So far I am concerned, I wish to live the major portion of my remaining days of my life in the Western world to propagate this movement, but I could not obtain my permanent visa on some technical ground. Some lawyers advised me to appeal but I did not like the idea. Here in Canada, I may get a permanent visa but the difficulty is that during the winter the severe cold here may be unbearable for me or for my attendants. The male attendant, Gaurasundara, may agree, but the female attendant, Mrs. Gaurasundara, is not agreeable. Anyway—apart from this point of view, it is sure that I personally cannot tolerate the severe cold here. Under the circumstances, if some arrangement is made in Florida, then during the winter season, we can work there, and as you have said that many tourists and well-to-do men assemble there, it will be a good opportunity for preaching Krishna Consciousness at that time.
Tourists (Letters)
Correspondence
1968 Correspondence
1970 Correspondence
Certainly this has has come out so successful because of George's sincere effort in Krsna Consciousness. I am so pleased that he is advancing towards perfectional stage of Krsna Consciousness; and your association will greatly help. Try to convince him to avoid the four principles of sinful life and chant Hare Krsna mantra as much as possible, then he will find everything is successful in his life. I think on account of this record, many people, at least from different parts of Europe, will come to see our Temple. Many tourists also may come there. So you do not take it as gloomy, but you should welcome them in our Temple.
1971 Correspondence
Immediately we require a big house either in Vrindaban, Delhi or Agra for accommodating foreign tourists. You can therefore please go to Agra and see Sri L.D. Bansal, Bansal Building, Subhash Bazar, Agra-3 (business phone 74255, residence phone 75459). You may remember that he came to Delhi and Vrindaban to arrange with us a pandal program in Agra. He has got a house for disposal which he says is very nice and big. Many tourists go to Agra the house is very big and nice, we can go and take. So go immediately and see it. And upon your favorable recommendation we can take it.
The trouble in India is we cannot preach. There are language difficulties and the people think they already know everything. But now many foreign tourists are interested to come here to taste the spiritual life, so we shall concentrate on that field. Recently we have received one letter from Cox and King's, one of the world's biggest travel agencies, requesting us to kindly assist them by providing facilities for all the tourists coming from foreign places who are interested in seeing the real spiritual life of India. So in this way we shall work here.
1972 Correspondence
We have received one letter from Cox and Kings who are very big tourist guides and they have asked that they would like our Society to help them in meeting the increasing demand of tourists to India who come to India for spiritual and religious reasons. So Agra is a very big tourist center.
With reference to your point that it may be too difficult to drive with van to India, if it is not practical then we should not attempt. But I see so many world tourists here in such vans, how they can do it and we cannot?
We have got our panda there, so you can take help from him. you can take help from Purusottama Brahmacari also. Whenever you go out with the tourists, take one known panda with you. but sight-seeing is secondary. We may advertise sightseeing to attract them, but main thing is to give them nice prasadam and instruction, then try to sell them our Krishna book. Then you will be successful with this program.
n the skyscraper building, that can be a guest house for receiving tourists, so they can see how practical spiritual life is developing. If just 1% of these tourists become devotees, if they adopt this process, then our effort is successful.
Jagannatha Puri is one of the main headquarters of the Vaisnavas, so if the outsiders have trouble in entering Jagannatha Temple it will be a great scandal, so the government must be liberal on this point and co-operate, as we are trying to interest so many foreigners and tourists to come there. And if they co-operate we shall build a very nice center there. At least the government must agree to admit anyone who is certified by ISKCON. I know that they admit foreigners into the temple who are certified by some mayavadi sannyasis living there. So why not they shall allow anyone who is certified by me or the society?
But the program in Bombay should not be hampered by everyone leaving. So you can plan accordingly, but the program in Bombay is the important thing, never mind vacations or pilgrimages if they will interfere with our work there. We are not tourists, but if a trip to Vrndavana will enhance spiritual life of the devotees without interfering with our Bombay program then it will be all right to go there for a short time, hold nice sankirtana widely throughout the city, and return altogether.
Now organize the temple very nicely and request tourists to come in, and with many flowers you can decorate the whole hall with flowers and it will be very much attractive. You can make a sign-board that says "Guests are requested to offer a flower to the Deity". The flower market is near-by and any gentleman will bring flowers, and give them prasadam.
I think Acyutananda was there, along with Harivilasa. But our point is that the tourists may concentrate in Vrindaban with us, live with us, and learn from us the spiritual life. What is the use of wandering here and there, simply seeing this and that and going home? Our main business is to teach them Krishna Consciousness.
Have a European preaching center and try to enlist all the hippies and tourists who come to Vrndavana. Give them nice prasadam, engage them in chanting, cleaning the temple, reading our books, and give them all facilities for becoming devotees.
I have been very much encouraged to see some advertisement booklet printed by Air India wherein the theme is exclusively dedicated to Krsna and Vrndavana. With this idea the Air India Company is enticing tourists to come to India simply to experience the spiritual life around Krsna. So in future I expect that our Bombay project will be one of the most important show-pieces in the world for foreign tourists to actually come and get actual experience of Krsna Consciousness or the real Vedic culture.
King should donate to brahmanas. We are a society of brahmanas, therefore the king should donate us those temples and we shall keep them in his name, and we shall renovate them and make them very gorgeous for the foreign tourists. And they will appreciate the contribution of the king of Bharatapur and will perpetuate his memory.
