Blog

By Vrajendranandan Das
Director National Communications (India)

Respected Maharajas and Prabhus,

Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.

By the blessings of Srila Prabhupada and after constant follow ups from our end, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja, Governing Body Commissioner, ISKCON and the undersigned had the privilege of a very special audience with Shri. Ramnath Kovind, the Honorable President of India, today -20th October, 2017.

The President received Maharaja and me very respectfully and warmly. He was completely familiar with ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada. He praised ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada for preaching the message of Bhagavad Gita across the world. He mentioned that we are doing a “bada karya” or great work.

HH Gopal Krishna Goswami Maharaja outlined ISKCON’s preaching activities around the world and reinforced it further by gifting the President a copy of ISKCON’s 50th Anniversary Magazine. We also handed over a Krishna Art Book, Narasimhadeva’s Essence and Mahaprasadam from Govardhan Puja. He was aware how today was auspicious and gracefully received the gifts.

Maharaja glorified Srila Prabhupada and the Bhagavad Gita As It Is. The President of India was so friendly and forthcoming that he asked us to help him out with a few points for his lecture about the Bhagavad Gita, scheduled at Kurukshetra during the Gita Jayanti festival to be organised by the Government this year.

Maharaja also informed him of how various temples are coming up at various stages of construction in Delhi-NCR and he responded positively to our invite to visit our temples.

Overall- he seemed inspired by meeting Maharaja and impressed by ISKCON and Srila Prabhupada’s global contributions. He also recollected our meetings on an earlier occasion.

This was a very fruitful preaching experience and we are confident that during his tenure, the President will be able to support ISKCON on many occasions. Many thanks for your kind attention to this update on the historic meeting with the President. PFA also, some photographs from the occasion.

– Your servant

Vrajendranandan Das Director National Communications (India)