In observance of 125 years since the birth of Srila Prabhupada on 1st September 1896, devotees from across the South East of England have embarked on an exciting and ambitious adventure: A dedicated team are currently on a ‘chanting marathon’, performing hari namas at 125 train stations and their adjacent areas across the boroughs of the British capital. By mid October this year they had already graced the Holy Names at every stop along the Northern Line and nearly completed the Jubilee Line! – – –

The Avanti Foundation is pleased to announce its acquisition of Branston Hall, Lincoln, as part of its continued development of well-being and educational resources. The fifty-roomed heritage estate, including a lake and 75 acres of grounds, much of which is arable, will host residential retreats and other events based on Krishna conscious teachings and practice. The aim is to become the country’s leading retreat venue for spiritual nourishment and education and will work in collaboration with and as a natural next step for various projects linked with the Manor, such as School of Bhakti, Kirtan London, Avanti Schools Trust, OMNOM...

In mid September as the summer drew to a close, 55 of the Manor youth gathered in the Sri Krishna Haveli to meet old friends and new at the aptly named “Reconnect” event. The gathering saw both Manor nursery and Gurukul alumni, and many others who have also been born and raised in the Manor community, get together to engage in energising activities, deep discussion, rocking kirtan and delicious prasadam. This event came about after a longing of the youth to gather more frequently and connect more deeply than has been possible this last 18 months and beyond. An elated...

Bhakti Vriksha groups gather from across north-west London During the first week of October Bhakti Vriksha groups came together for their first Vyuha event post lockdown, at Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Haveli. Around 110 devotees attended in person from across north-west London and 40 online to celebrate their members’ journey and appreciate their commitment to Srila Prabhupada and Bhaktivedanta Manor. Amongst other activities, each group was given 10 minutes to put on a performance which included kirtan, drama, children singing, presentation on essence of Bhagavad Gita and recitation of selected verses from Bhagavad Gita. One of the highlights of the event was...

Krishna Conscious Societies at the Freshers Krishna Conscious Societies (KCSOC) has been in contact with thousands of university students around the country at Freshers’ Fayres – an event where university societies erect stalls to promote themselves to new and returning students. KCSOC stands for Krishna Consciousness Society and is the university preaching arm of the Bhaktivedanta Manor youth group Pandava Sena. With societies at over 30 different universities across the country and hundreds of active members, KCSOC has been responsible for bringing Krishna Consciousness to the lives of thousands. At our stalls, we’ve managed to talk to students about deeper...

Team members of the Food For All charity were invited to meet with the Lord Mayor of the City of London William Russell, at his official residence the Mansion House, to receive the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. Equivalent to an MBE, the QAVS is the highest award given to local voluntary groups in the UK.  Food For All volunteers were told back in June that they would receive the accolade for “preparing and sharing free, hot, nutritious meals with those who would otherwise go hungry.” The prasadam distribution non-profit has delivered about 1.5 million meals to those in need...

By Narahari Rupa das, Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Head Gardiner: Although the garden staff are busy keeping Bhaktivedanta Manor gardens in top shape all year round, summer time is especially wonderful. This year in particular, it has been a real pleasure to see guests return, and enjoy walking around the gardens and finding peaceful spots to connect spiritually and chant Japa.  As the UK came out of lockdown we were able to invite our volunteers back, and we had many fun seva days, tidying up various areas around the Manor grounds. We are thankful to the wonderful members of the community who...

On Radhastami, the birth of Srimati Radharani devotees who attended the morning program both physical and online witnessed an enchanting pastime of Radha and Krishna’s loving exchange. The drama was based on Srila Raghunath dasa Goswami’s “The Pearl Pastime”. Devotees stated how they very much enjoyed the sweet pastime and got in the mood of the festival. The skit was organised by Jaya Krsna das who wants to try and make children perform on all special days in the Vaishnava calendar. As is respectful and appropriate, all of the forms of Radha and Krishna on the cakes offered on the...