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Srila Prabhupadaâ€™s UK Arrival Festival

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Dear Prabhus,

This year, Saturday, September 10th, we will celebrate Srila Prabhupadaâ€™s first visit to London in 1969 by holding a Maha-Harinam along Oxford Street. Srila Prabhupadaâ€™s initiated disciples, along with many other devotees that were part of ISKCON during the 70â€™s, will gather outside 7, Bury Place at 1:00 p.m. Shortly after this, the Harinama party will set out along Oxford Street. After the street chanting and a brief visit for darshan of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara, the Sankirtan Party will return by coach to Bhaktivedanta Manor for a sumptuous feast, evening arati and an intimate gathering in Srila Prabhupadaâ€™s darshan room.

About 300 devotees were initiated by Srila Prabhupada here in the UK, and there were many more not initiated but who visited and served in the temples. We now humbly request you to help us find as many of them as possible so that they may be invited to take part in this unique one-off celebration. So far, over 40 devotees are coming. E-mail us for more info.

Please read on:

Imagine the following scenario. It is the morning of Saturday, September 10th, a glorious sunny day, and many devotees have been arriving at the Manor since the day before, the Appearance Day of His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktivinode Thakur. Now, on this beautifully bright Indian summerâ€™s day, devotees are wandering around the grounds, chanting their rounds, and meeting up with many old friends. A small, tasty and satisfying breakfast has just been served. Everyone is anticipating the Maha-Harinam, as it is has been many years since most of them have chanted and danced along Oxford Street. The two coaches have arrived and are already loaded with mrdangas, kartals flags, small books and leaflets, as well as packets of prasad. There are also banners with pictures of the Deities and His Divine Grace. Over 100 devotees have turned out for the celebration.

Now, the coaches are flying down the M1 heading towards the Holy Tirtha at 7, Bury Place. On the coachâ€™s sound system, Srila Prabhupada is leading an ecstatic Hare Krishna kirtan. Everyone is relishing the blissful sound of his transcendental voice. We reach Bury Place and, very quickly, the devotees alight from the coaches. Kishor Prabhu, with his powerful and melodious voice, leads us all towards Oxford Street. After chanting on Oxford Street, the party will head off toward Leicester Square for a blissful kirtan which will last about 20 or 30 minutes (or as long as it takes for the police to realise that we are up to our old tricks to again). We will then visit the London Temple at 9/10, Soho Street. Here, Ranchor prabhu will lead the 4:00 p.m. arati, as all the devotees file into the temple room and pay their respects to the most beautiful Deities in the world. Each devotee will be given a small bag of maha-prasad.

Then, back to Bhaktivedanta Manor. At around 5:30 p.m., we will be served a sumptuous feast, followed by arati, led by Krpa Moya Prabhu. Then everyone will gather in Srila Prabhupadaâ€™s darshan room to hear selected excerpts from some of the most ecstatic recordings of His Divine Grace during his many London visits. For example, at the airport on the day of his first visit to the UK, he boldly replied to reporters who asked. â€œWhat have you come to teach us?â€

â€œI have come to teach you what you have forgottenâ€”God.â€

â€œThese boys and girls who are following me, they are very elevated. They are not ordinary boys and girls…â€â€¦â€¦

A few years later during darshan in his rooms at The Manor, he made the following statement:

â€œIn your last lives you were all brahmanas, otherwise how could you so quickly come to this platform of Krishna consciousness. Actually, you were all ordered by my Guru Maharaja to take birth to help me to spread this movement.â€ His Divine Grace then lent back, paused briefly while he looked at us, and then with a most beautiful smile said, â€œAnd now we are all together againâ€.

Jaya Prabhupada !!!

Our hope is that all the devotees taking part in this wonderful transcendental festival will experience being â€˜all together againâ€™. We have arranged for the whole day to be filmed. Copies will be made available to all that attend.

The festival is being organised independently from the temples by the small group of devotees listed below. We would like to thank the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple President, Srutidharma Prabhu, along with the entire Senior Management Committee for their encouragement and support. When we initially approached them with this idea, they were very enthusiastic and immediately offered to pay for the feast.

We have provisionally booked two coaches for the day, so please confirm your attendance as soon as possible.

For further details, and to book a coach seat, please phone or e-mail. See details below.

gokula.vegcafe@virginmedia.com

Tel: 01923-353289
Mobile: 07910-920056

Yours in service to Srila Prabhupada,

Param Vijayate Sri Krishna Sankirtanam!

Kishor das Sri Kama dd
Bhajahari das Ramya dd
Satyaraja das Yogamaya dd
Trinadapi das Jyestha dd

PLEASE HELP US TO FIND AS MANY DEVOTEES AS POSSIBLE.

ALL GLORIES TO SRILA PRABHUPADA!

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