Festival of India
Dear devotees, Hare Krishna!
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!
Although little late with this report I still can't resist not to share with you little nectar from "Festival of India" that was on 16 of April this year in the congress hall of hotel "Marjan" in Split.
It was wonderful opportunity for all the members of Split congregation to fully dive into a cooperative serving moode, which they did to the best of their abilities. Practically every member of the congregation in the city was engaged in hepling to let happen one of the greatest Hare Krishna programs in this area.
Not only they engaged themselves wholeheartedly in this service, but they also engaged many other people in the service of the preaching mission of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. Thus we had in help the members of different organizations, such as Sai Baba people, Maharishi people, Yogananda people, Jesus people and others.
Mothers, fathers, grannies, friends….all came and joined to help. It was as if all the bees of different beehives came together to plunder a great flower meadow filled with nectar.
Thus some were writing the invitation letters, some were packing them and addressing them. Some took them and delivered them to mail boxes. Somebody sponsored for letters that had to be sent outside of the city and some brought them to post office.
Another group was going to every-day harinams in the town centre. While one group was singing and dancing, the others were distributing thousands of invitation flyers. Others distributrd books in near of the harinam, yet others were passing out sweet balls. Some accepted service of driving the harinam crew on and of the harinams, some went on the television and advertised the program there, some fortunate souls were colecting the bhoga for the program, some used their hands in cutting and preparing bhoga to be coocked. Some coocked with great care and in love offered everything to the Lord, some were driving all that nectar to the program and some distributed it .
Some arranged for the security guards, others went to register the program in police station. Some decorated the hall, others decorated the stage. Bhajan band was rehearsing their program in detail. "Night crew" decorated the city with posters, others have made the tickets and others tried to find more seats. Someone invited professional Bharat-natyam devotee dancer from Slovenia Sri Radhika dd.
Many sponsored for Srila Prabhupada's books to be distributed on the program. One boy even sponsored the book in the name of his departed father. Some were biting their nails in devotional anxiety… I am unable to cover all the services that devotees were doing with so much surrender and love.
Practically on every side of the city there was someone doing some service for the festival. Even the most famous singer in Croatia bhakta Goran Karan was very busy to make everything succesful and nice. He engaged all of his band crew (they are not devotees-not yet) in the festival. He even offered his entire flat to devotees to stay there while they are preaching in Split. Although it was his flat, he was knocking on the door every time he was going in as it was not his flat but of someone else. For someone who will represent the Croatian nation on this year's "Eurosong" in Stockholm, this is extraordinary humility. We wish him all victory there on 13th of May.
And there was Srila Sacinandana Swami….brilliant, ecstatic and in blisfull preaching spirit as we all know him. He preached to the full hall of 700 people who applauded not just once to the matchless wisdom of the Vedas. His lecture: "Higher connection – how to come in contact with spiritual dimensions and and connect with the Supersoul" was highly esteemed by the audience as well as a slide-show: "Ganga-journey to the source". He danced at the end with Goran Karan and made everyone dance and chant Krishna's holy name. The Goran's band joined, people joined, the crew of the hotel joined, hotel's general director joined, devotees joined in blisful kirtana and made everyone happy.
The next day, newspapers were full with photos of Goran and devotees and to the relief of everyone with only positive words. Goran's fame remained intact if not even greater because of his fearlesness.
That Sunday night 504 books of Srila Prabhupada were distributed to the people, great deal of them sponsored by the congregation. Next evening we again had full hall (a smaller one) with new and old people. Program was till late at night…
Falling at your feet,
Your Servant,
Venugopal Das
