LA Temple To Host 9th Annual Prabhupada Festival

July 10, 2003

The Prabhupada Festival Committee (PFC) is pleased to announce that the Los Angeles Temple has agreed to host the 9th annual Prabhupada festival on May 27 & 28 of this year. There were apparently some poorly informed devotees who had prematurely suggested that the LA Temple management was not willing to welcome the festival but these rumors are ill founded. On Wednesday, April 12, the Los Angeles temple vice President, Narantra Das, announced to the pleasure of the devotees who had assembled for Lord Ramachandra's appearance day that the festival will be held.

The Los Angeles annual Prabhupada festival was first held in 1991 as a result of the inspirational vision and hard work of Paratrikananda Dasa a senior devotee in the larger LA congregational community. Over the years the festival that originally began as a small gathering has grown into a rather large two day festival that is held on Memorial Day weekend. The purpose of the festival has always been to bring the disciples of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada back together in a mood of mutual honor and respect. The formula for doing this has been to make things so nice everyone would set aside political agendas and personal differences so all could benefit from the loving memories that are shared, a big Saturday evening Hari Nama Kirtana, and of course ample prasadam for all.

Now the Prabhupada Festival attracts devotees from all over the world and many come to LA just to be part of this special event. Because the program is held on the three day Memorial day weekend, it has become quite popular for the devotees who face the rigor of the weekday-working world. Scheduling of the festival in this way has allowed Vaishnavas to plan a spiritually based vacation that encourages both a personal and transcendental family reunion.

Regardless of what their present association is, every Vaishnava in the Western world recognizes the debt we all have for the tremendous faith and sacrifice that Srial Prabhupada made on our behalf. That is what the LA Prabhupada festival is all about. That is the mood of this celebration which is filled with the magic of Krishna Consciousness in action.

The PFC wants to extend it's thanks and appreciation all the members of the New Dwarka management for it's willingness to work through all the things that need to be done to hold such a big program. The committee would like to personally thank and acknowledge both Swavas das and Narantra das for there endless commitment to all the numerous details that are involved in managing New Dwarka and establishing it as one of the most progressive and wonderful Krishna temples in the Western world.

The PFC invites those who would like to help make this years Prabhupada Festival program a success to contact Jaya Gouranga Dasa at: (310) 836-4647.