Sunday 21 April 2013

[www.keralites.net] ISKCON Argentina on Cover Page of a leading magazine in Argentina

 

ISKCON Argentina on Cover Page of a leading magazine in Argentina
Fun & Info @ Keralites.net After many years of hard work and struggle, devotees in Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina, are seeing their efforts pay off as Krishna consciousness reaches a mainstream audience.

Just one example of this is the December issue of the very popular New Age/religious magazine Uno Mismo. Featured on its cover, in saffron robes and bright Vaishnava tilak, is spiritual leader Gunagrahi Das Goswami, who came to assist ISKCON Argentina in 1996.

Roughly translated from the Spanish, the tag line reads: "An interview with Gunagrahi Das Goswami – 'True happiness is a spiritual state of being.'"

Starting on page eight of the magazine is the five page interview, which was originally spoken when Gunagrahi appeared as a guest on the radio show Liliana en Del Plata, during the lead-up to Christmas 2011.


Deeply inspired by the interview, Maria Laura Ferro, the editor of Uno Mismo (which means "one self"), transcribed it in its entirety and published it in the Christmas 2012 issue of her magazine.

In the interview, Gunagrahi Goswami explains how God is one and simply has different names in different languages. He says that Krishna devotees in Argentina also worship Jesus Christ as a great representative of God, and even have a special program at their temple honoring him during Christmas time.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

The temple courtyard of the 24,700 square foot ISKCON property in Buenos Aires

"I talked about how Christmas nowadays doesn't pay proper tribute to Jesus, but is instead just an excuse for more sense gratification, rather than more prayer," Gunagrahi Goswami says. "I said that we were advocating that people try to remember a little bit about what Jesus stood for, and derive their satisfaction in a more spiritual way during Christmas."

The magazine flew off newsstands throughout Christmas time, and Gunagrahi Goswami was regularly recognized in public. Meanwhile devotees laminated the magazine's cover and used it as a preaching tool during the Christmas book distribution marathon. People, hearing that Srila Prabhupada's books contained the philosophy expressed by the famous spiritual leader on the cover of Uno Mismo, snapped up the books enthusiastically.

Gunagrahi Goswami expects the magazine interview to be a stepping stone for more publicity, including TV appearances, next time he visits Argentina.
Of course, it's just one sign of ISKCON's newfound popularity in the country, after years of struggle.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

Guests enjoy a dinner at the Naturaleza Divina restaurant

ISKCON began in Argentina in the 1970s, but had to go undergound due to the fascist government of the time. Although it began officially again with the introduction of democracy in 1983, things weren't easy at first.

When Gunagrahi Goswami arrived in the country in 1996, the devotees were renting a small, dilapidated facility, and ISKCON Argentina was in a precarious situation.

"Since Buenos Aires is the tenth largest city in the world, with about thirteen million people, I thought it would be a good service to Srila Prabhupada if we could raise funds for a temple to call our own," he says.

In 2001, as Argentina was under economic collapse and the US dollar was very strong, Gunagrahi Goswami sent devotees to North America to distribute books to the Latino population there.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

The swanky boutique next door to the restaurant sell devotional items, books and clothing

Devotees sold more than three million books over several years, and in 2006, they purchased their own property, which opened as a temple on December 31st, 2008.

Set in Colegiales, a trendy area frequented by vegetarians, artists, yoga practioners and many members of the Argentine film industry, the temple is a corner property with excellent exposure.

The 24,700 square foot property is in fact four connected buildings surrounding a large central courtyard, which creates a sense of serenity even in the middle of the city. It includes the temple building, a prasadam hall, men's and women's ashrams, and guest quarters.

Temple devotees distribute books four or five times a week, and hold major harinamas (street chanting) every Friday evening. Meanwhile the Sunday Feast at the temple draws several hundred people every week, all indigenous as there is no Hindu population in Buenos Aires.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

Over 200 students have attended the ISKCON Buenos Aires cooking class since it began 1 year ago

ISKCON's Food For Life program is also a major outreach effort, distributing prasadam at college campuses including el Ciudad Universitaria (University of Arquitecture) and Universidad de Ciencias Economicas de Buenos Aires (University of Economics of Buenos Aires).

