By Radha Mohan Das
It has been forty years since ISKCON made its first mark on the streets of London. The unmistakable sounds of cymbals, saffron and shaven heads charmed and startled Oxford Street in London’s West End, reaching the Evening Standard with the headline “Krishna Chant Startles London”. Nowadays ISKCON is woven to the fabric of London life yet still parades of devotees sharing the Holy Names with shoppers, revelers, business people and international tourists is well-known. For example, in a recent survey amongst iconic symbols of London the devotees were voted third after red double-decker buses and black taxi cabs.
1969 was the year that the late George Harrison of the Beatles produced the chart-topping “Hare Krishna Mantra” single, and the Hare Krishnas made their first appearance on British television, singing live on Top of the Pops.
Shyamsundar Das, who was one of the first Krishna devotees in London and a friend of George Harrison, said: “To many, the Hare Krishnas represented the psychedelic spirit of the sixties. Although their philosophy is one of actual abstinence, of non-violence and pure vegetarianism.”
Govindas was one of the first vegetarian restaurants in central London which is still going strong. The first ever Radha Krishna deities in ISKCON were in London and Srila Prabhupada installed them in Bury Place, the first ISKCON temple in the UK near the British Museum. In 1979 the Temple moved to Soho Street, just off Oxford Street which is Europe’s busiest shopping street.
To celebrate the 40th anniversary, the Radha-Krishna Temple celebrated with a week of festivities with special presentations from senior devotees including Yamuna, Shyamasundar, Gurudas and Malati prabhus ending with the final official celebration on Sunday the 22nd November. The main event was a cultural evening at the renowned Troxy Theatre in London on 21st November 2009. The event celebrated the Hare Krishna’s arrival in London and their achievements in the fields of art, culture, spiritual education, Vedic philosophy, food and ecology.
The Troxy theatre, a huge and classy venue, was vibrant with atmosphere as devotees, Patrons, VIPs and well-wishers poured inside. Hundreds of volunteers were present, who were an essential part of the event. The evening included a three course meal which was provided by Soho Street and Bhaktivedanta Manor. The stage program, MC’ed by Kripa Moya prabhu, included performances by The Radha Krishna Temple Band, the Subadra dancers, Krishna Club and not least the Gauravani and his talented band, which included Gurukulis from the US and Britain.
One of the highlights was when Syamasundar, Malati, Guru das and Yamuna prabhus sang the Hare Krishna to the tune that is featured in the original Radha Krishna Temple Album. Many devotees were in tears and everyone stood with arms raised.
“As the Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster it was a pleasure to take part in the celebrations marking the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in London,” said Mark Field MP , Key note speaker at last Saturday’s Gala Dinner. “The chanting processions of the orange-garbed devotees in Oxford Street have become a welcome and indeed exotic part of the city’s multi-cultural landscape. The help that members of the Hare Krishna movement have given to the homeless has been much appreciated and I hope that they will continue their good work for many years to come.”
Editors Notes:
PHOTOS – Royalty free, no copyright attached to any pictures downloaded from the following link.
I was fortunate to watch this event online and it was so wonderful to see all the devotees chanting, dancing, feasting, worshiping, remembering, fraternizing, loving one another and planning for the future together at the lotus feet of Srila Prabhupada’s beloved Sri Sri Radha Londonisvara. Thanks so much to everyone concerned who made this event so beautiful, hopeful and touching. And a special prayer for Mother Janaki who couldn’t attend due to illness. We remember you and thank you for your great austerities in serving Srila Prabhupada. All glories to the assembled devotees. All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
I wake up to the iPod filtering THE RADHA KRISHNA ALBUM through my radio…bhaja mana hunre. That nasal voice of Jamuna dd is better than any rock singer’s voice by far! What people may or may not know it that those early devotees and those who came after them in London, the Bury Place Temple, were so sweet natured! My every visit there, whether in 1971 en route to Bangladesh, or later on repeated visits going to and from South Africa, I always felt my spiritual batteries charged by visiting those beautiful bhaktas. Tribhuvanath Prabhu was one of them as well and he was typical of the beautiful hearts that Sri Krishna brought together. And, one could sit before the Dieties of Sri Sri Radha Londoniswara, in the intimate temple room of Bury Place, and simply become mesmerized by Their beauty. For many years I carried Their pictures around with me wherever I travelled. I still have that small fold-open altar pictures of Their beautiful presence.
And, when we needed help in starting South African preaching work, the London Temple offered Janakaraj Prabhu and later Dhiranga Prabhu who were so important to the development of the preaching work in South Africa. Kind-heartedness, generosity, and a blissful family environment pervaded the temple in those days, and brings joy to my heart to remember. Hare Krishna.
Pusta Krishna das