ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

ISKCON youth around the world are still in shock as they mourn the passing of their dear friend Hari Kirtan Dasa, an alumni of ISKCON’s Mayapur school and disciple of Bhakti Tirtha Swami.

Hari Kirtan, known to his friends as Harish, was working at a store in Atlanta, USA on March 22 when at 8:01pm, the store was robbed and he was shot.

March 21 marked the first anniversary of Vanipedia, the multifaceted and ambitious web-based encyclopedia dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder-acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

Luca Pistolese didn't have an easy start to life. Born premature, he was placed in an incubator to care for his frail body. But a malfunction caused too much oxygen to be released into the chamber, burning his eyes. Luca would be blind for life.

The darkness was complete, enveloping him both physically and spiritually. As a young man, he tried to dispel it by studying different books on spirituality, but they only left him unsatisfied and confused.

At 5pm on March 21 – the first day of spring – devotees in Vrindavana, India sat on the steps leading down to the holy Keshi Ghat bathing area, waiting for the famous annual “Boat Festival” to begin. The morning had shown a threat of rain, but clouds passed quickly, leaving a clear, cool evening in its wake.

Getting to throw handfuls of brightly colored powder at a 15,000-strong crowd also seems too good to be true, so what's the catch?

No catch. In celebration of the Indian Holi Festival, also known as the Festival of Colors, the Sri Sri Radha Krishna Temple in Spanish Fork opens its doors to celebrants of all types -- from full-blooded Indians with an understanding of Holi, to ne'er-do-wells who simply get a kick out of chucking dyed flour at strangers.

Members of ISKCON’s Food For Life program where recently invited to a “Sankalp Utsav” festival organized by the Government of Delhi, in Pragati Maidan in the city center.

Delhi Chief Minister Srimati Sheila Dikshit, who inaugurated the function, honored the ISKCON devotees with a request to light the event’s inauguration lamp in front of the assembled electronic and news media.

The widely popular DVD series, “Memories of Srila Prabhupada,” now has three volumes, with an incredible total of 48 DVDs. “Memories” includes personal interviews with people who spent time with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the Founder-Acharya of ISKCON. Srila Prabhupada traveled from India to the United States in 1965. During the next eleven years, he traveled around the world eleven times and spread Krishna consciousness on every continent except Antarctica.

In 1992, the first BBT book in Kazakh—Easy Journey to Other Planets—was released after being translated by a volunteer. The North European BBT wanted to strike while the iron was hot. They needed someone more full-time. And who better than their enthusiastic new book distributor in Almaty?

Her Grace Kama-giri Devi Dasi, dear disciple of Srila Prabhupada, is co-ordinating the first ever reunion of devotees who served or connected in any way with Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha-Muralidhara, in Cleveland, OH in the 70’s and 80’s before and after They were relocated first to New Vrndavan and later to New York.

India in the fifteenth century was underwent a renaissance almost the opposite of the European one; scholars have called it the “bhakti renaissance,” a great rebirth of devotion to God. The preeminent figure of this powerful religious upsurge was Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

From changing a dozen dresses a day, to taking His pick from more than 100 cuisines on the menu, Lord Banke Bihari of Mathura has always enjoyed a privileged existence. Now, the baby Krishna has stolen a march over Ram Lalla - the resident deity of Ayodhya - by becoming the first divinity to don a bullet-proof cover.

PARIS (Reuters) - French physicist and philosopher Bernard d'Espagnat has won the 2009 Templeton Prize, billed as the world's largest annual award to an individual, for his work affirming the spiritual dimension of life.

The Templeton Foundation announced the $1.42 million prize at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris on Monday.

Though it may not look it on the ground at times, India is one of the few bright spots in a global economy with decidedly dim prospects in 2009. It is forecast to grow at a robust 5 to 6 percent this year—which is faster than it averaged in the 1990s, and nearly double the rate of expansion over the country's first three decades of independence.

Eating red meat increases the chances of dying prematurely, according to the first large study to examine whether regularly eating beef or pork increases mortality.

The study of more than 500,000 middle-aged and elderly Americans found that those who consumed about four ounces of red meat a day (the equivalent of about a small hamburger) were more than 30 percent more likely to die during the 10 years they were followed, mostly from heart disease and cancer. Sausage, cold cuts and other processed meats also increased the risk.

Staring at a row of demolished Hare Krishna homes in Kazakhstan, a world away from his office on the Brigham Young University campus, W. Cole Durham Jr. felt a surge of empathy.

"One reason I care about this is because my people were driven out of their homes," Durham, a Mormon, told the demoralized homeowners.