The Buenos Aires temple compound also includes a separate commercial property called Naturaleza Divina—Divine Nature— that is the main gateway for the public and features a restaurant, boutique, and educational institute.

The gourmet, table-service restaurant, which celebrated its second anniversary recently, is extremely popular, with lines that regularly extend out the door. Its monthly reservation-only live bhajans and special dinners are always sold out. And it is mostly frequented by middle and upper class clientele, with a home delivery
service that caters to the rich and famous.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

A devotee distributes prasadam and a book to a student at a local university

"I feel safe here, like no one is following me and taking pictures," commented one Buenos Aires actress who visits the restaurant. "I feel at home."

Another client remarked: "I feel such a deep relief when I walk in this place. It is not just a restaurant, it is an experience."

Restaurant clients also frequent the swanky boutique next door, which sells devotional items and philosophical books, body care products, clothing and gifts. Built from ninety per cent recycled materials and one hundred per cent devotee labor, it also serves as a reception for temple visitors and a registration area for those who want to sign up for educational courses.

The courses at the educational institute above the restaurant include El Científico Espiritual (The Spiritual Scientist), based on ISKCON Pune's Journey of Self Discovery course. Aimed at the general public and those new to Krishna consciousness, it has been a major success, drawing twenty to forty students for each class.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

A devotee teaches the El Cientifico Espirituel class

"El Cientifico Espiritual made me realize that daily life and religious life aren't two separate things, but rather that everything is connected and has a spiritual purpose," commented one student, Sandra, a lawyer. "It's a life-changing experience for one who isn't familiar with what it means to be a Vaishnava. In fact, all of us who did the workshop together have decided to follow the teachings of Prabhupada."

As well as these, there's an Introduction to Bhakti Yoga for those who are becoming more committed to the path of Krishna consciousness, a Bhakti Sastri study course for devotees, and of course the cooking class.

Run by Gandharvika Dasi, who is married to Buenos Aires temple president Maha Hari Das, the cooking class began one year ago. Since then, it has been attended by over 200 students, including grandmas, professionals, students, famous people, and government officials. Students attend four Level One Indian Cooking courses—one a month—before receiving a diploma and moving on to Level Two.

Fun & Info @ Keralites.net

Children are kept busy with Krishna conscious activities at Sunday School

"We do not preach heavy Krishna consciousness in the classes," says Gandharvika. "It is very subtle. Our mission is to introduce people to a vegetarian diet while developing friendships. We mention drops of philosophy here and there, but very lightly. We have found that by this technique they become very curious. More than half of them want to learn how to offer food by the end of the course. Next door to the cooking school, we hold philosophy classes and many of our cooking students end up taking those too. Several of our students have become devotees or friends of devotees, chanting, doing service in the temple and even working in the restaurant."

As well as all the programs for adults, ISKCON Buenos Aires offers a Sunday School for children, which facilitates six to twelve kids every Sunday and thirty to fifty on festival days.

Children learn art, kirtan, yoga, cooking, and music, as well as simple academic exercises. They do short interactive studies of Vaishnava holidays, and write offerings for Srila Prabhupada on his Vyasa Puja. In writing projects designed to get them thinking about why they are devotees and what Krishna consciousness means to them, they answer simple questions such as "Why do you chant Hare Krishna?" or "Why do you come to the temple?"

As this vibrant blend of projects continues on, ISKCON Buenos Aires is also looking to the future, with plans to install Radha Krishna Deities, and to continue improving temple and residential facilities.

Devotees will also use their newfound recognition to gain a stronger presence in the media and to design programs that draw successful people, media personalities and celebrities.

"We're training the devotees in how to receive the public and how to deal with them in a very nice, first-class way," says Gunagrahi Goswami. "And we're working on establishing our temple as the main center for Krishna consciousness in this part of the world."


Ravi

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...
To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: www.keralites.net
MARKETPLACE


.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] Perfect Person

 

Perfect Person

 

A man and his girlfriend were married. It was a large celebration. All of their friends and family came to see the lovely ceremony and to partake of the festivities and celebrations. A wonderful time was had by all.