We are prepared to make a formal agreement that we shall spend a minimum of 10 lacs for renovating, if he will donate. And if we get that land, we can cultivate agriculture. So approach him yourself immediately and ask him to donate. We will occupy immediately and renovate and fill the places with foreign tourists.
You are the Minister for India of Civil Aviation and Tourism, so I think this news should be of special interest to your department. Now we are prepared to bring thousands of visitors to your country, but we need also your help and cooperation to do this in proper manner. Now we have created interest all over the world in Krsna and Vrndavana, for instance the Air India is using the Krsna theme in their advertising campaign, so we have created this atmosphere of interest in Krsna in the Western countries, and I think that cooperatively we may work together to increase the foreign tourism in our country of India. What will be the arrangement for foreigners to see the temples, will they be allowed or what is the situation for government sanction for foreigners to see the temples?
But because we want to engage everyone in the service of Lord Caitanya, therefore we approach these rascals, just to engage them. So you may continue in this way to canvass government leaders, the Indian Tourist __ Kenneth Keating, and anyone and everyone to help us, there is no harm.
We are trying to get one very huge and beautiful Palace of the Maharaja of Bharatapur, just on the Kesighat by Yamuna River in Vrindaban, and our devotees are living there now. He has promised to donate, so we shall know very soon if he is sincere. If we get this place, many many foreign tourists and devotees can be accommodated, it is so nice. So try to assist Syamasundara. from your side to attract many foreign tourists to stay with us in India.
So far the Indian ambassador is concerned, I have just the other day had one meeting with Dr. Karan-Singh, the Minister of Tourism for India, and he greatly appreciates our movement and has promised all help, and he will give me free passage on Air-India if there is clause allowing. He has acknowledged that Air-India is advertising Krishna all over the world and attracting tourists in that way.
Now we have seen that many foreign visitors are coming to India to see the sacred places like Vrindaban, and the KLM Airlines has requested us to guide their tourists in some scheme, so if the Ambassador may give us any assistance in this connection, so that we may not have difficulty entering the temples or we may have all government cooperation to be the excellent hosts for such tourism, that he can do quite easily.
Because we are world wide movement of Krsna, and if we do not have any nice place at Vrndaban, then what will be the use? Vrndaban is Krsna's land, and in future so many of our disciples will go there just to see, along with many tourists and other friends, so therefore we must have sufficient place for them. That will be our great contribution.
1973 Correspondence
It is understood by telephone conversation that George has already paid the full amount for the new house and Syamasundara. is going to take possession of the house by May 1. When it is actually in our possession, it can be made into a great attraction especially for the tourists.
Some men from U.S.A. are going to Mayapur for doll making, so teach them nicely and we shall be asking doll exhibit in London. Many tourists come there, and it will a great attention for the tourists.
So far your arranging to bring other men with you to India for opening a center, that is all right, but if they come as tourists and then go away that is not good. This kind of coming and going is a waste of money.
Regarding the Government's plans to construct a three crore tourist lodge, why not give the money to us, and we can construct? If this money is used for four such buildings as we have got plus a temple, this will satisfy the Government as well as our needs. You should try to get them to invest in our residence building construction. Tourists will come due to our canvassing. The Government can construct, and we can manage.
Our idea is to construct a hotel for American and European tourists to come and learn about factual spiritual life. While they are coming, there will be foreign exchange and the Indian Government is very much in favor of this.
Regading the Government loan for our tourist hotel, we have already invested twenty lakhs so they may loan us at least 1 crore. Do it carefully. If we construct a very attractive hotel many tourists will come just like the Holiday Inn.
1974 Correspondence
In Mathura there are dharmasalas of Krsna-janma-bhumi and Jaya Dayal Dalmia constructed just for foreigners. Arrangement should be made with the help of the panda. This touring will enhance our prestige for the Krsna Consciousness movement. People will appreciate devotees from foreign countries visiting Vrindaban. It will attract the attention of the Tourist Department of government.
My guru maharaj used to spend lots of money on doll exhibitions on Srimad-Bhagavatam. So I am sure that if we make doll exhibitions very prominent many tourists and visitors will throng in our temples.
You mentioned in your letter that you are getting only a tourist visa for Moscow. But my original plan was that by marrying this man you would be able to get a permanent resident/permit there in Russia as his wife. But apparently this is very difficult. Therefore I think for now you should remain there in __, executing your devotional service, preaching nicely, caring for the Deities nicely. Try to get some type of permanent residence permit for Russia. If you can not get this residence permit then I think it is better not to go there. We shall see as Krsna desires.
1976 Correspondence
We shall decorate the park very nicely, and it will be open for all nations, and all sects. Take it from the beauty side. What is the harm? Suppose that a statue is in a museum, does it mean sectarian? It will glorify Vedic culture, so why the corporation will not agree with our plan? (Of course, the Deity must be there). It will be open to the public and we will invite tourists from all over the world. It shall be an artistic exhibition. And we shall spend any amount of money to make it an attractive spot for world tourists.
1977 Correspondence
I thing you can utilize some of your money to try to give some shape to this idea of a doll exhibit, restaurant, and bookshop. I have seen that in Washington so many tourists came daily to see the many monuments and museums. So why not let one of the museums be about Krsna.
| Page Title: | Tourists (Letters) |
| Compiler: | MadhuGopaldas, ChandrasekharaAcarya |
| Created: | 24 of Dec, 2010 |
| Totals by Section: | BG=0, SB=0, CC=0, OB=0, Lec=0, Con=0, Let=33 |
| No. of Quotes: | 33 |