A look at the worldwide activities of the
International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
Soviet Devotee Speaks at White House Conference
Washington, D.C. Vedavyasa dasa, a member of the Hare Krsna movement in the Soviet Union, and Kirtiraja dasa, director of the Committee to Free Soviet Hare Krishnas (CFSHK), were invited to attend a conference held at the White House on "Religious Rights in the Soviet Union." President Ronald Reagan opened the conference with an address to the three hundred participants, including members of the White House staff, state department and other government officials, and representatives of various human rights groups and religious organizations with membership in the Soviet Union. Everyone listened with interest when Vedavyasaone of around ten participants selected to address the assemblygave details of the persecution of Soviet devotees of Krsna.
Dr. Peter Reddaway, director of the Kennan Institute here and an authority on dissent, repression, and psychiatric abuse in the Soviet Union, also mentioned the plight of the Soviet devotees in his talk.
The CFSHK prepared a special thirty-two-page report that was distributed at the conference. The report includes the latest information about the persecuted devotees and letters of appeal from the Soviet devotees to President and Mrs. Reagan. The letter to Mrs. Reagan was signed by the wives of three imprisoned devotees. For a copy of the report send $5.00 to CFSHK, Almviks Gard, 15300 Jarna, Sweden.
Krsna Comics Have Arrived
Miami Beach – The Cultural Institute for the Vedic Arts (CIVA) has announced the publication of "The Advent," a thirty-two-page full color comic book, the first in a series of comic books recounting the pastimes of Lord Krsna as described in the Vedic literature and presented in the writings of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. "The Advent" relates the history of Lord Krsna's descent to earth fifty centuries ago. The episode concludes in "The Confrontation," the second volume in the series, which will be out soon.
CIVA founder Yadurani-devi dasi, the illustrator for the Krsna comics project, has done oil paintings for Srila Prabhupada's books for twenty years, and her paintings have been exhibited and appreciated across the United States. The quality of her art is evident on the pages of "The Advent," which she hopes will appeal to adults as well as children. The publication of "The Advent" marks the first time that comics on the Vedic literature have been produced in the West. For more information write or call CIVA, 2445 Collins Ave., Miami Beach, FL 33140/ (305) 532-5042.
New Book on Lord Caitanya
Brooklyn, New York – Satyaraja dasa (Steven Rosen), a frequent contributor to Back to Godhead, has written a book about Lord Caitanya entitled India's Spiritual Renaissance: The Life and Times of Lord Caitanya. The book recounts the life of Lord Caitanya and shows the practicality and efficacy of sankirtana for reviving one's innate spiritual consciousness.
Dr. Thomas J. Hopkins, chairman and professor of the department of religious studies at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, says the book is "an excellent synopsis of the career and teachings of one of the world's greatest spiritual leaders, based on traditional devotional biographies and supplemented by views of modern scholars…. The result is a very accessible introduction to Chaitanya and his message that should inspire readers to explore the rich resources so temptingly summarized in this volume."
The book has won Satyaraja dasa an invitation to speak at a class in medieval Sanskrit poetry at Yale University. The class's professor is considering making the book required reading next term for all his students. Esoterica, the largest New Age bookstore in New York City, recently had Satyaraja do a double book-signing-for India's Spiritual Renaissance and his last book, Food for the Spirit. To obtain a copy of India's Spiritual Renaissance, write to FOLK Books, P.O. Box 400716, Brooklyn, NY 11240.
Lord Krishna's Cuisine Wins Top Award
New York City – Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, by Yamuna Devi, one of Srila Prabhupada's first disciples, won the highest award at the IACP/Seagram Awards for the outstanding food and beverage books published in the United States in 1987. The selection was made by forty-six top food and beverage writers, editors, and cooking authorities from the 1,200-member IACP (International Association of Cooking Professionals). The IACP/hundred entries before selecting Lord Krishna's Cuisine as the winner of the Asian Cooking category, one of thirteen categories, and then as the best cookbook of the year for all categories. It is the first time in the twelve-year history of the awards that a book on Asian cooking has won the top award. And it is especially significant that it is a vegetarian cookbook.
Lord Krishna's Cuisine was published by Bala Books and is being distributed in the United States by E. P. Dutton and Company and in Great Britain by Angus and Robertson, Limited.