ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Performing at ISKCON’s annual Festival of Inspiration this May for the seventh time in a row, professional comedian Yadunath Dasa is a ball of energy and edgy humor. His distinctive New Jersey accent booms out over the sound system as he simultaneously plays on the audience’s familiarity with internal ISKCON quirks and throws them unexpected curveballs, plunging them into waves of hysterical laughter.

Last week, ISKCON News reported on a letter we had received from Chinmoydham Dasa of Chittagong in Bangladesh, detailing a May 14 attack on the ISKCON temple there.

Readers and other websites immediately jumped on the word “terrorists” used in the report, assuming that the attackers were Islamic Jihadists. However, ISKCON News never stated this, and only included the word because no others were used to reference the attackers in Chinmoydham’s letter.

New York – When kirtan band As Kindred Spirits—featuring second-gen Krishna devotees Gauravani Buchwald, Acyuta Gopi Dasi, and a host of other talented musicians—wanted to celebrate the launch of their new CD Ten Million Moons in style, they did what rock stars have been doing for ages: they threw a party. But the release party, held on May 16 at the Ashtanga Yoga Studio in New York’s trendy SoHo district, included performances from the band and guest musicians, a vegan feast, and an eclectic crowd of yogis, devotees, and music lovers.

Since it was released earlier this year, Journey Home, the autobiography of ISKCON leader and Vaishnava guru Radhanath Swami, has been a must-read for many Krishna devotees. In what is, perhaps, a sign of things to come, the book has begun to win fans outside of the devotee community, as well. BKS Iyengar, considered one of the foremost yoga teachers in the world wrote an enthusiastic endorsement for the book, as did celebrated yogini Shiva Rea and Ayurveda scholar David Frawley.

Cambridge, MA. I recently wrote a remembrance of a very old swami, Swami Sarvagatananda of the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society. This time, I write of a middle-aged swami, who is by all accounts still very active in his ministry.

The occasion is that recently I was sent a copy of The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami, and asked if I could review it for a journal.

ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta College in Belgium, which currently has 27 students from 20 countries and is accredited by University of Wales, Lampeter, inaugurated the opening of its new library and offices this May 17.

The College has been in operation since 2002, but this new development marks a major step in its history.

Her passion to help the poor and needy while spreading the word of God has motivated Dr. Dasi Gurumarna Devi to build an ashram and a temple in Sigatoka.

Living with the teachings of the Hare Krishna movement, Dr. Dasi has been working with the poor trying to give them a better standard of living.

Dr. Dasi joined the Hare Krishna society 15 years ago while she was still studying to become a doctor at the Fiji School of Medicine and has never looked back since.

A year ago, New Zealand's sport and television celebrity Marc Ellis began filming "How the Other Half Lives", a reality program that focuses on breaking down the religious and cultural stereotypes of New Zealand minority groups. He opened the series with a feature on Auckland's semi-rural ISKCON community and cast himself as a participating member for a few days.

You are standing outside a burning building. The flames and smoke are getting denser, but there is still one way to enter the building. Trapped inside it are the following beings:

1. Your beloved mother.
2. A Nobel-prize-winning scientist that is close to discovering a cure for cancer.
3. A highly intelligent ape that may unlock the secrets of the missing link.

The latest findings of Dr. Daniel Gilbert, a Harvard psychology professor both funny and smart, derived from assiduous research into (human) happiness, have revealed to him an important truth that will already be familiar to students of Śrīmad Bhāgavatam.

Curd cheese, or panir, is rich in protein and extremely versatile. It can be deep-fried and used in vegetable dishes, crumbled into salads, made into sweets, stuffed inside breads and pastries, and creamed into dips.

Curd cheese is the simplest kind of unripened cheese and is made by adding an acid or other curdling agent to hot milk. The solid milk protein coagulates to form the soft curd cheese, the liquid whey is separated, and the cheese is drained, pressed, and then used as required. Because curd cheese is not commonly available in shops, and the hom-made product is vastly superior, I have included the simple recipe for making your own.

The quality and freshness of the milk will determine the quality of the curd cheese. The higher the fat-content of the milk, the richer the curd cheese. Different curdling agents will produce different types of curd. The most common curdling agents are strained, fresh lemon juice, citric acid crystals dissolved in water, yogurt, cultured buttermilk, or sour whey from a previous batch of curd cheese.

The appointment of renowned "anti-cultists" and controversial scholars of Islam to a Russian government body allocated sweeping powers to investigate religious organisations may prove the heaviest blow to religious freedom in a decade, Forum 18 News Service notes.

California pastor David Jones and his wife Mary Jones were questioned by San Diego County officials and threatened with fines over a weekly Bible study in their residence in Bonita, California, according to several news reports and televised interviews. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty has offered to assist the couple or others facing the same situation in California or elsewhere in the U.S.