Feeding 19,000 Kids Daily vs. Couch Potato's Talking

[Guest guest]

Feeding 19,000 Kids Daily vs. Couch Potato's Talking

While many senior devotees talk endlessly if such programs are even

proper, Madhu simply goes off and feeds 19,000 school kids---DAILY.

(Article below) Madhu's success in S. India and lack of participation

from other god brothers may prove a significant and valid reason for

Madhu keeping ISKCON/GBC at arms length.

 

I can't help but wonder if these talks (about not feeding the poor) are

at best frivolous. Let's say it was clearly demonstrated that Prabhupada

wanted and demanded prasadam programs for the poor. Let's also say they

proved a powerful preaching tool as demonstrated by Madhu. It appears

most of those on this conference would still fail to provide a Food for

Life program. These talks therefore seem slanted towards discounting

such prasadam programs as a means to excuse their own failings to

provide this invaluable service.

 

It reminds me of Prabhupada's god brothers who sat on the side lines

critiquing the legitimacy of Prabhupada's programs and devotees. It did

not occurred to them to go and assist Prabhupada, learn from him or go

off and do the same. Maybe we should consider learning from Madhu, if

not helping him or trying something similar.

 

Fighting words indeed. If you feel I am inappropriate, well good, please

prove me wrong and go out and give some prasadam to your neighbors,

nearby college campus etc. I did and do. As much as 20% of our income on

occasion can go towards prasadam distribution. We have so little money

and $30,000 credit card debt. Still, we provide some prasadam program. I

don't know how devotees can not.

 

I'm a little exasperated for in my own experience those who discounted

the importance of prasadam (for others) always have customized or first

class arrangements for their own eating. To me, there seems to be a

strong correlation between being heartless or self centered and being

tight fisted about prasadam. I have not been proven wrong yet. Just a

thought.

 

Raghu

 

 

GBC.Unmoderated (AT) pamho (DOT) net [GBC.Unmoderated (AT) pamho (DOT) net] On

Behalf Of Jahnava Nitai (das) (Mysore - IN)

Sunday, December 30, 2001 6:18 AM

Jayadvaita Swami; Hari Sauri (das) ACBSP; Tattvavit (das) ACBSP

(NE-BBT); Balarama LOK; Lotta; GBC Unmoderated; India (Continental

Committee) Open (Forum)

SV: prasada to poor people; some relevant quotes

 

Here are some nice newspaper articles that have recently been published

about the prasadam distribution of the Bangalore temple, which feeds

17,000

children a day in the schools of Karnataka. The government was so

impressed

with the program that they have adopted a similar program for the rest

of

the state; and the chief minister of Karnataka personally honored the

ISKCON temple president at an inauguration function. Just imagine,

ISKCON is

setting the standard for the government to follow. Don't you think

Prabhupada would be happy? But some here would say it is "Food for

Death",

it is an offense to Srila Prabhupada, and it is all mundane karma-kanda.

After all, they are just giving prasadam to the needy. Why aren't they

giving it to the rich?

 

TIMES OF INDIA

Mid-day Meal Started in N. Karnataka

 

Times News Network

 

Raichur: Chief Minister S.M. Krishna sat down to lunch with students of

the

Government Primary School on Friday, kicking off the mid-day meal scheme

for

the seven districts of North Karnataka. The launch took place at Arakera

village in Deodurga taluk of Raichur district, where Krishna arrived by

helicopter along with some ministers at 11.40 a.m.

 

Minster for Education H. Viswanath, district in charge and Public Works

Minster Dharam Singh, Health Minister Maalaka Raddy and Home Minister

Mallikarjun Kharge joined the CM in the meal. After the lamp had been

lit

and vocalist Sangita Kakhandiki had sung the invocation, MP Venkatesh

Nayak

delivered the welcome speech.

 

"Children are not a burden to society. To encourage them to study, and

decrease illiteracy in the state, particularly in a backward area like

Deodurga taluk, we have proposed to introduce the mid-day meal

programme,"

Krishna said in his speech.

 

Krishna had a special word for the social services of ISKCON and Wipro

chief

educationist Azim Premji (the richest Indian in the world). At present,

the

International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Bangalore, has

taken on the responsibility of providing mid-day meals to 19,000 people

in

Bangalore.

 

Later, Krishna's cabinet ministers and His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das,

president and project director of ISKCON, Bangalore, also spoke,

Deodurga

MLA Yellappa Akkarki proposed the vote of thanks.

