ISKCON NewsThe News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

For the busy New York City professional, it’s difficult to imagine finding the time to cook, never mind whipping up a healthy and delicious vegetarian meal. But recently many have found that a balanced meat-free, home-cooked diet may not be so far out of their grasp.

Occasionally, at ISKCON News we run stories from the secular press that are about ISKCON members or of particular interest to friends and members of ISKCON. We think it is important (and healthy) to be aware of what people are saying about us—good, bad, and ugly.

Twenty-six devotee women from the Czech Republic attended a seminar entitled “Nurturing the Devotee Within You to Serve the Devotees Around You” from July 3rd to 9th this year, in the tranquil setting of Germany’s Simhachalam farm.

Many people try to treat their depression by taking drugs and burrowing away by themselves, says Dr. Steve Ilardi, a clinical psychologist. But he believes this is the wrong approach. Ilardi suggests that people ditch the drugs and change their lifestyles, instead.

On the auspicious day of “aashadh shukla dvitiya”, Tuesday, July 13, 2010, ISKCON Baroda organized and observed the Jagannath Ratha Yatra festival at Baroda, Gujarat, India. The local response to the festival has become almost “overwhelming”.

Age is definitely no bar for Bollywood's evergreen actor Dev Anand. Raring to go even at 86, the veteran actor is planning to remake his 1971 hit, Hare Rama Hare Krishna soon.

Outdoor public religious activity by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishna devotees and Protestants has resulted in harassment by the police, repeated bans, and in one case a refusal to defend a Protestant meeting against violent attack involving stun grenade.

It is well known that Paul McCartney’s” Up and Coming Tour” was declared 100% vegetarian, and meat-free meals are being served to his musicians and crew. What only a few people know is that the Miami stop of the tour went from vegetarian to Krishnatarian.

Every day in the Holy land of Vrindavana thousands of pilgrims flock to visit the sacred spots where Lord Krsna performed His earthly pastimes. For those around the world who cannot travel regularly to Vrindavana, ISKCON temples and communities provide spiritual shelter from regular material society. Govindadvipa in Ireland is another community that has modelled its rural surroundings on the original Vrindavana geography.

Hinduism must find voices that express religious and traditional concerns in a manner that steers it away from the literalism and fundamentalism that have dogged other religions.

I agree with the Moral Naturalists that it is possible to better understand human nature through the study of animal behavior. Beyond that our paths diverge sharply.

The Swan Boat is one-of-a-kind. For a few years, the devotees used to enter the Swan Boat in parades and festivals in Wheeling, Charleston, Pittsburgh, and other places. The Swan Boat always won a prize.

Researchers from Northwestern University recently published a series of data in the journal Nature Reviews Neuroscience, revealing that music plays an important role in nervous system development.

The city of Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh witnessed an unprecedented turnout of devotees pouring in from all corners of the city and the country. Three chariots pulling Their Lordships by approximately a whopping fifty thousand devotees formed a huge procession that snaked its way through the main streets of Dhaka City.

I know the world isn't going vegetarian overnight. Our numbers are growing, certainly, but the global demand for meat is greater than it's ever been. Amid all this, I was happy to see a substantial group of small farmers take a stand for better farming, including more humane methods of animal husbandry than the factory-farming norm.