by Rasika Murari das

The month-long Damodara-utsava here in Kuala Lumpur started with a bang, introducing many new approaches. Our congregation worked tirelessly to encourage more and more souls to be touched by the ever-sweet Lord Damodara. This year the festival was launched at one of the biggest Deepavali Carnival sales: "KL Sentral." HH Bhanu Maharaja was present and more than two thousand people participated.

Dear Maharajas, Prabhus and Matajis,

Hare Krsna. Please accept my respectful obeisances. All glories to Srila Prbhupada.

ISKCON Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, launched the Damodara Month Festival at the Kuala Lumpur "Deepavali Carnival" at Central Station on 26 October, 2007.

Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Kayveas, and HH Bhanu Maharaj launched the festival in front of some 1,500 people.

ISKCON Kuala Lumpur reported that already more than 6,000 guests have offered ghee lamps at our Damodara lamp booth, set up at the carnival. All other centres in Malaysia also take advantage of the auspicious Damodara month by increasing the number of home programs.

For a short video please follow this link:

• videos.thestar.com.my/default.aspx?vid=573

Your servant, Simhesvara dasa

[You can see last years festival report here.
This article ends here.]

By Sri Radha Govinda dasi

Sri Radha Govinda dasi: The Penang Yatra, under the guidance of you and your husband, Isana Gauranga Prabhu, developed a remarkable experiment with Bhakti-vriksha. Would you like to tell us something regarding your involvement and experience?

Gaura Gopi dd: My husband did most of the work. We just had a Wednesday Bhakti-vriksha meeting at our house. We invited neighbors and friends; this was the one Bhakti-vriksha I was directly involved in. The experience was very nice—it brought in quite a few people and made a few devotees from Bhakti-vriksha, some even aspiring for initiation.

Small groups really work. Devotees are not shy and it helps them connect, as some of us make good friends—more than just formally coming to the center.

Sri Radha Govinda dasi: As a wife and mother, how did this project affect your life and your relationship with your husband? Did you get to see less of him? Or, in what way did it influence your family life?

by Srivas Caitanya Prabhu, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Preamble

Consistently over the years the month of Damodar has grown by leaps and bounds, bringing everyone to a central theme of rejoicing in this sweet pastime of the Lord. The pomp and grandeur of this festival is bringing new dimensions into the homes and the hearts of all who bear witness to this celebration. What started as a small festival in a suburb of Kuala Lumpur some 6 years ago with approximately 30 home programs has reached an astonishing 1,500 home programs all within the month of Damodar. How did we do it … surely its mercy and the combined effort of all the lovely and responsible devotees of Sri Jagannath Mandir, Kuala Lumpur.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Invited by the local Lakshmi Narayan Temple authorities, Dinu Anukampana das is conducting regular courses in Kuala Lumpur, including Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam discussions, sanskrit pronounciation, and anger- and time-management. He has published articles on anger-management in local newspapers.

He coordinates his courses via his personal web site at Yahoo!360.

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CP-Newsletter October 2005

Guest Column: Simhesvara das, Regional Secretary, Malaysia

Congregational preaching in Malaysia: Ratha Yatras, and from Nama-hattas to Bhakti-vriksha

H.G. Simhesvara das, a dedicated brahmacari disciple of HH Jayapataka Maharajaa, hails from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He first came in touch with ISKCON in Malaysia during 1982, at the age of 22. He has never looked back since. He was initiated in