387. Newsletter launch

Just adding to my last post on updates, I have launched an email newsletter, “The Gita” that focuses on building our knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita.

Every week, I will send out a short and easy-to-understand essay from each of the chapters of the book. We will cover the 18 chapters systematically and I plan the first issue to go out this weekend of 27th & 28th of June 2020. So, please subscribe early so as not to miss out.

It would be awesome if my blog fans & visitors here could subscribe to this initiative & invite your friends too. A lot of subscribers will keep me excited & keep me motivated to keep writing.

Please subscribe via this link: https://thegita.substack.com/welcome

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! See you there 🙂

300. Hare Krishna Google Doodle?

My 300th article !!! I feel so accomplished ! Anyway back to some writing…..

Why don’t we have some of our numerous and wonderful artists work on the submission of Krishna Consciousness art for the Google Doodle project? I am sure we would be featured too. For those who are not aware of this concept – this is where an art piece is featured surrounding the “Google” search homepage. See examples below :

As you know Google has around 100 billion searches per month ! What a great way for your spiritual art to be seen all over the world in 30 days !
Here are some ideas we could look at : It could be a street harinaam party or one to commemorate Prabhupada’s birthday or perhaps one for Sri Krishna Janmasthami or the pancha-tattva ! Let’s do it I say. Once you have created your set, would you please post a link under comments so that we can all have a look?

290. Tearables

Check out what I saw on the office kitchen cupboard :

The sheet featured a collection of the funniest puns I have ever come across! Everyone loved it.

I am thinking – we can have a “These are Tearable Spiritual Quotes” that we could put up at different places that we frequent too! People can tear away the quote they like the best. Not that difficult…we can get  the quotes from Bhagavad Gita or Prabhupad instructions etc. What you say?

289. Office japa

This is how my new office japa altar setup looks like :

Basically it’s an letterpad holder. The altar pictures come from Krishna – Balaram Mandir temple store. Easy and light weight. Carry with you anywhere!

After lunch, I spend about 30 minutes doing japa in front of this altar at work. It’s a great break and something I enjoy doing everyday. Wish I could light a lamp, an incense and offer some flowers too.

An idea just popped in my head – can we have office japa sessions in all cities where we have devotees working? Or better if few devotees are in the same neighbourhood offices, they can come together in a park for a 30 min japa session ! Woah ! Any takers?

288. Internet Radio

Do you think it would be a good idea if we had our own internet radio station?

Here are facts about Internet Radio from Wikipedia – “Internet radio (also web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio webcasting) is an audio service transmitted via the Internet. Internet radio involves streaming media, presenting listeners with a continuous stream of audio that cannot be paused or replayed, much like traditional broadcast media. Internet radio services are usually accessible from anywhere in the world—for example, one could listen to an Australian station from Europe or America. Internet radio services offer news, sports, talk, and various genres of music—every format that is available on traditional radio stations.  There were “some 57 million weekly listeners of Internet radio programs. More people listen to online radio than to satellite radio, high-definition radio, podcasts, or cell-phone-based radio combined.”

I am thinking that with thousands of hours of bhajans, kirtans and lectures available along with devotee interviews, ISKCON News and even reading of our spiritual texts (Bhagavad Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam etc), we could have a 24-hour service available on any of the available digital radio devices out there!

Devotees can buy one of these radios and listen to them at home or office, offering them with a wide variety of programs they would have normally missed. They could be running in our temples and centres too. And with many cars coming with internet radios installed, the drivers and their passengers can tune-in. And perhaps, we may find even non-devotees wanting to connect and listen to our songs and insights.