By Gaurangi Dasi
April 12, 2016 : I’m still in Mayapur, contacting devotees who are doing padayatra right now, preparing one, or seriously thinking about it.
During the 8 day 2016 ISKCON Leadership Sanga, we had a padayatra booth and held 3 padayatra seminars, which provided new contacts and padayatra organizers. In the display area, there were 2 giant displays of Padayatra worldwide. (See attached photos).
The 2016 Padayatra Newsletter is very attractive and innovative. Lokanath Swami liked it so much that he was thinking of printing an extra 1000 copies. Most were distributed here is Mayapur during the ILS (ISKCON Leadership Sanga) and the festival. It is not feasible to mail one to every temple, but I tried to make sure that most temples got one, provided I met representatives from that country. In any case you can download this issue, and previous ones, from the padayatra website (padayatra.com). Besides padayatra news, how to 50ize your padayatra and many special stories, there are also articles about the art of walking and teh best shoes to wear, the different kinds of walks you can do (Every temple can easily do a week-end padayatra), photos of dozens of carts and palenquins, a padayatra survey for the public, a padayatra poster for children to color, and articles about ecology and respecting the environnement. All very practical and down to earth information !
The count down till December 31st, 2016
The Padayatra Worldwide Ministry has pledged to organise at least 50 padayatras from Gaura Purnima 2014 to the end of 2016. To this day 27 padayatras have been done, 14 are planned and 9 remain to be organized. Please look at the attached detailed list. We are counting on all of you to help us reach the goal, which should be very easy with a week-end padayatra and combining World Holy Name Week with padayatra. You can even organise a One Day Padayatra, as they are doing in Detroit.
Opportunity to get useful feedback while doing the padayatra survey
As you’ll see in the 2016 Padayatra newsletter, the Czech devotees had very positive responses while doing the padayatra survey. Feedback and introspection are always beneficial, collectively and individually. So, don’t miss this opportunity to do this survery, whether or not you organize a padayatra (you can do this survey on harinama) : read the guidelines, translate the survey, and adapt it if necessary, make photocopies, approach the public, and get plenty of favorable contacts as a bonus.
Lokanath Swami and I are now finalizing the Padayatra Stories book, which will be printed by the end of July 2016. Please pray that we can reach our goal. I’m sure you’ll all be inspired to read this book, which is the continuation of the Caitanya –caritamrita. Maybe you’ll even contribute your own stories for future similar books. All devotees love stories, especially when they involve Sri Sri Gaura Nitai and Srila Prabhupada, who are very much active in these padayatras.
The Padayatra Ministry is eager to hear from all of you
We will be glad to post your schedules, contacts, posters, articles, photos, films, etc on the Padayatra Website, and to print your adventures on the 2017 Padayatra Newsletter. The more devotees worldwide hear about your walk, the more they’ll want to help and participate. That’s why we need your schedules, contacts and itinerary NOW. Only 9 more months till the end of the year. Remember that you can have more than one padayatra in your country, unless it’s a regular annual walk.
Best wishes for a joyful, fun and dynamic year 2016 in the service of Srila Prabhupada and Sri Sri Gaura Nitai !
In the « 50 padayatras » section of this website you ‘ll find the following :
– How to celebrate ISKCON 50the anniversary with padayatra
– Updated list of 50 padayatras
– Choose your padayatra (with guidelines for the Extended Week-end Padayatra)
– Basic padayatra report
– Article guideline
– Photo guideline
– Media sheet
– How to use the survey ?
– Padayatra Survey
