Looking Back on the Pandemic Kirtan That Reached 1.2 Million and Inspired a Flood of Virtual Kirtan Events
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most popular virtual events, drawing at least 1.2 million viewers, engaging multiple generations of devotees and inspiring many others to hold their own major online kirtan events to this day, was the Global Pandemic Kirtan.
The GBC's Strategic Planning Team have compiled a celebrate-at-home Janmastami portfolio, which consists of resources to make devotees' Janmastami experience delightful and filled with personal loving service to the Lord.
With ISKCON Founder-Acarya Srila Prabhupada’s Vyasa-puja, or Appearance Day, coming up soon on August 12th, his society’s Governing Body Commission Strategic Planning Team (GBC SPT) is organizing a special Vyasa-puja online event entitled “Srila Prabhupada’s Journey to the Far Corners of the World: The Mystery Behind the History.”
From July 1st to 12th, ISKCON Toronto, Canada held a 12-day series of online events. More recently, on Saturday July 18th, ISKCON of Berlin, London, Radhadesh (Belgium) and Zurich jointly hosted a unique first-time European virtual collaboration festival, “Spirit of Ratha Yatra.”
In a small procession consisting of the chariot-truck along with several devotees’ cars, Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra visited six different spots across New Vrindaban.
“Every year, there’s some new challenge that comes up while organizing Toronto Rathayatra, and we joke that Lord Jagannath always throws us a curveball,” says Rukmini Dasi, co-chair of the Rathayatra Committee. Little did they know, however, that 2020 would bring the ultimate curveball – a global pandemic that required people to social distance from each other and saw all gatherings and public festivities banned.
During the night at around 1:30 AM on July 14th, one of the brahmacaris heard a cracking sound and went to check it. He saw the temple building on fire. Brahmacaries quickly took the Deities out to safety from the burning building.
ISKCON Berlin, London, Radhadesh and Zurich are organizing the Spirit of Ratha Yatra, a unique first-time European virtual collaboration festival jointly hosted on Saturday 18th July, 11:00 - 17:00 CEST / 10:00 - 16:00 BST.
The hallmarks of ISKCON, its seven purposes were reaffirmed through a series of interviews and dialogues by the exemplary leaders of ISKCON who personify these seven purposes in their own exquisite ways. This symposium was the brainchild of a brilliant disciple of Bhakti Charu Swami who embodied Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and worked towards uniting everyone.
GBC Strategic Planning Team is set to host a six-day series of Facebook Live events celebrating ISKCON Incorporation Day from July 10th to 15th. The theme of the events will be “Reaffirming the Seven Purposes of ISKCON.”
Husband and wife Radhe Radhe Devi Dasi and Nandanandana Das, second generation devotees and disciples of Bir Krishna Goswami, are running a series of online kirtan festivals to bring devotees around the world together during the COVID-19 pandemic.
When devotees at the ISKCON temple in Sydney, Australia, couldn’t organize their regular full-fledged outdoor Rathayatra festival due to COVID-19 restrictions, they decided to bring the whole city of Puri and a new custom-built chariot into their temple room for a small indoor Rathayatra.
Despite cancelation due to the Coronavirus, the show still had to go on with many performances, highlights and activities being broadcast online or on TV instead. The devotees were no exception. Organisers of ‘GlastHomeBury’ made a special request for the Hare Krishnas to take part.
The Vice Principal of TKG Academy is offering online bhakti courses for teenagers during the COVID-19 pandemic, teaching them The Nectar of Instruction using Srila Prabhupada’s purports and Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
The program has delivered talks by some of the most illustrious speakers in the Hare Krishna Movement eight times a week online, providing the kind of experience that would have been hard to find even before the pandemic began.
Amphan, which was the most powerful cyclone ever recorded in the Bay of Bengal before it weakened, destroyed homes, trees and bridges, and left rural areas without power or communications.
ISKCON Communications Minister Anuttama Dasa, in collaboration with the Bhaktivedanta College, Radhadesh, adapted the 'ISKCON Communications' training he gives world-wide in the classroom to the online environment.
With everyone in self-isolation and practicing social distancing due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, devotees are coming up with more and more creative ways to associate with each other and hold events virtually that would previously have taken place in person.
Most ISKCON members around the world are now in “lockdown” due to the corona virus pandemic, and struggling to maintain regular association with other devotees. However, due to modern technology, there are various daily live virtual classes, discussions, japa circles that devotees can take advantage of.
After two major earthquakes on the morning of March 22nd, all inhabitants of Zagreb ran out of their homes. Luckily, ISKCON's Nova Jaladuta temple building did not suffer any major damage, an the Sri Sri Gaura Nitai Deities have been worshiped without disruption.
6200 students from 22 different schools of North Delhi, India participated in first Value Education Olympiad organized by ISKCON Punjabi Bagh.
With different countries around the world at different stages of COVID-19 precautions, ISKCON Mayapur has introduced its own safety measures for visitors, community devotees, and stranded foreign devotees.
A few weeks ago, Dhanurdhara Swami approached the GBC Executive Committee with the idea of possibly being reinstated as a member of ISKCON. The GBC EC has discussed the topic and issued a statement.
In Italy, the worst hit country in Europe, neither the general public nor devotees can visit the temple because all places of worship – churches, mosques, temples – have been closed down, and everyone has been quarantined in their homes.
At least 1,200 children in North America are enrolled in official ISKCON Sunday Schools every week. Sunday School educators are set to gather for a Sunday School and Youth Education Conference at ISKCON Baltimore from May 29th to 31st, to develop a common vision and share best practices.
