ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

Hundreds of children from the local communities and schools were invited to the Sri Sri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding in Durban, South Africa to participate in a Kids' Eco Awareness Morning.

It’s the second time the worldwide prayer will be held for the beleaguered holy river, after the hugely successful January 30th, 2010 kirtan, which saw 130 groups participating along with prominent kirtaniyas Aindra Babaji, Shyamdas Ji, Radhanath Swami, Jai Uttal, Gaura Vani, Karnamrita, and The Mayapuris.

The Birth of Kirtan: The Life and Teachings of Chaitanya is the biography of a mystic saint who pioneered devotional yoga (Bhakti) in sixteenth-century India and started the practice of sacred chanting (kirtan) that has now spread around the world.

When Sanskrit scholar Gopiparanadhana Das passed away unexpectedly at his home in Govardhana, India on September 15th 2011, the ISKCON world was shocked. But with his passing, the biggest question was what would happen to his Sanskrit school, Srimad-Bhagavat Vidyapitham.

The environmental battle for the dead river Yamuna continues on with the singing and chanting of the Holy Names of God by hundreds of thousands believers from all over India and abroad, who will join forces in a peaceful protest march starting on March 1st in Vrindavan and concludes in New Delhi 10 days later.

“If it works out well, the New Vraja Mandala model—where large, underused ISKCON properties are supported and utilized by educational projects—can be replicated in other places,” says Yadunandana Swami.

On February 3rd the cow barn at ISKCON Radhadesh, Belgium burnt to the ground. The reasons for the fire are not yet known.

"It will cover nearly eight kilometers followed by cultural functions", said a member of the organising committee. "For the first time large and big LED screens would be installed in various parts of the city."

On February 16th, two days after Valentine’s Day, between fifty and one-hundred-and-fifty Londoners will gather to celebrate the loving holiday in a unique way. Entitled “Love Your Soul,” the event will be held in Covent Garden’s beautiful Swiss Church, a sacred space built in the 1850s.

Second generation ISKCON devotee Goura Prema Riggan moved judges and an audience of 35 million on Season 4 of the talent show India’s Got Talent late last year, depicting Queen Draupadi’s surrender to Lord Krishna in one performance.

ISKCON Communications Global in collaboration with the New York based Odyssey Networks have produced a series of short Krishna-conscious themed videos to be distributed on the company's mobile platform. The first three Krishna-conscious videos have been released recently through Odyssey Network's Call on Faith application.

To ISKCON devotees everywhere, the name Bhaktimarga Swami conjures up images of powerful, out-of-the-box stage productions; and of energetic kirtans, full of stomping dance moves and jubilant smiles.

Spiritual havens in India attract millions of visitors each year as they offer their obeisances to treasured deities and honor sites of worship. However, while each step of a parikrama and each esteemed celebration are invaluable tributes, the aftermath of such glorification remains the responsibility of the local communities.

In the early seventies, the Deities of Sri Sri Radha Rasabihari were housed in a small shack and Srila Prabhupada promised Them “My dear Sir, please remain here and I shall build a beautiful temple for You”.

Kumbha-mela the largest religious gathering issues no written invitation, yet all spiritual seekers come here to meet one another and enjoy the nectar which falls on this day. It also marks cleansing of sins besides granting liberation.

At a meeting of the ISKCON Bureau of India on January 10th, Radha Jivan Das laid out his new plan for funding Srila Prabhupada’s passion project, the Temple of the Vedic Planetarium in Mayapur, West Bengal.

On the auspicious occasion of Makar Sankranti, devotees at ISKCON Juhu distributed more than 1,08,000 plates of hot meals to visitors at the temple and the underprivileged in Mumbai on 14 and 15 January 2013.

ISKCON devotees were invited to participate in “A Jewish-Hindu Evening of Exploration!” at the Adat Shalom synagogue in Bethesda, Maryland, on Saturday January 5th.

Bhaktivedanta College, Belgium—one of ISKCON’s premier educational institutions—has entered a period of fast growth, with many exciting new developments on the horizon.

On January 12th, Indradyumna Swami and his Festival of India group started a six-week tour in Gujarat, India. It is the first time something like this has been done at this part of the country.