CHAKRA (Bhaktivedanta Manor, UK) - This year’s Janmastami festival at Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple, which is possibly the largest Hindu festival to be organized outside India, was observed on Friday 3rd and Sunday 5th September 1999 with great enthusiasm and devotion. The festivities were colorful with vibrant pageantry of song, dance, worship, and theatre. Over 40,000 people gathered to take part in the annual celebration of Lord Krishna’s birthday, known as Janmastami.

The Manor is famous for organizing many festivals, which are attended by thousands of visitors from all over Britain and Europe. These festivals bring out the authentic mood of India’s timeless culture known as ‘Sanatan Dharma’. Visitors at this year’s festival saw a drama entitled ‘Rajasuya Yajna’, Indian classical dancing known as ‘Bharat Natyam’, special exhibitions on Bhagavad-Gita and on the life of Srila Prabhupada. There were also multi-media presentation on Srila Prabhupada and his great contribution to humanity. Those attending had the opportunity to listen to and sing Krishna ‘bhajans’. The Pandava Sena, a youth group based at the Manor, were also very active with their modern contemporary theatre with a strong message to the youth of today. No one left the temple without enjoying delicious ‘prasadam’.

Special guests who attended the occasion included Glenda Jackson MP, His Excellency Lalitman Singh (The High Commissioner for India), Tony McNulty MP (Harrow East), Steven Pound MP (Ealing North), Barry Gardener MP (Brent North), Rudy Vis MP (Barnet and Haringey), K.M. Singh (co-ordination Minister - Indian High Commission), Cllr. Frank Ward (Hertsmere Borough Council), Cllr. Navin Shah (Harrow Council), C.B. Patel (Gujarat Samachar), Captain Krishan Bihari (Regional Director - Air India), B.K.Modi (VHP International President - External) and the mangers and devotees from the Swaminarayan Hindu Mission, London. All the above guests, especially the politicians, pledged their full support for the work of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

The festival attracted tremendous interest and publicity. As far as I know, the following media covered the festivities:

a)BBC South East News - 5 minute live interview on Friday and few minutes’ coverage on Sunday. Information about Janmastami was also put on BBC Ceefax service.

b)LWT/London Tonight/Carlton TV - numerous announcements made about the venue and timing of the festival.

c)Cable TV - MATV, an Asian channel, carried news of the festival.

d)Ethnic TV - exclusive coverage on Zee TV.

e)The Independent Newspaper - carried a large photograph on Saturday of a worshipper with his child in the temple room.

f)Sunrise Radio - carried regular news of the festival on both Friday and Sunday.

g)Regional Radios - BBC Three Counties Radio, BBC Radio Bedforshire, BBC Radio West Midlands and BBC Radio Leicester.

h)Local Papers - Borehamwood Times, Watford Observer, The Review etc.

i)Ethnic Press - Gujarat Samachar, India Weekly, Ammar Deep etc.

j)Channel 4 - one hour documentary of a person on a personal quest to find out the meaning of life. He attended the festival.

k)BBC2 - short profile of a leader of a community in the South East. HH Atmanivedana Swami was filmed during the festival.

© CHAKRA 10-Sep-1999

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