 

ISKCON Seer Felicitated

 

Chief Minister Krishna felicitated His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das of

ISKCON

with a shawl and presented him a memento. In his speech, Swamiji Madhu

Pandit Das said that "annadanna is supreme. No other gift or donation is

equal to it. ISKCON has already started providing mid-day meals to

19,000

people in Bangalore, and plans to feed 2.5 lakh (250,000) people a day

in

and around Bangalore", he said. "It will cost roughly Rs 30 lakh

($60,000) a

month, but Lord Krishna's grace, we have no scarcity of finance."

 

The Swamiji invoked the tale of the 'Akshya Patre Yojana' (miraculous

pitcher) which never got empty, to relate to the mid-day meal programme.

He

blessed Krishna to lead Karnataka and make the state hunger-free within

three years.

 

DECCAN HERALD

 

Iskcon chief calls for Child hunger free State

 

BANGALORE, Nov 10

The president of Iskcon, Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit, has urged Chief

Minister S M Krishna to adopt the mission of making Karnataka a

"child-hunger free" State during the remaining three years of his

tenure.

Replying to the felicitation for the success of Iskcon, Bangalore's

"Akshayapatra" programme of feeding poor children of schools in and

around

Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit attributed it to the dedication of their 70

full-time volunteers, who go with a begging bowl each morning, albeit in

a

sophisticated manner with brief cases and by appointment, to affluent

Bangaloreans and awaken their social responsibility to support one

hungry

child.

 

The scheme has managed a phenomenal reach of 19,000 children in little

over

a year and it is aimed to feed 30,000 children by end of this academic

year,

said Mr Madhu Pandit, thanking the donors whose donation of Rs 1,200

each

helped feed a child for a whole year. Mr Madhu Pandit was felicitated by

Chief Minister S M Krishna at the launch of the State government's

mid-day

meal scheme for seven north Karnataka districts at Arakere, Raichur

District, on Saturday

 

He said the Centre at present supplied free rice for feeding primary

school

children. If a similar request is made to feed high school children

through

an NGO, the Union Food and Civil Supplies ministry was willing to

oblige.

The State Government should immediately approach the Center, he

suggested.

 

THE HINDU

 

`ISKCON`s Programme has shown results'

 

By Our Staff Reporter

 

BANGALORE, NOV. 10. The Akshayapatra Annadana programme implemented by

the

ISKCON in several schools in the State under which children are given

free

mid-day meals has resulted in their improved attendance, "increased

attention" and academic development, according to Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa,

chief of the ISKCON, Bangalore center.

 

Replying to a felicitation by the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, at

Raichur on Friday, he said a study report of the Education Department

said

the free mid-day meal had a great impact on school children, and 99.6

per

cent of the beneficiaries felt that they paid better attention towards

their

studies. He added that 93.8 per cent of the teachers felt that there was

an

overall academic improvement in the students.

 

Sri Madhupandit Dasa said that 91.8 per cent of the teachers felt that

the

attendance of the students had improved. In the current academic year.

16

Schools had reported a 15 per cent increase in enrolment. The mid-day

meal

programme had addressed two of the most debilitating problems-hunger and

education.

 

The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjuna Kharge, the Minister for Public

Works,

Mr. Dharam Singh, and the Education Minister, Mr. H.Viswanath, were

present.

The ISKCON, Bangalore Centre, which provided mid-day meals to over

19,000

children planned to help 30,000 children daily, Sri Dasa said and added

that

it required Rs.30 lakh a month to sustain the present programme.

Specially

thanking philanthropists and organizations in the State, he said each

donor

paid Rs.1,200 to feed one child for a whole year. He said ISKCON`s aim

was

to make Bangalore Rural District a hunger-free district, "Which had

2,50,000

children, who were hungry."

 

Requesting the Chief Minister to introduce a programme to provide

mid-day

meal to all poor children in the State. Sri Dasa said that this should

be

done even at the expense of an infrastructure project or by levying

taxes.

[Guest guest]

Maharaj,

 

I am finding that a great many older devotees have done and are doing

increadible services but unfortunately, I have never heard about them.

Once discovering what they have and are doing, it allows me to better

appreciate and honor them. I recognized this with Kusa who is presently

working as a leading lady in an international world peace and religious

center in conjuction with the Hawaii people, which is her ancentry along

with a womens asrama for widows in Vrindavan and serving as temple

president in Hawaii. I have seen your name over the years, but know so

little about you. I would love to know about you and the highlights of

service you have been part of such as serving out hundreds of thousands

of services of Prasadam.

 

Raghu

 

 

Bhakti Vikasa Swami [bhakti.Vikasa.Swami (AT) pamho (DOT) net]

Sunday, December 30, 2001 7:25 PM

Raghunata (John) Anudasa

Feeding 19,000 Kids Daily vs. Couch Potato's Talking

 

FYI this potato has been instrumental in getting hundreds of thousands

of

servings of prasadam distributed.