The ISKCON 50 Global Office has appealed to ISKCON centres around the world to consider flagging off their local 50th anniversary celebrations by holding a commemoration event to mark the departure of Srila Prabhupada from Kolkata on board the Jaladuta.
Srila Prabhupada travelled aboard the Jaladuta a steamship of the Scindia Navigation Company from Kolkata on 13th August 1965 and arrived in Boston Harbour on 17th September 1965. On the way, the Jaladuta docked in Colombo, Cochin and Port Said.
The global celebrations for ISKCON’s 50th anniversary will be flagged off by mega-events in India, Sri Lanka and America that will track Srila Prabhupada’s epic journey on the Jaladuta from Kolkata to Boston in 1965.
Although major events are being planned in the actual cities associated with the Jaladuta journey, local centres around the world can also conduct commemorative events to celebrate Srila Prabhupada’s epic journey. Local centres can have a VIP event in a prestigious location, a maha-harinama kirtan, a youth festival or a special Sunday programme with VIP guests to mark the occassion and generate local publicity. It will mark the formal beginning of the 50th Anniversary in your area, and will provide an important anchor for your congregations, supporters and local stakeholders to start participating in the year long celebrations.
On August 13th, the day that Prabhupada boarded the Jaladuta, devotees in Kolkata have planned a VIP event at Khidirpur Dock. This will be followed by a programme on August 14th at the Ravindra Sarovar auditorium for several key supporters, senior disciples of Prabhupada and thousands of congregation members. A national youth festival with delegates travelling from all over India will be held on August 15th at the prestigious Science City Auditorium. The culmination of the grand celebrations will see 25000 people attending a satsang and kirtan programme at the Netaji Indoor Stadium.
The Kolkata events will be followed by a programme organized by Bhaktivinode Swami in Cochin, South India. Prabhupada’s ship, the Jaladuta stopped at Cochin to load Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavatam set before leaving for America. Devotees in Colombo in Sri Lanka have also planned a grand kirtan along Harbour Road with giant cut-outs of Prabhupada to celebrate the day the Jaladuta docked there.
To commemorate Prabhupada’s landing in Boston, devotees have planned major festivities from September 17 to 19th. The main event in Boston is planned to be held at the famous Fanniel Hall and will be attended by VVIPs, celebrities, senior ISKCON devotees and hundreds of other community members. Other events being planned for the weekend celebrations include a boat ride around Boston harbour and a kirtan procession at Boston pier.
The ISKCON 50 Global Office has provided a template of events that local centres can consider for organising their own Jaladuta event: 1. VIP Event : Organise a special event with local VIPs (politicians, business leaders, faith representatives, civil servants and donors) in the temple or in a hired hall to celebrate the Jaladuta journey. This could be done on the actual day Prabhupada departed (13th August 1965) or the day Prabhupada arrived in Boston (17th September 1965) or in any weekend near these dates that may suit your local needs.
Centres can include the following in the VIP event:
- Speeches by senior devotees on the significance of Srila Prabhupada’s journey and how he carried the message of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the Bhagavad-gita on the orders of his spiritual master to deliver the whole world
- Speeches by dignitaries citing the relevance of Prabhupada’s message to modern times
- Plays about Srila Prabhupada
- Music and dance appropriate for the audience
- Presenting of 50th anniversary souvenirs to VIP guests (if available)
- Prasadam feast
2. Youth festival
- Festival with special interactive programmes, lectures, debates, quiz contests, plays, team-building exercises, games and entertainment
- Invite local youth icons if possible
- Seminar or discussion on issues of topics of interest to your local youth
- Involve local government representatives who look after youth empowerment
- Partner with local youth organisations that can align to ISKCON
3. Kirtan festival
- 24 hour kirtan festival with the best kirtaniyas in your area
- Publicise widely in the congregation, local media and other Hindu organisations around your centre
- Invite famous kirtaniyas or senior devotees where possible
- Have a wide range of musical instruments and invite various artistes where appropriate
4. Maha Harinama
- Organise a maha-harinama procession with as many congregation devotees as possible
- Add some attractions to the harinama: deities carried on palanquins or small carts, devotees in costumes, bullock carts and other attractions where possible, banners of the 50th anniversary
- Optionally, have a festival at the beginning or the end, either in the temple or in a park or in a hired hall with some local VIPs and dignitaries. If a full-scale festival is not possible, try to organise a play or a dance or some form of entertainment at the end of the procession with lectures by senior devotees
5. Maha Sunday programme
- On the Sunday nearest to a Jaladuta milestone, you can convert your Sunday programme into a Jaladuta programme
- Invite senior devotees to lecture about Prabhupada’s journey on the Jaladuta. This can be a series of lectures if appropriate, spread over a few days; or just on the single Sunday
- Enact a play centred around Prabhupada’s journey
- Sing ‘Markine bhagavad-dharma’ and other songs in the temple room or during the Sunday programme
- Readings of the Jaladuta Diary and reflections by senior devotees
- Posters of ISKCON 50 and announcements of major ISKCON 50 events around the world
- If you cannot do this on a Sunday, you could just convert the above into a special Jaladuta Realisations event
The ISKCON 50 Global Office appeals to every centre to organise at least one or more of the above events depending on the resources available. This will officially kick-start the 50th anniversary celebrations at your centre.
Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
For more details, contact:
50th Anniversary Global Office: info@iskcon50.org
International Coordinator: romapada@iskcon50.org
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