Blog
BTG’s hold on an avid reader
A few years ago, I ran a samosa booth at the annual Vancouver Folk Festival. Customers who purchased samosas would receive a small book with each purchase. A middle-aged woman was very friendly and inquired whether we were the Krishnas. I confirmed that we were, and she responded by saying that when she was a teenager she was playing in the rain in her driveway when she came upon a Back to Godhead magazine lying discarded on the ground. Her parents were very conservative so she kept it concealed under her pillow and would repeatedly read it....
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A change in the annual book distribution awards
After years and years of mainly temples from India getting book distribution awards at the annual Mayapur Festival, some leaders of the India temples suggested that there could be a change so that other temples in the world also receive recognition for their efforts to distribute Srila Prabhupada’s books. I thought that this was thoughtful of them and agreed. We discussed what changes could be made and agreed upon these: 1. The top three temples of each of the seven continents will receive an award. 2. The number-one book distributor on...
read moreHoli in Las Vegas
On a recent visit to California I had the opportunity to taste the nectar of sankirtan. During the seven or so days I went out, I felt amazed to see what a great reputation the devotees have. I cannot remember meeting anyone unfavorable; everyone spoke positively about devotees. This is clear testimony to the wonderful service the devotees perform here. I stayed mostly in LA, though I was invited to join a group heading to Las Vegas to distribute books at the first Holi festival there. After mangala-arati we loaded the books, and I jumped...
read morePresenting Krishna more directly
At Botany Downs town centre in Auckland, I stopped a mother with two young daughters. I started to ask my standard multiple-choice questions. The mom looked like she was being pulled down the street by rope, so I kept firing out the questions and bad jokes until I grabbed her attention. She mentioned that she was very spiritual, but did not follow a religion. I replied that neither did I. I started presenting Krsna's nonsectarian teaching in the Bhagavad-gita. She still looked a bit skeptical, so I had not showed her through a book so...
read moreLatvian Ambassador graciously receives Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita
Latvian Ambassador graciously receives Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad Gita from devotees. They are very appreciative of ISKCON’s Food for Life program in...
read moreA new method in Pune for distributing full sets
While out on the street distributing books in Pune, India, I met a young couple. The girl was interested in the pocket-size Bhagavad gita. The boy said, “We’ll take one later." The girl said that she had the bigger version and wanted to have the small version. So he took out a 1000-rupee note and asked me to give him 850 rupees back. I did, and thanked them. What I learned is that is always good to have sufficient change and not to be casual to or neglect anybody, as people still respect the Gita. Also, last week we prepared...
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