During its AGM meetings in Mayapur this year, members of the Governing Body Commission and members of the Indian Bureau spent an entire day together discussing relevant topics for both leadership groups. Several members of the Indian Continental Committee also joined the meeting.
Approximately fifty devotees met in one of the meeting rooms within the Temple of Vedic Planetarium for two three-hour sessions in the morning and the afternoon.The meeting was facilitated by ISKCON Resolve leader Vraj Vihari Das with the support of Tapan Mishra Das, ISKCON Minister of Education and recently appointed GBC member.
The main purpose of the meeting was to help reestablish the communications channels and relationships between the Bureau and the GBC.
As many of us have experienced around the world one of the challenges brought by the COVID Pandemic was an inability for face to face meetings and interpersonal interactions.
Due to the same, the GBC itself has been meeting on Zoom for the last three years and has had no opportunity to have face to face interactions with the Bureau.
Because of the long distances involved and the different cultures represented it is natural that within these diverse groups of leaders there will be diverse opinions on a variety of important matters of Krishna consciousness.
The diversity of opinion can, at times, cause strain in the otherwise
cooperative service of the GBC, Bureau, and other leadership bodies in India.
The meetings were highly successful in diffusing some of those differences and helped devotees understand each other better.
The leaders were divided into small groups of four at individual tables, so there was a better opportunity for individual interactions.
The opening questions presented to the group were simple and meant to break the ice and build rapport.The opening remarks were limited to what is your name, where are you from, and what are your favorite deities?
Even a question as simple as what are your favorite deities began the process of interpersonal sharing, as members were surprised to hear that often times other devotees from across the world shared a special affection with a deity between them.
Later during the day, topics focused on how these two important leadership bodies could better communicate with each other and better understand the interest and the concerns of the Global ISKCON Constituencies.
“I felt this meeting to be perhaps the most important aspect of the GBC meetings this year” said Anuttama Das, Communications Minister.
“Without a doubt, tensions had risen over various management and social issues in ISKCON, but when we had the opportunity to sit down and talk with each other, we again realized and were reminded what brings us together. Our love of Srila Prabhupada and Lord Chaitanya's mission far exceeds whatever separates us”.
The GBC and the Bureau and other Indian leaders are planning to meet more extensively during the midterm GBC meetings which will be held in end of October at Pune, India.
Source: http://www.dandavats.com/?p=107814
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