Atlanta Panihati Festival

BY: SIKHI MAHITI DAS

May 05, 2013 — ATLANTA, GEORGIA, USA (SUN) — The 37th annual Rathayatra - Panihati Festival of ISKCON Atlanta will be held Friday - May 31st, Saturday - June 1st, and Sunday - June 2nd. This year His Grace Acyutananda das, the first disciple of Srila Prabhupada to reside in West Bengal, will be in attendance.

Acyutananda das built the bhajan kutir for Srila Prabhupada in Mayapur, compiled the Vaisnava Songbook, and trained many devotees, including HH Jayapataka Swami on living as Gaudiya Vaisnavas in West Bengal. He has authored his memories of those early days in his book, Blazing Sadhus. You can purchase an autograph copy at the festival.

Acyutananda das, Jayapataka Swami, and Malati dd will speak to us about the early days of ISKCON in West Bengal, Saturday on stage after Rathayatra. Acyutananda das will have the stage on Friday evening and will talk to us about his compiling the Vaisnava Songbook.

We will also celebrate another milestone in Atlanta ISKCON history. We will honor H.G. Balabadra Bhattacharya das for his 40 years of uninterrupted service to ISKCON Atlanta.

Balabadra das was born in Atlanta, moved into the temple in 1973, and has never left Atlanta to serve in another temple or location. He was famous for his airport book distribution in the 1970's and 80's. Afterwards, he served as Temple President for 17 years. He continues to lead harinam, Gita study groups, the "Murai band", and regular attendance at all our temple functions.

He is well known and appreciated by the local India community, civic leaders, and various religious groups in Atlanta. Also, to show how nice of a person he is, his wife Gandari devi dasi, has stayed with him for the last 30 years!

Please come and celebrate with us his 40th service anniversary to Srila Prabhupada's New Panihati dham Saturday morning.

If you are unable to attend, please send "congrats" or a remembrance message for Balabadra das via email to panihatifestival@iskconatlanta.com. We will compile them all in a book and present it to him.

For further information about other festival events, accommodations and sponsorship, please visit our website: www.iskconatlanta.com.

See ya'll at the festival!

your servants,
ISKCON Atlanta