Cicago-A 40-foot high, colorfully decorated and hand pulled cart-surrounded by thousands of chanting and dancing devotees-will roll down the streets of downtown Chicago on Saturday, September 17 to kick off a national celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), better known as the Hare Krishna Movement.
The "Chariot Festival - Ratha Yatra Parade" begins at 2 PM at theBuckingham Fountain (Columbus Drive) in the downtown area and meander its way through Madison Ave., Michigan Ave., and State Streets and joins the "Hare Krishna Festival of India" at Daley Plaza for an afternoon of free vegetarian food; stage performances of classical Indian dance; a dramatic rendition of the ancient history connected with "Jagannath;" and multiple booths about reincarnation, meditation, and yoga.
"ISKCON's founder, Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami, first came to New York City from India in September, 1965 to spread the teachings of Lord Krishna to the western world," said Amrita Hari, spokeswoman for the Krishna society. "It's very special for us to kick off the 50th Anniversary of ISKCON where he began right here in New York." ISKCON is part of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition within the broader Hindu culture. It teaches bhakti, or devotional yoga, and advocates that the perfection of life is to awaken love of God, or "Krishna," in the Sanskrit language. Krishna, or "the all-attractive Supreme Person" is best known in the west as the speaker of the classical Indian spiritual text, the Bhagavad-gita.
Bhaktivedanta Swami, today known as Srila Prabhupada, arrived alone in New York City at the age of 70 to fulfill his guru's order to spread Vaishnava teachings to the English speaking world. Prabhupada arrived in America with just $7 and several trunks of his translations and commentaries on ancient Sanskrit texts. After struggling for almost a year, the Swami attracted a core of followers among the young spiritual seekers of the 1960's, and on July 13, 1966 he incorporated his fledgling community as the "International Society for Krishna Consciousness."
Dr. Harvey Cox, Emeritus Professor at Harvard Divinity School, once wrote "I am impressed with how much the teachings of one man and the spiritual tradition he brought impacted themselves into the lives of so many people. In my view Srila Prabhupada's contribution is a very important one and will be a lasting one." Despite its humble beginnings, over the past 50 years ISKCON has grown to a global community of over 600 temples, 110 vegetarian restaurants, and 65 farms and eco villages. The affiliated Bhaktivedanta Book Trust has sold 516 million books and magazines on Krishna consciousness, and Hare Krishna Food Relief programs feed a free vegetarian lunch to 1.2 million school children each day in India.
Celebrations later this year will include dozens of Ratha Yatra parades in cities worldwide including Washington, DC, Los Angeles, London, and Paris, and gala events at the Sydney Opera House, European Parliament, and other major venues.
EVENT DATE: Saturday, September 17, 2016
LOCATION: Buckingham Fountain (Columbus Drive). Parade Starts at 2pm,
Festival at Daley Plaza from 3PM to 8PM
CONTACT: Nachi Lolla: (847) 452-7753 or nachi.lolla@gmail.com
Courtesy : Chicago Tribune
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