by Ajamila Dasa acbsp, 2nd August 2018
Srila Prabhupada stated in a letter dated 8th October 1971:
“Yesterday we had a very successful meeting in the University of Nairobi; the exact words used in the newspaper report [are] as follows: “ISKCON SWAMI EXPLAINS PHILOSOPHY . . . Impeccable showmanship was matched with unimpeachable philosophy of Gita at a jam-packed Taifa Hall in the University of Nairobi yesterday evening when about 2000 people and undergraduates listened to Acarya Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and his disciples who presented the `Hare Krishna Revolution’ “
During his visits to Kenya, East Africa, Srila Prabhupada emphasized preaching to both the African and Indian communities. Since the largely Gujarati Indian community are already raised in Vedic culture their participation in Krishna consciousness is spontaneous and substantial. However, the response from the African community preaching programs till recently was not the same. Preaching to university students on their campuses or elsewhere, as Srila Prabhupada had specifically instructed, was not producing devotees.
But, after 30 years of being the ISKCON Nairobi Temple President and now Regional Secretary, HG Umapati Prabhu gkg, and his wonderful team have made a brilliant breakthrough in preaching to university students in Kenya universities.
I was the TP in Nairobi from 1975 to 1982 and I know very well the extremely challenging situations preachers face in Kenya. After 36 years I returned to see the progress. Under my almost 7 year watch the preaching on the one side to the Indian community resulted in newly initiated Indian devotees and an increase of life members from 350 to 1,500. Substantial preaching was made with the African community too in terms of newly initiated devotees, Back to Godhead magazine in Kiswahili, regular performance of street and temple kirtans, and prasadam distribution. But all along our outreach to the students at the university campuses has met with very limited results and this of course left Srila Prabhupada’s cherished desire unfulfilled.
But here is how HG Umapati Prabhu and his amazing team, who unreservedly passes all the credit to his guru, HH Gopal Krishna Goswami, has undoubtedly brought a huge smile to the lotus face of Srila Prabhupada.
Not far from the ISKCON Nairobi Temple lies the Kenyatta University. The attending students stay nearby in hostels and their parents pay for the rental accommodation.
Umapati Prabhu purchased land and buildings for ISKCON right next to the temple with financial support from the ISKCON dedicated Indian community. Here is the deal the students are now happily embracing:
In one of the ISKCON buildings right near the temple is a HKTC (Hare Krishna Training Centre). It’s a university student hostel with a capacity for around 90 students and is currently filled with around 60 students. The quality of the hostel is far superior to any other hostels near the university (a group of students personally told me this). The attending students pay only HALF the going rate and get a superior quality hostel, and that’s a big saving for which their parents are most grateful. The only requirement for the students is additionally abide by the ashram rules such as following the four regulative principles and chanting minimum four rounds of the Hare Krishna maha mantra daily – and they embrace it. I saw at least 20 students early in the morning with hands in bead bags enthusiastically chanting japa. Included, of course, is a delicious vegetarian diet of Krishna prasadam.
I gained more insight when for several days I accepted the offer to give classes starting at 6.30am in the hostel, then Bhagavatam class in the temple nearby which is optional for the students, then some classes again for available students during the day, and finally an evening class in the beautiful basement community hall under the temple. The students are bright, thoughtful, enthusiastic, appreciative and very keen to hear and learn more about Krishna consciousness. I thought, “This is a preacher’s paradise.”
Mature English speaking preachers from any part of the world are invited to visit Nairobi and regularly preach to university students who want to hear, learn, and be trained in Krishna consciousness. (Please contact: umapati.gkg@gmail.com Nice facilities are provided.)
It’s a win-win deal between ISKCON preachers and the university students. Gone are the days of taking students out of universities, shaving their heads, and putting them into robes and only to later see them subsiding back to where they came from and for most the return is never. I was able to confidently preach: “You don’t have to shave your head, we only want you to shave your ignorance. We don’t want you to change your dress, we only want you to change your consciousness.”
