Srila Prabhupada's Arrival in US - Markine Bhagavata-dharma - Boro Kripa Koile Krishna

Markine Bhagavata-dharma - Boro Kripa Koile Krishna - by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Srila Prabhupada.
"boro-krpa koile krsna adhamer prati / ki lagiyanile hetha koro ebe gati" - sung by Swarup damodar das. Read more song - http://www.vaishnavsongs.com/

49 years back, Srila Prabhupada landed in Boston, USA (September 17th, 1965)

Before Srila Prabhupada was our Srila Prabhupada, he was a sannyasi struggling alone, trying desperately to fulfill the desire of his spiritual master to share Krishna Consciousness in the west in the English language. He struggled tremendously to single-handedly write, publish, and distribute his Back to Godhead magazine. He established the League of Devotees in an attempt to begin a worldwide movement in India. However, his attempts were unfruitful; India simply was not accepting the message of Lord Caitanya on the scale that he was imagining.

Very soon, he realized that America was where he should try to establish his international society. After a difficult journey by ship on which he suffered two heart s, Srila Prabhupada arrived to America in 1965. It was in New York City in 1966 that Srila Prabhupada was finally able to establish the International Society for Krishna Consciousness after great struggle. ISKCON had humble yet sweet beginnings, with small storefront temples and a growing amount of followers who were attracted to Srila Prabhupada’s purity and conviction. Today, ISKCON has over 500 temples, farm communities, and restaurants all around the world, and it continues to flourish.

In the summer of 2016, ISKCON will celebrate its 50th anniversary.

A 50th anniversary international committee has been established, to coordinate celebration efforts all around the globe. Ajay Kumar, the project lead, is here in Mayapur at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga to raise awareness and encourage participation for this milestone event. Having worked as an Event Manager at the London 2012 Olympic Games, he’s perfect for the part.

“Landmark celebrations are a great way to speak to people that don’t really know about us,” says Ajay. “We can tell the world that we haven’t just been here for 50 years, but we’ve contributed to society in real positive ways over the last half century. We’ve contributed on a social level, a community level – we have made a very positive impact to the world.”

So what exactly is the mandate of his team?

“We want to provide all centres with a unified way of communicating externally. Ultimately, we also hope that the 50th anniversary celebrations around the world will attract new people to Krishna Consciousness. This milestone event can also provide a platform for younger generations to get involved and showcase their talent. ISKCON is full of talent!”

The team has a number of innovative methods in which they plan to increase awareness of ISKCON to the general public, including creating a feature length film. It is an exciting effort and one that has the potential to bring Srila Prabhupada’s movement to the forefront of mainstream media. It is perfectly fitting that the team is here at the ISKCON Leadership Sanga, sharing their ideas with leaders from all around the world.

Want to get involved? Contact Ajay at ajay@iskcon50.org. [For more videos - http://harekrishnatube.com]