Food for Life Hungary reached a historic milestone on 17 November when the head of the humanitarian program, Bhakta Vatsala Dasa, received the “For the City of Budapest” award from the capital’s mayor, Gergely Karacsony. The honor, given on Budapest’s 150th Birthday, also conferred honorary citizenship on Bhakta Vatsala. The 150th celebration commemorated the unification of the three historical parts of the city: Buda, Pest, and Óbuda.
Dozens of honorary citizens, artists, and celebrities who have contributed in some way to the development, image, and existence of the Hungarian capital were also honoured at the award ceremony.
Food for Life has become an inseparable part of Budapest
Bhakta Vatsala, a long-standing and dedicated disciple of His Holiness Sivarama Swami, has been practicing Krishna Consciousness since his youth, lived as a brahmachari in Krishna Valley, and has been leading FFL for over a decade. He is mainly active at the Budapest site but also participates in almost all the principal rural food distributions.
Bhakta Vatsala is working to fulfill Srila Prabhupada’s wish that there should be no hungry people anywhere in the world, but at least not within ten miles of the temples. He has almost truly superhuman abilities, packing the boxes himself late at night before the big food parcel distributions, being the first to pitch the tents at dawn and the last to go home at the end of the program. He lives up to his spiritual name (who is affectionate to the devotees), too, as he has such a big heart that devotees can always count on his help, whether it is about food, packing, or transport.
Bhakta Vatsala Dasa accepted the award “Pro Urbe Budapest” on behalf of the entire Food for Life team. He said, “It is the collective merit of all the current and former active members of the humanitarian program. FFL members fondly remember, for example, Dhananjaya Dasa, who pioneered the food distribution in Hungary decades ago and passed away last year.”
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/ffl-hungarys-leader-and-his-team-receives-pro-urbe-budapest-award/
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