It’s an amazing win-win preaching deal. The material needs of the students are nicely provided, giving them a substantial saving and decent accommodation lifestyle. Although ISKCON is only getting half the rent it’s a very small sacrifice for the sake of fulfilling Srila Prabhupada topmost wishes for university students preaching in Kenya.
HG Govinda Prema Prabhu gkg and HG Manasi Ganga Mataji (LokSw) are also contributing architects to the program which harmoniously blends the African and Indian communities preaching which until now was always a difficult challenge given the wide range of cultural differences.
Check out on the following link a recent kirtan led and performed predominantly by Kenyan African devotees in the ISKCON Nairobi temple in front of the Deities: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncr22GIXpm8
The ISKCON Nairobi temple has expanded incredibly over the last 30 years under the watchful eyes of HG Umapati Prabhu. The temple is self-sufficient because of purchasing next door lands and buildings that contain a total of around 32apartments which again are rented out at half the going rate to mostly initiated congregation devotees who can frequent the temple programs and render various essential temple services. So its another win-win arrangement. In the process the capital assets of ISKCON Nairobi have increased by at least 100 times and thus the future maintenance and further expansions for Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON African Mission in East Africa are assured. It’s a brilliant working model that might work in other parts of the world too.
Not to mention the book distribution would render this article most incomplete. HG Dwaraka Vasini d.d. has been going out regularly on book distribution in Nairobi for the last 14 years. She enlivens many other devotees to distribute books. The takers of Srila Prabhupada’s books are predominantly the local Kenyan people many of whom now have significant disposable income. Kenya’s record is one of a power house for transcendental book distribution in the African continent.
ISKCON Nairobi Sri Sri Radha Bankebihari Temple
The ISKCON Mombasa temple is headed by HG Ananda Prabhu gkg who has been serving as TP in two temples there for 16 years. One temple in the town centre, with a busy restaurant and guest house accommodation, is a dynamic conversion of an existing very big two story building. The second is an even bigger temple (pictured below) which is newly built by ISKCON and has a high level of Vastu compliancy. The wide range of preaching taking place therein contains facilities for education courses, weddings, prasadam catering, Food Relief prasadam distribution, and guest housing – and its just a few minutes walk to a clean Mombasa beach coastline. Preaching to the African community university students is in the beginning stages but its rapidly following the example of Nairobi. (Interested English speaking preachers please contact HG Ananda Prabhu: iskconmsa2011@gmail.com The facilities and weather are all very nice.)
ISKCON Mombasa Sri Sri Rukmini Dwarakadish Temple near the beach.
The ISKCON Kisumu temple. Watch out for the newly planned Vastu compliant temple which promises to be yet another jewel for Srila Prabhupada’s ISKCON preaching in Kenya, East Africa. The TP of the temple is HG Pundarik Prabhu gkg who has been serving there for 25 years. The temple Gujarati sweets and savouries prasadam are literally selling like hotcakes and the quality – with guaranteed no meat-contaminated white sugar – is par excellence. It’s better than what is available even in India in my experience. The Radha Madan Mohan Deities are exquisitely beautiful. Every day prasadam in the form of ISKCON Food for Life is being distributed to the tune of 15,000 plates every month (the Nairobi and Mombasa distribution is even higher). Preaching to the university students in the Kisumu region is in the formation stages and will soon follow Nairobi on an appropriate scale. (Interested English speaking preachers please contact HG Pundarika Prabhu: Pvsoni@hotmail.com He provides very nice facilities.)
ISKCON Kisumu Sri Sri Radha Madan Mohan Temple
I have absolutely no doubt that Srila Prabhupada is very, very, very pleased with the dynamic preaching in his ISKCON Kenya.
Ajamila Dasa acbsp with university students in Nairobi
Hoping this meets you well. Hare Krishna!
Your servant
Ajamila Dasa acbsp