Two hard -working devotees took on special roles during the recent London Olympics. Indeed London 2012 was revolutionary in many ways, even from a spiritual dimension!

1) The Multi-faith Centre

One of the unique features of the Olympic site was a multi-faith centre, strategically placed in the heart of the Athletes’ Village, offering easy and ready access to anyone who felt the need to seek spiritual guidance.

Sachi Kishore das served as one of the chaplains at the centre, taking on a range of responsibilities such as facilitating a puja ceremony on the day of Janmastami. He also provided pastoral care to those who visited, and administered yoga and meditation sessions, instilling inner stability and strength in the athletes.  He also met with support coaches, staff and volunteers.

“The multi-faith centre was in my opinion one of the vital aspects of London 2012,” Sachi Kishore das explained. “It offered a haven where anyone was welcome to come and meditate or read from scriptures. For me, this added a much needed spiritual touch to the Olympics, making the Games truly complete”.

The day the Indian Team was welcomed into the Olympic Village. On Saci Kishore’s right is a Christian Chaplain and a coach from the Indian team.

 

2) Manor Festival Chair joins Olympic Committee

Ajay Kumar, the Chair of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s Festival Committee, due to his previous experience was accepted on the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“My interest in Event Management began when I started volunteering my time and energy for the Manor festivals,” Ajay explained. “As a member of Bhaktivedanta Manor’s community it is difficult to appreciate the high quality of festivals we provide. We take it for granted the sacrifice many devotees give to ensure that thousands of pilgrims receive a great experience. What we do at the Manor is inspiring, magnificent and magical and I hope that some of my previous experience helped make London 2012 the success that it was.”