By Iksvaku das
This year, ISKCON Sri Mayapur is commemorating the thirtieth
anniversary of their congregational preaching, or Nama-hatta. The
initiative constitutes a milestone in fulfilling the desires of Sri
Caitanya and the previous acaryas.
It started in West Bengal when a group of western and Bengali
devotees, followers of Srila Prabhupada, began to preach Krishna
consciousness in the villages around Mayapur. Despite the lack of
facilities, the results were surprising: in less than one year
thirty Nama-hatta sangas were formed.
In 1980, during the first congregational convention or
Nama-hatta Mela in Mayapur, one hundred and fifty
representatives attended. In the following years the program grew
exponentially to more than two thousand active groups; the current
estimate is that 39,000 people are participating in Nama-hatta
groups in this area.
This was a rebirth of the Nama-hatta program
established by Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura more than one hundred
years ago. The present event is particularly significant since
ISKCON's Nama-hatta preaching began in Sri Mayapur, the same holy
place where Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu and His associates commenced
the Sankirtan movement, where Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura
established the central offices of his Nama-hatta program, and
where Srila Prabhupada established ISKCON’s world
headquarters.
Celebrations will include a regional convention on Nityananda
Trayodasi in ISKCON's Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir.
Representatives of different congregational groups from West
Bengal, Orissa, Assam, and Bangladesh will gather. This will be the
largest Nama-hatta gathering ever observed in the history of
congregational preaching. This anniversary does not only constitute
a landmark in the development of the Mayapur project, but also in
ISKCON's preaching mission, particularly in the area of
congregational expansion.
Our Ministry of Congregational Development is taking up this
opportunity to launch a worldwide campaign that aims at increasing
the movement’s awareness of the benefits of cultivating and
involving the congregation. The campaign involves a number of
articles and presentations by some of the pioneer preachers from
Mayapur such as HH Jayapataka Maharaja, HH Bhakti Raghava Maharaja,
HH Bhakti Purusottama Maharaja, HH Gauranga Prema Maharaja, and
others.
We are scheduling seminars and workshops to be held during the
coming Gaura Purnima festival where preachers from around the world
will elaborate on the strategies and obstacles to successfully
develop congregations.
During this time, and as an offering to Srila Prabhupada and the
previous acaryas, the seminal book of Srila Bhaktivinoda
Thakura, Godruma Kalpatavi, “The Desire Trees of
Godruma,” translated and commented upon by HH Jayapataka
Maharaja, will be released and made available to the community of
devotees. This text provides a clear layout of the organization and
methods utilized in spreading the holy name to every town and
village.
