ISKCON Bangalore Ratha Yatra 2011

The annual chariot festival of ISKCON Sri Sri Krishna Balarama was celebrated at Rajajinagar with great pomp and splendor. The utsava deities of Their Lordships Sri Sri Krishna Balarama were carried on beautifully flower decked palanquins from the temple and were placed on to the chariot with traditional procedure. After the ceremonial inauguration of the rathotsava, Their Lordships rode chariot majestically on the streets of Rajajinagar and surrounding areas to bless the devotees. The local residents pulled the chariot, offered their prayers and joined in the Kirtanas with enthusiasm and devotion. The general public and the devotees were in ecstatic mood welcoming the Lord by singing and chanting.

Sri Ashwath Narayan, Malleshwaram MLA, Sri Narendra Babu, Mahalakshmi Layout MLA and Sri S Harish, Nagapura ward Councillor were present as the guests of honor. ISKCON Bangalore President His Grace Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa and Sri Krishna Kalakshetra Director Sri Tiru Dasa were present on the occasion.

 “We pray to The Lord for the well being of the world in general and the Bangaloreans in particular. The rathotsava was started in the year 1988 and it’s Their Lordship’s leela (Pastimes) that happens each year successfully and by Their grace the entire ISKCON Bangalore initiatives has been a great accomplishment. We wish to extend this rathotsava to other parts of Bangalore city too”, said Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, ISKCON Bangalore President.

Sumptuous & tasteful prasadam over 85,000 cups of sweet pongal and over one lakh packeted dry burfi prasadam were distributed by hundreds of youth volunteers to the general public. Bangaloreans responded jubilantly all along the route to the kirtanas and were seen relishing to the taste of hot prasadam.
 

 

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Akshaya Patra bags ICAI gold shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Akshaya Patra bags ICAI gold shield Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the second year in succession.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation, the world’s largest NGO – run midday meal program, has been awarded the Gold Shield for ‘Excellence in Financial Reporting’ by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) for the second year in succession.
 
The award was given based on Akshaya Patra’s Annual Report and the Accounts for the year ending March 31, 2010. Akshaya Patra was selected by a panel of judges on the degree of compliance with accounting standards, statutory guidelines and other relevant pronouncements.
The Gold Shield is the top award given by the ICAI and is only given to those organizations with the highest level of accounting practices.
This recognition is reflective of our commitment to achieve high standards of excellence and transparency in our accounting procedures. This award means a lot to us. We’re very proud of achieving this and we thank ICAI for recognizing Akshaya Patra with this prestigious award,” said Chanchalapathi Dasa, Vice Chairman, Akshaya Patra.
Akshaya Patra maintains a commitment to organizational transparency. The organization is audited by M/s BSR & Co, a leading Indian audit firm, to ensure transparency and accountability of its operations. Furthermore, the Foundation is managed by an independent Board of Trustees, many of whom are leaders in the private sector.
Akshaya Patra is also advised in accounting standards and services by the reputed consulting firm KPMG. Akshaya Patra received the award from Salman Khurshid, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Shri R. Bandyopadyay, Secretary, Ministry of Company Affairs at a function organized for this purpose by ICAI on January 4, 2011 at Vighyan Bhavan, New Delhi.
Among others who were present at the award ceremony include CA. G. Ramaswamy, Vice –President, ICAI, Amarajit Chopra, President, ICAI.

About The Akshaya Patra Foundatio:-
The Akshaya Patra Foundation, a non-profit, secular Trust, evolved the school meal program in the year 2000. It started as a pilot project in five schools in Bangalore, feeding 1,500 children and has now grown into a mammoth endeavour covering over 1.3 million children daily in over 8000 government and government-aided schools in 18 locations spread across eight states in India.
The Foundation expects to reach five million children by 2020. The Akshaya Patra Foundation is an eloquent demonstration of public-private partnership as it is run with part subsidies from the Government, besides financial support from corporates, individuals and philanthropists.

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Srila Prabhupada the only guru in ISKCON- MadhuPandit Dasa

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Bhakti Caru - the Cash collecting Swami

An interesting article from Bhakta Kripa prabhu wherein he rises up to defend HH Bhakti Caru Swami.

 For the record, I have been trying to get in touch with HH Bhakti Caru Swami for several years now, all to no avail.
A bit of a joke, really.
Somehow or other, HH is never available.
I do not know what HH Bhakti Caru Swami does or does not do in the rest of the world, but I do know what he does or does not do when he flies into Bhaktivedanta Manor.
The said Swami's own disciples tell me.
HH Bhakti Caru Swami comes to ISKCON UK on a regular basis, usually to collect cash.
Rumour has it the Swami has just been given a duff diamond by one of his followers, tut tut .
Some of his disciples complain to me that he rarely, if ever, asks them about their spiritual welfare.
He has a cosy relationship with the local management wherein they openly flatter each other.
Maharaja's feet rarely, if ever so to speak, get off the red carpet.
Of course…
we never hear of Maharaja speaking up against all the nonsense that goes on here at Bhaktivedanta Manor,
no... not once.
And why is that?
To put it simply…
no more cash for HH Bhakti Caru Swami!
So when Bhakta Kripa prabhu raves about HH Bhakti Caru Swami's preaching,
one is obliged to ask...
Just what is HH Bhakti Caru Swami preaching?

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HH Bhakti Charu Swami worships shiva

The photographs and accompanying report below, from which our story was taken verbatim, clearly document HH Bhakti Charu Swami (“BCS”) worshipping Lord Shiva in ISKCON Ujjain, India:

 “You also can see some pictures of Maha Shiva Ratri which was celebrated wonderfully at ISKCON Ujjain with our beloved Bhakti Charu Maharaja. Maharaja has announced fasting for all of us for this day.”
(“Shiva Ratri Celebration in Ujjain”, BCS website, posted March 20th, 2008)

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ISKCON comes clean in a probe, but not unwarned

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ISKCON acquitted of denigrating country abroad

BANGALORE: The house committee of the Legislative Assembly has given a clean chit to ISKCON by stating there was no ulterior motive nor was it legally wrong in the organisation collecting donations from public. "As long as the funds so collected in the form of donations are being used for the purpose for which it is being collected, there is nothing wrong," the committee's report states.

The 10member committee was set up in October 2009. BJP MLA Yogish Bhat headed the committee. This was following allegations made by former minister D K Shivakumar that ISKCON had not only misused the foodgrains given by the government but also denigrated the country's prestige abroad by seeking financial help, carrying the photograph of a crying child. "The committee has studied the audit report and is convinced of transparency in its financial transactions. There has been no complaint by anybody against ISKCON either about the quality of food or about any kind of illegalities," the report stated. On the sensitive issue of ISKCON's advertisement carrying the photograph of a crying child and collecting donations in foreign countries, thus denigrating the country's prestige, the committee was of the view that the CDs and photograph submitted by the complainant D K Shivakumar needs to be handed over to the home department for a thorough probe to verify the veracity.

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ISKCON Coventry 3 year old Leads Kirtan

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