Bhagavan: We brought the Jagannatha Deity here from Paris for Ratha-yatra, and He stayed here for eight days and then went back. And when He went back all the Gurukula children, they were all crying and running after the truck.
Prabhupada: Accha (laughs). So... It is natural affection.
Bhagavan: The little boys also, they were crying, little girls.
Prabhupada: So Ratha-yatra was functioned here?
Bhagavan: Oh, yes, very big, two hundred devotees here. It was very ecstatic. Nice prasada and nice procession. When He came, all the cows came up and they were looking. (laughs)
Prabhupada: The villagers joined?
Bhagavan: Yes.
Prabhupada: They are finding something new
Hari-sauri: The Times of India gave a very good report of New York Ratha-yatra.
Prabhupada: You have got it?
Hari-sauri: It's in the room, I thought you'd seen it.
Bhagavan: They cannot publish anything bad about us. They try to find, sometimes.
Prabhupada: Yes.
Hari-sauri: Seems they're always carrying little snippets of information about what we're doing. Before there was a report about the restaurants, and here there's two reports about..., one about the Jagannatha festival in New York and one about the proposed Vedic university in Kuruksetra. These were on consecutive days. The one about New York, it says, "Washington, July the 19th." That's where it's reported from. It says, "New York saw on Sunday an unusual spectacle of three brightly colored chariots being pulled along the city's prestigious Fifth Avenue from Central Park to Washington Square, a distance of about five kilometers, by members of the Hare Krsna group. The rathas, built in Orissan style with giant wooden wheels, attracted large crowds of spectators all along the route. It was a novel experience for the New Yorkers. Many resident Indians who are not members of the Hare Krsna movement enthusiastically gave a hand in the pulling. The Hare Krsna devotees were celebrating the feast of Jagannatha in the traditional Indian way. The police and the city administration readily cooperated. In a city that is coming to be known for its tolerance of diverse cultures, chariot processions promise to be an annual event. While a few citizens booed and some altercations were reported, the spectacle was well received by the New Yorkers. 'I think it is great,' the New York Times quoted a man as saying. The person, who identified himself as a visitor to New York and was not a Hare Krsna fan, referring to the Hare Krsna devotees, added, 'They are all happy and dancing, and that's what life's all about.' Later a vegetarian feast was served to the admirers."
Prabhupada: Very good.
Hari-sauri: It's very good. There's just a real short one about the university in Kuruksetra. It says, "Vedic Varsity for Kuruksetra Soon." "The first Vedic university will come up soon at Kuruksetra and will be affiliated to V.M. Cakravarty University. The proposed university is being set up by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, ISKCON, and will cost rupees two crore. Most of the funds will be provided by Mr. Alfred Ford, the nephew of the auto magnate Henry Ford. Mr. Ford, on becoming a disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder of ISKCON, changed his name to Ambarisa dasa. The Vedic university will offer courses leading to bhakti-sastri and sarvabhauma."
Prabhupada: (break) ...new devotees joining?
Bhagavan: Yes. The last month we have about five new devotees.