American musician Gaura Vani is practicing with a motley group of musicians: Bramhachari Ananta Nitai on vocals, Krishna followers Adinath and Bhakth Gaurang on the tabla and Mridangam, faded jeans and sneaker-clad Karan on bass guitar, Florida girl Rupa Manjari on piano, Briton Jhanvi on violin, Prabhu Gaurang on bansuri and Rupa Manjari on vocals. As they croon "Govinda, Gopala", Gaura suddenly says, "Next time, let's chill on that melody. Take it cool guys!"

Srimati Radharani expressed her inconceivable benevolence to India’s youngest fashion designer Nishka Lulla when she benignly adorned the outfit designed by Nishka on Her auspicious appearance day – Radhastami which fell on 27 August 2009 this year.

Nishka won the ‘Creative Excellence Award’ for the Barbie all Doll’d–up show at the Lakme India Fashion Week 2009 where many of India’s leading designers participated to design an outfit for Barbie for her 50th anniversary. The winning design was Nishka Lulla’s whose outfit was worn by actor Katrina Kaif.

Hare Krishna monk Bhaktimarga Swami is on a personal mission and it involves walking up to thousands of kilometres around Fiji.

The Canadian national, who is also known as John Vis, started his journey from Toorak in Suva last week to Nadera and plans to continue his journey from Nausori to Navua.

Hare Krishnas of Vladimir city received an ultimatum to vacate their place of worship by September 1st 2009.

A U.S. Congress-backed panel has included Russia on its Watch List of countries where people’s religious freedoms are at risk.

Jurek Owsiak makes a plea live on Polish television. "Please don't come to Woodstock. We are already overcrowded. Stay at home and your friends will tell you all about it!" With over 400,000 people attending this years free Polish Woodstock Festival, it was indeed one of the biggest festivals to date. Police and emergency services struggled to cope with the large influx of festival goers that inundated the small town of Kostrzyn, near the German border.

At a spiritually uplifting event, ‘The Journey Home – Autobiography of an American Swami’ by Radhanath Swami was officially launched in Mumbai on 21 August 2009.

"The Journey Home” which chronicles the metamorphosis of an adventurous young American seeker into a saintly global spiritual teacher, filled with inconceivable trials, threats and temptations, illustrates how reality can be more adventurous - and infinitely far more fulfilling - than fiction.

ISKCON Moscow has celebrated Janmastami since 1988, but this year several local dignitaries expressed their support by attending the celebrations despite the bad weather.

On the 14th of August ISKCON Moscow was visited for the first time by the new administrator of Northern Moscow.

Pune - Some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are giving up the old fashioned way of raising money for charity from the corporate sector that has of late been facing turbulence.

They are going hi-tech to reach out to the masses instead. For starters, they've begun using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) systems and mobile-based applications to receive donations over cellphones.

Even students who know about yoga's stretches and exercises may not know how to relax their minds through the power of chant.

The Penn State Vedic Society presented "Yoga of Sound Vibrations," a venue of call-and-response chanting, in the Paul Robeson Cultural Center's Heritage Hall on Wednesday.

This September 4th will be the 50th anniversary of ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada’s taking sannyasa, the renounced order of Vaishnavism. And ISKCON devotees will be celebrating it in exactly the way he would want them to—by drenching the globe in God’s holy names.

Spanning nine days from September 2nd to 11th, World Holy Name Week 2009 will be run by a team of global coordinators including Lokanatha Swami, Jananananda Goswami, Ekalavya Dasa, and new member Rama Prasad Dasa.

This September 4th will be the 50th anniversary of ISKCON founder Srila Prabhupada’s taking sannyasa, the renounced order of Vaishnavism. And ISKCON devotees will be celebrating it in exactly the way he would want them to—by drenching the globe in God’s holy names.

Spanning nine days from September 2nd to 11th, World Holy Name Week 2009 will be run by a team of global coordinators including Lokanatha Swami, Jananananda Goswami, Ekalavya Dasa, and new member Rama Prasad Dasa.

During Mark Field MP’s visit to ISKCON Soho Street Temple, President Jai Nitai Dasa informed him: “We have had a vibrant, progressive and spiritually inspiring community here in the heart of London for over 40 years.”

Accepting the invitation from the Hindu Forum of Britain, Mark Field visited the ISKCON London temple in June 2009.

The special feature of this year’s Janmashtami Festival was the new buildings for Krishna’s cows and bulls. Regular readers will know what an important part cows play in the Vaishnava life, but you may be surprised to know to what lengths the devotees at Bhaktivedanta Manor have gone to care for them.

A painted pilgrim arrives at Bhaktivedanta Manor Krishna Temple north of London for the three-day Janmashtami festival celebrating Lord Krishna's birth.

Armed with our shiny red tent, brand new cooking equipment, and lots of enthusiasm, we first headed for Nürnburgring, the famed Formula One car-racing venue that also annually hosts one of the biggest rock festivals in Europe, Rock am Ring.

Last May ISKCON Wales opened its new prasadam (sanctified vegetarian food) distribution factory, called Govindas Foods Ltd.

The factory produces a special vegan and gluten-free ‘cheesecake’, soon to be followed by quiche and lasagna - both vegan and gluten-free.

A Shower of Divine Compassion, a book of Srila Prabhupada’s poetry, was released by BBT India in March this year on the auspicious occasion of Gaura Purnima.

The book features eight poems written between 1930 and 1965.

Police have congratulated revellers after 70,000 people safely made their way to Bhaktivedanta Manor for the annual Janmashtami festival at the weekend.

A team of 11 dedicated Hertsmere specials were tasked with the job of getting the estimated 70,000 visitors to the Hindu festival in and out of the Letchmore Heath temple.

This August 13th to 14th, devotees of Shri Krishna around the world celebrated Janmastami, the day of the Lord’s appearance on earth. The time of this appearance is often cited as roughly 5,000 years ago, although according to scholars the western equivalent of the exact date, given by Vedic philosopher Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura, was July 19th, 3228 BC.

As the sun rose above the Ganges on the morning of June 30th this year, young trainee priests from ISKCON Mayapur’s Bhaktivedanta Academy poured ghee onto the flickering flames of a ceremonial fire sacrifice, and chanted Vedic mantras for auspicious effect.

There was excitement in the air.