Sat 30 Mar – Disciple meet
Getting together and getting to know each other a bit better is the first step to fulfil the mission of Kadamba Kanana Swami. And this meeting, or sanga, of disciples and friends was the first of its kind. The big screen was again available and Pavana gopa was again ready to amplify our voices.
After a small power outage, expertly fixed by Bhakta Vatsala, the sanga headed of with kirtan. Our mc today was Sanatan Goswami and he guided us through this exciting event. The Kadamba foundation took the stage and Sanatan show the video by Kadamba Kanana Swami where he speaks about the foundation and its mission. Afterwards he ran through the many things the foundation managed to do in one year.
Giriraja in Vrindavan
Next up were Surabhi and Madhurya who gave us an insight into the new book ‘Giriraja in Vrindavan’ and the production involved. Most of us already managed to secure a copy of this wonderful photo book.
New York
Now it’s time for New York. Hari Vilasa and Aditya made a lively depiction of the current and future plans of ISKCON NY. And with the financial support by maharaja himself, and his vision, they were eager to open a new cafe called ‘The Kadamba Cafe’, situated in the heart of Brooklyn. Kadamba Kanana Swami really wanted to go BIG in NY.
African preaching
Continuing with African preaching. Vibhu Caitanya was invited to speak on the current and new projects that are happening, and about to happen, for the African people in South Africa. Maharaja himself spoke on African preaching through video and Vibhu Caitanya expanded on the ideas that Maharaja depicted.
WUSA – Wake up South Africa
Atma Tattva and Manukanya are the main organisers, cooks, shoppers, drivers, basically they are the WUSA project… Maharaja invested his time, money and energy in getting this project started by acquiring the property, making sure it was up to preaching standards and that it was maintained with support from ISKCON in South Africa. Atma Tattva and Manukanya organize all the programs for the local African people to introduce them in a soft, modern, way to Krishna. The foundation has started direct financial support to the WUSA project for 2024.
And Sanatan closed of the presentation by a round of questions and answers.
Quiz time
Now it’s time to get more interactive. As a surprise Krishna Kirtan organised a KKS Quiz. He first prepared us physically by having us stretch our muscles a bit followed up by in short intro into the quiz. The prices, for 1, 2nd and 3rd place, would by special maha items from Kadamba Kanana Swami.
With our phones ready to play the quiz we quickly ran through 20 funny and serious questions about the life, teaching and media from Maharaja. “How many studio albums did maharaja publish”, “How many disciples are registered”, etc. It went at a fast pace and the one with the quickest response would claim 1st prize. And it was Visvambhara caitanya that ran off with the first prize, a shoe worn by Kadamba Kanana Swami.
After the quiz it was time for a little workshop. Again headed by Krishna Kirtan, we were divided into groups and each group was tasked to discuss topics on how to help the foundation, make maharaja’s ideas come to reality. Afterwards the most interesting ideas were presented and discussed. They will serve as a good base for us, and the foundation, to work on the coming year.
Sun 31 Mar – Govardhana
Our second safari would take us to Govardhana, specifically the area behind the new retreat center and joining again were Janananda and Jayadvaita swami. Enjoy the photos…
Till next year?!
Photos by Padmanabha