 

The bride was gorgeous in her white wedding gown and the groom was very dashing in his black tuxedo. Everyone could tell that the love they had for each other was true. A few months later, the wife comes to the husband with a proposal: "I read in a magazine, a while ago, about how we can strengthen our marriage." she offered. "Each of us will write a list of the things that we find a bit annoying with the other person. Then, we can talk about how we can fix them together and make our lives happier together."

 

The husband agreed, so each of them went to a separate room in the house and thought of the things that annoyed them about the other. They thought about this question for the rest of the day and wrote down what they came up with.

 

The next morning, at the breakfast table, they decided that they would go over their lists. "I'll start," offered the wife. She took out her list. It had many items on it enough to fill 3 pages, in fact. As she started reading the list of the little annoyances, she noticed that tears were starting to appear in her husbands eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked.

 

"Nothing" the husband replied, "keep reading your lists." The wife continued to read until she had read all three pages to her husband. She neatly placed her list on the table and folded her hands over top of it.

 

"Now, you read your list and then we'll talk about the things on both of our lists." She said happily.

 

Quietly the husband stated, "I don't have anything on my list. I think that you are perfect the way that you are. I don't want you to change anything for me. You are lovely and wonderful and I wouldn't want to try and change anything about you."


The wife, touched by his honesty and the depth of his love for her and his acceptance of her, turned her head and wept.


In life, there are enough times when we are disappointed, depressed and annoyed. We don't really have to go looking for them.

 

We have a wonderful world that is full of beauty, light and promise. Why waste time in this world looking for the bad, disappointing or annoying when we can look around us, and see the wondrous things before us?

 

I believe that WE ARE HAPPIEST WHEN we see and praise the good and try our best to forget the bad. Nobody's perfect but we can find perfectness in them to change the way we see them.





www.keralites.net

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...
To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: www.keralites.net
MARKETPLACE


.

__,_._,___

[www.keralites.net] The Earth Saviours Foundation:- Ravi Kalra Delhi - Helping the unfortunate NGO

 

Old Age Home to look after homeless - abandoned senior citizens:
With God's grace all the basic facilities such as accommo- dation, hygienically prepared meals, medical facilities are completely free of charge in our NGO's old age home for the homeless or abandoned senior citizens. If you are a senior citizen in need or you would like to help any abandoned senior citizen, please contact us for their enrollment, we will be honored to look after them for as long as possible. read more..
Jia Nari Niketan shelter to look after destitute women:
Our NGO's Jia Nari Niketan takes care of deprived, abandoned-homeless women, some of them were victim of rape and sexual abuse in the past. For such deprived women all the facilities are completely free of charge. They also get job opportunities along with a monthly stipend from our institution. You are welcome to enroll more such women in our Nari Niketan –in case you happen to find any homeless or destitute women who need help. read more..
Rescue Center to look after mentally disabled people:

It is painful to come across a large number of mentally disabled people on the roads. Often they have been observed eating from stinking garbage, having no bath for years, no shelter to live and walking bare feet with torn or no clothes on their body.

Keeping the above facts in mind and fear of God, The Earth Saviors Foundation has decided to initiate the first rescue center in India for such mentally disabled people.

If you come across a mentally disabled person in need, please contact us for their enrollment. We shall be honored to look after them. read more..

Rehabilitation center - school for poor children:
Approximately 160 less privileged children are studying in our NGO's rehabilitation center (Gurukul). We offer the best possible education and prepared meals to the children free of charge. We teach them with love, care and affection to lead a better life. If you come across such less privileged street children, please have them enrolled in our school. There is no admission formality for such destitute children.
Jas orphanage and adoption center for destitute infants.
"Recipient of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Prestigious Award for Excellence in Humanitarian Services".

Ravi

www.keralites.net

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
KERALITES - A moderated eGroup exclusively for Keralites...
To subscribe send a mail to Keralites-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Send your posts to Keralites@yahoogroups.com.
Send your suggestions to Keralites-owner@yahoogroups.com.

To unsubscribe send a mail to Keralites-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com.

Homepage: www.keralites.net
MARKETPLACE


.

__,_._,___