As sacred tour guide Dina Bandhu Dasa approached Varsana, the legendary home of Lord Krishna’s consort Radharani, dusk was falling; but the festivities were only beginning.

Dina Bandhu is one of the privileged few westerners who know about the annual Phul Bangalas – flower palaces – and Kavi Sanmelans – poetry recitals – demonstrated at Varsana and Nandagram, the village of Krishna’s adoptive father Nanda Maharaja.

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. -- Sujoy Bhowmik lives in two worlds.

On most days, he is a pharmacist at a CVS in Columbus. Other days, he is Narottama Das, a devotee of Hare Krishna, who finds peace in West Virginia at the Palace of Gold.

Once a religion whose members gave their life to the movement, the Hare Krishnas today welcome the most devoted people and the casual follower. In the 1970s, many of the members lived in communes. Now many, like Bhowmik, have careers and live outside the movement but are still devoted to their religion.

Andhra Pradesh [India] Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy said today that, with the oil crisis deepening, the time had come to explore alternative energy sources.

Mr. Reddy released a book entitled "Oil: Final Countdown to a Global Crisis and its Solutions" by ISKCON member Sahadeva Dasa at an impressive function. He said the problem was of even more concern for oil importing countries such as India.

Yesterday, on 13th July 2008, Gauri Dasa stepped down from his position as Temple President of Bhaktivedanta Manor after a decision by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness Central Office of Child Protection.

The decision found Gauri Dasa responsible for "inappropriate and excessive corporal punishment" whilst a teacher at an ISKCON affiliated school in India during the 1990's.

TORONTO, ON - After almost 40 years of Ratha-Yatras in North America, a distinct challenge has arisen with respect to how to promote these festivals in new and creative ways.

For many devotees, Ratha-Yatra is equated with radiant colours, resounding vibrance, exciting exhibits and entertainment showcasing the beautiful Vaishnava culture. But from a marketing perspective, argue some devotees, perhaps our messaging has become a bit repetitive.

As you may have noticed, ISKCON News is going weekly! Don’t worry, that doesn’t mean we’ll be providing you with any less news from the world of ISKCON… It just means you’ll be getting it all at once. No need to log on 3 or 4 times a week to see if there are any new stories – now you’ll know what to expect and when to expect it.

On June 20th 2008 Gokulananda, a second generation ISKCON member—or gurukuli—died by suicide in Marina Del Rey, California. His death was reported to his family and Gurukuli peers by his girlfriend of five years, Michelle Lemay.

On June 29th, about ten of Gokulananda’s gurukuli peers gathered with other friends to honor his bright spirit and to pray for peace and happiness on his journey.

For Americans, the fourth of July is the day they gained independence, a day for celebration, a day for reveling in their patriotism. Spirituality is rarely part of the proceedings.

But this year, the fourth of July seems blessed.

In Washington D.C., ISKCON devotees joined the Independence Day parade, singing the Hare Krishna mantra and pulling Jagannath, Baladeva and Subhadra—deity forms of God—on their classic Ratha Yatra cart.

The Krishna Culture Festival Tour, a bus tour for ISKCON youth, travels around the US every summer, helping to set up Festival of India shows and putting on their own shows in theatres and college auditoriums.

This year they were in for a special treat, as they stopped in at ISCOWP (The International Society for Cow Protection) in New Vrindaban, West Virginia on June 30th.

On June 25th, devotees from New Yogapitha in Slovenia embarked on Eco-Caravan 2008, their seventeen-day padayatra – literally translated as “festival on foot.” The cross-country pilgrimage, aimed at spreading spiritual and environmental awareness, was their seventh in a row.

The first group leaving Slovenian capital Ljubljana was forty-five strong. Many more devotees joined later however, when ISKCON Minister for deity worship Krishna Ksetra Dasa and exuberant preacher Janananda Goswami hopped on.

Russian ISKCON devotees celebrated Ratha Yatra in Moscow this June eighth for the first time in nine years. Held in conjunction with The Beatles And India festival in Gorky Park, the program featured a parade of the chariots along with a concert of popular Moscow groups covering Beatles’ songs.

An impressive chariot was built for the deity of Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe.

More than 300 visitors enjoyed the sunshine at the fourth annual Strawberry Fair open day at Aldenham's Bhaktivedanta Manor last Saturday.

The manor, in Hilfield Lane, is the largest Hindu temple estate in the United Kingdom.

One of the oldest and most important Indian celebrations was held in the Liverpool CBD [Sydney, Australia] last Saturday when about 4000 people attended Rathayatra, the Festival of Chariots.

It was the second year the festival had been held in Liverpool and organisers said it could become an annual event.

A not-so-quiet revolution is taking place within the institution of marriage for members of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Today, a veritable army of families form the majority of ISKCON's communities [over 90%] and a tide of change has taken place to affirm the value of healthy marriages. Until recent times, couples within ISKCON had few resources to support and nourish their marriage.

Washington, D.C. – Dubbed “America’s official birthday party,” the National Independence Day Parade, held on the Fourth of July, attracts more than three hundred thousand spectators each year. This year, the Washington D.C. Chapter of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was again invited to join the procession, adding an authentic Indian chariot, deities of Lord Krishna, and devotees dressed in traditional dhotis and saris.

ISKCON Mayapur took part in Kolkata’s annual Travel and Tourism Fair for the first time this year, setting up a large pavilion at the Swabhumi-based event from June 20th to 22nd.

The fair had been advertised widely in Kolkata’s print and visual media, and crowds flocked to see the video show and panoramic photographs of Mayapur’s scenic delights, eager to learn more about the sacred travel destination.

This June, devotees at ISKCON Mayapur’s satellite temple of Lord Jagannath in Rajapur, Simantadvipa joyfully celebrated their annual Snana-Yatra festival.

The ancient Snana-Yatra, or “bathing festival” is considered to be the birthday of Lord Jagannath and has been practiced at Jagannath Puri for hundreds of years.

Iskcon is enlisting its ex-IIT devotees to conduct stress management sessions at its Rathyatra fair on the Park Circus Maidan this year.

Responding to the increasing number of suicides and stress-related diseases among the youth, the Krishna devotees have decided to highlight the malaise in society and offer stress management solutions through its Iskcon Youth Forum.

Kazakh authorities continue to apply pressure against religious communities across the country, Forum 18 News Service has found. The latest example of the authorities' attempts to take places of worship away from religious minorities is a court case against Grace Protestant Church in Semey, in Eastern Kazakhstan Region.

The Brazilian BBT harks back as far as 1975, when Srila Prabhupada held the first Portuguese Bhagavad-gita in his hands. Director Ishvara Swami ran the organization impressively, translating all of Prabhupada’s books and turning out huge print runs of between 100,000 and 400,000, with an unprecedented one million copies of Perfect Questions, Perfect Answers flying off the presses.