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EDITORIAL May 17, 1999 VNN3881 Re: ISKCON Youth Conference BY RAGHUNATHA ANUDASA EDITORIAL, May 17 (VNN) — I would like to see the older devotees response to this. Who has business or works in the entertainment industry that would like to share their experience with guru-kulis. The following is a response to KA on the ISKCON Youth Conference: I agree with KA as well as Radha's recommendation. She's looking for a way to expand our relevancy, he's looking to maintain the intimacy. Unfortunately, it seems that unless both are added we will lose the reunions all together. NVrindavan's reunion is an example of things to come. There will be click get together that will forbid others outside that click by officially saying that there is no reunion. Of course NV is having a reunion, they just don't want to have to deal with anyone outside their click. On the other side, the reunions are being skipped by more and more guru-kuli's because its becoming increasingly irrelevant for we have met all the people we wanted and are in contact with those we wish to be. What's the next level -- this is Radha's point of sorts. There fore her question is pertinent, she asks: what do we see ourselves doing in the next 5 to 10 years. Once we have an idea of this, then we can maybe find our common platform that seems to becoming more blurred. Until we find this, we maybe seeing fewer reunions. Opening it to more devotees is something of the right idea, but off target. Who do we have more in common with? the new bhakta's or the devotees living outside the temples, working, going to school, taking care of families but as a devotees? Tapping that experience maybe more relevant to us. For example, having the devotees here in LA who work in the entertainment industry offer a morning seminar about working in the field maybe of far more interest then a mridanga class. Having devotees with their own business make a short presentation of what they do and how we can get involved for jobs or for sponsoring our own business pursuits etc may have a greater relevancy to us. I've been thinking along these lines -- almost a contemporary varnasrama kind of thing. This may be the next step if we are to keep are reunions relevant. What do you guys think, on how to get started? In a message dated 5/11/99, ka108@atlantic.net writes: 1)What do you think about opening up the invitation to the reunions to include more/other youths such as Bhaktas and Bhaktins, taking the focus off ourselves, and expanding our circumference? I would be strongly against this. The founders of this event wanted this to be a closed event. I assumed it was going to stay this way. I would not to fly to LA to hang with a few bhaktas. Why do you want to call it a gurukula reunion, or second generation, if we are not going to focus on ourselves. These reunions are theraputic, and to change it to something else would spoil it. If you are going to destroy the tradition, I would suggest that you talk it over with Ragu, Bahu, AV, and Manu- people who have been involved with the early reunions. You can talk to Chaits at NV, ask him what the implications will be of what you are proposing., get their permission first. But for myself, I don't think that I will be participating if you turn it into something where, potentially the Bhakas will outnumber the second genration. The reason why we have this event is to associate with ourselves, comfortably. I would not be comfortable with what you are proposing. I am one of the organizers of the Alachua reunion, and I will not be inviting Bhaktas. Why do you want to change the focus.? About the Author | Other Stories by this Author Comment on this story | Contact VNN about this story | Send this story to a friend
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