By Mayapurtv staff
A Brief Background of MayapurTV:
- MayapurTV began life as a congregational preaching resource.
- In 2004, MayapurTV started out under the name of IskconLife.tv, as a text chat program to serve the UK congregation. As the technology became available, webcam broadcasts of classes and book readings from devotees homes were introduced.
- In 2008, Mayapur TV installed cameras in the temple room of ISKCON London, and soon other temples began to use the MayapurTV broadcast service. Los Angeles (who had already pioneered this service), Bhaktivedanta Manor, Punjabi Bagh and Mayapur to name a few, soon followed.
- By 2014, along with numerous sannyasis and leading devotees, over 100 ISKCON Institutions broadcast with MayapurTV. Through Mayapur.tv, over 10,000 registered devotees as well as casual viewers have immediate access to live ISKCON activities worldwide. Mayapur.tv regularly facilitates broadcasters who brings the society together for big events – Rathayatras, International Kirtan Melas, the annual Sri Mayapur Festival. For instance, on the day of the Gaura Purnima Pancha-tattva abhiseka in 2014 there were over 2,000 homes/temples connected at the same time and over 10,000 unique visits, making this a truly world-wide record-breaking ISKCON celebration.
Goals of Mayapur TV
- To facilitate temples’ congregational development by providing a broadcast platform on which they can put their online morning program.
- To inspire new-comers and general devotees by providing free access to ISKCON programs worldwide – all viewable in the one place.
- To encourage broadcasts of ISKCON events of world importance online, bringing the ISKCON society together across the world – accommodating viewers in unlimited numbers.
- To heal devotees who have become estranged by providing live broadcasts to bring back their memories of the wonderful nature of Krishna Conscious practice.
- To fight negative propaganda by showing the live practices of a healthy ISKCON around the world.
- To create awareness within ISKCON of Sri Mayapur Dham, especially while the TOVP is manifesting. Thus the web address was called www.mayapur.tv instead of www.iskcon.tv .
- To give credit for the endeavours of MayapurTV volunteers and donors to the good name of ISKCON and Sri Dham Mayapur.
- To create goodwill towards Mayapur World HQ by providing this service to temples and devotees free in the name of ISKCON Mayapur.
- To create a broadcast in Sri Mayapur that will set a high standard for devotees worldwide.
- To bring the live broadcasts to the outside world when the standard is suitable.
- From the Mayapur Cable TV in West Bengal – to promote Srila Prabhupada, Lord Chaitanya and Sri Navadwip Dham in the Bengali language in the land of Lord Chaitanya and Srila Prabhupada. And to extend our reach into Kolkata.
- To contribute as much as possible towards setting up a satellite channel to represent ISKCON within the near future – like different ‘Sanatana Dharma’ groups already have – pulling in different international broadcasts when the bandwidth is adequate.
Present Activities of Mayapur TV
- We help temples and individuals to broadcast, providing any advice needed with equipment, and train them to use the MayapurTV broadcast platform. See www.mayapur.tv/broadcast
- Our programmers maintain the technically sophisticated MayapurTV platform, programming our main server and our web software, including writing apps for iPhone and Android as well as upcoming technology like Google TV. See www.mayapur.tv/a1/profiles
- We maintain our own streaming server in the UK. When there are more than 1,000 viewers, we have the tehnology to link to other servers to share the load.
- We host the recordings for all our broadcasters, and have facility for them to build their own archives for their websites.
- We personally broadcast certain iconic ISKCON events online, such as the Gaura Purnima festival and London Rathayatra – allowing thousands of viewers to participate from afar. And we facilitate others to do so also, such as the famous Radhadesh Mellows broadcast and Rome Rathayatra, London Janmasthami, etc.
- We reach the general public with appropriate live broadcast material. We are already on local Cable TV in the Mayapur Dham area. We are also in the process of developing a Youtube live channel showing whatever is best on MayapurTV at any given time.
- The live broadcast from ISKCON Mayapur HQ is started, funded and managed by MayapurTV – there is a permanent staff of four people there funded by MayapurTV donors. They manage what has now become the top standard of ISKCON broadcasts with high-quality equipment paid for by MayapurTV donors.
- We engage many volunteer staff around the world – Mayapur TV provides nearly unlimited service for congregational devotees. The management devotees are all self-supporting in all respects and live mainly in the UK and the US at present.
Achievements of Mayapur TV
- Over 12,000 viewers are registered for chat on MayapurTV.
- Over 120 ISKCON devotees/temples now broadcast on MayapurTV.
- Over 2,000 viewers watched Gour Purnima 2014 at the same time, with over 12,000 logging on and off during the same period. This is a very large broadcast for any religious event.
- Many people around the world are engaged voluntarily doing broadcasting, camera work and different activities connected with broadcasting because of MayapurTV.
- Many temples/individuals have begun broadcasting who wouldn’t have bothered if MayapurTV were not around.
- Over 3,000 hours of recordings from around the world are hosted on our server.
- Bhaktivedanta Manor, Los Angeles, London, Punjabi Bhag, Sri Mayapur and others have strong on-line followings for their morning programs, facilitated by MayapurTV.
- Kirtan Mela’s worldwide have become regular temple events in part because of their popularising on MayapurTV.
- Many viewers tell how MayapurTV has changed their lives.
- MayapurTV has begun the first devotee-controlled Cable-TV broadcast in the world.
What Mayapur TV has to offer.
- MayapurTV offers a ready-made solution for temples to broadcast live into their congregations homes.
- MayapurTV gives free advice on setting up, according to temple budget. We provide forums where temple broadcasters can exchange ideas and post questions. As well as Sri Mayapur, we have already done complete installations in London and Ujjain. Otherwise we give advice when requested.
- The software has a chat so temple leaders or congregation leaders can interact with members online. The chat is login only, so disturbing elements can be removed.
- The admins can access their temple chat database.
- The software has places to put the current class text as well.
- If a congregation lives away from a local temple, the Mayapur morning program repeats at different times, allowing those members to attend.
- MayapurTV provides service opportunity for congregational members. For instance, in ISKCON London, everything, even the camera control (remotely), is done by the congregation.
- When speakers know their class is being broadcast and recorded, they do a better job.