to work with Dr. Graham Dwyer

on a publication "40 years of chanting".

 

Interfaith: Varsana dasi continues with her work on inter-faith

issues involving her with research funded by the government into the

community work done by faith groups in London. On one occasion the focus was

on the Soho temple with the aim of the project to identify the existing

strengths and weaknesses of group community work wherein the Government

Office of London could render support. It is anticipated that this project

will lead to the establishment of a consortium of representative

organisations from the major faith groups.

 

Government: Labour Friends of India, a parliamentary lobby group,

recently held a workshop at the House of Commons "Big Conversations with

Indian Women", attended by Mrs. Cherie Blair, QC, and wife of the Prime

Minister. Varsana dasi attended on behalf of ISKCON.

 

My pioneer work within chaplaincy with two leading London hospitals

and hospices has taken ISKCON into the heart of the NHS wherein devotees

from Bhaktivedanta Manor were recently in discussions and negotiations with

the West Hertfordshire Hospital to expand on this facility for the West

Hertfordshire region.

 

National Council of Hindu Temples (NCHT): Bimal Krsna dasa complied

and launched the very first and informative UK Hindu Temple Directory.

 

Thank you for taking out the time to peruse this letter.

 

Your servant.

 

Hari-dhama dasa.

 

--------------------------------

 

Content page:

 

APPENDIXES

 

(Not contained in the abridged version sent via e-mail)

 

Reports:

 

" Home Office policy advisors visits Bhaktivedanta Manor

" Barcelona - Parliament of the World's Religions

" Hindu-Christian Dialogue group meets at Bhaktivedanta Manor

 

Newsletters:

 

" Bhaktivedanta Manor Newsletter

" Welcome brochure for visitors to Bhaktivedanta Manor

 

Proposal:

 

" Janmastami at the Manor

 

Letters:

 

" From Tony McNulty MP re: Janmastami in the House of Commons

" From the Personal Secretary of the Prime Minister re: Janmastami

" From Tiger Aspect Productions re: Channel 4 comedy series

" From Cicada Films re: Channel 4 documentary

" To the Personal Secretary of Rt. Hon. Tony Blair MP re: Janmastami

" To Her Majesty the Queen re: Garden Party

" To the Rt. Hon. Tony Blair, Prime Minister re: Janmastami

" To the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, Chancellor of the Exchequer re:

Janmastami

" To the Rt. Hon. Michael Howard, Leader of the Opposition re:

Janmastami

" To the RT. Hon. Charles Kennedy, Leader of the Lib. Dem. Party re:

Janmastami

 

Selection of media clippings:

 

" Appointment of Praghosa dasa as GBC for the UK

" Hare Krishna monk at the Reading festival

" Bhaktivedanta Manor open day

" Kripa Moya dasa on BBC Radio 4

" Krishna Dharma prabhu writes a column in the "Watford Observer"

 

Invitation:

 

" Invitation card and letters to over 400 guests to Janmastami at the

Manor

 

End.