AGTSP
Esteemed Jayapataka Swami et al,
Paoho.... We hope this meets you in the best of spirits and good health. First we are writing to try to get the best means of communicating with your good self, especially in these GBC functions for Peru et al. Of course, we are super happy to communicate for any other purpose.
Specifically, Peru, Bolia, Ecuador, we are personally experiencing and hear more and more often some distress from devotees about the administrative situation.
1. We very, very, very, much appreciate the efforts of Yamunesvara, Omkara Das, M. Ganga et al, but in trying to organize things we run up against, among others, a problem in the functioning of the National Council. We have been Temple President three times, organized many Congresses etc. and our mode of work is more bureaucratic than Ksatriya, but been praised by devotees etc. for very efficient work.
To cut directly to the essence, some of the National Council members are approaching us about delaying initiations etc.because of certain Resolutions of the Council. These were supposed to have been passed and communicated years ago. We don't remember ever being informed. We asked for copies of the Resolutions so we could all be working on the same basis. The result was that all the Members present expressed that there is no Record Book for the Council's work and that Minutes of Meetings and Resolutions are scattered everywhere and the present Secretary, Jiva Shakti Das, has expressed concern that he has asked repeatedly for the documents so that they can be put in order and has not received them.
I realize that these are formalities. The basis of our administration is our Vaisnava relations, but without these minimal administrative abilities it seems to us that the work cannot go on in a straight forward fashion and we should admit that the Yatra is not functioning and go from there.
So, just to make it a practical action statement, we are requesting now that the operation of the National Council in Peru be suspended unless a practical copy of its Record of Meetings Book can be made available and the function of the Council be taken over by your good self, Zonal Secretary.
2. O.K. Moving onward to the next parade: What about making Mathuresa Das Regional Secretary for Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador? We have discussed this with many others, proposed it about 5-years ago and think it would be very practical. I feel that Prabhuji would be able to communicate your mood as Zonal Secretary and has been doing a lot of the work already.
3. Individually and with our contacts in Peru we have been developing this academic sankirtan slowly but steadily. The practical result is that the National Library has very enthusiastically agreed to co-sponsor an internaltional symposium in June on "Psychology of the Sacred". We are already in contact with very prominent scholars in India and Europe to participate.
We are keeping this letter short, and we certainly are only proposing things in any strong fashion because we sincerely feel that it will give fantastic help to all the devotees, and heroic administrators in our Peru Yatra. As far as I am concerned ISKCON Peru can be very reasonaly considered one of the most crucial countries in saving the world.
Thank you,
Hanumatpresaka Swami
USA phone +1 209 505 3219
