On November 11, 2009, in the Holy dham of Sri Jagannatha Puri, Orissa, the ISKCON leadership in India, IRGB, officially endorsed the establishment of the Varnasrama-based Ministry for Rural Development, which will be known as the "ISKCON Daiva Varnasrama Ministry (DAIVAM) - Promoting Rural Development". His Holiness Bhakti Raghava Swami has been asked to head up the ministry as National Minister. Soon after the meeting, Maharaja was interviewed by Varnasrama Media Productions, a division of the newly established ministry and he shared the following thoughts:
“I am very happy that the ministry for varnasrama development has finally been established here in India. I wish to thank all the members of the Varnasrama Development Committee who have been promoting varnasrama development since year 2007 and to all the leaders here in India who have all been instrumental in making this happen".
The varnasrama ministry will concentrate on establishing its national office as well as State offices across India where various information about the ministry will be made available. One of the immediate priorities of the ministry will be to select candidates for the post of Coordinators. At present we only have two Coordinators, our National Coordinator for India, Sriman Bharat Chandra prabhu and our State Coordinator for Andhra Pradesh, Sriman Hari Kirtan prabhu. In the coming new year, I plan to organize, with the help of Sriman Brhat-mrdanga prabhu who is the Chairman of ISKCON LEADS in India, some much needed seminars and workshops in each of the four divisions of India to solicit the involvement of various leaders and congregational members.
Beyond our city temples, congregational devotees living outside our temples can help establish Varnasrama Research Teams and in this way become involved in doing research about the varnasrama mission. The ministry will seek to establish special alliance with three specialized groups. The first will be the Nam Hatta Department in Sri Dham Mayapur which oversees the preaching activities with many devotees living in villages. Many such devotees can best become involved with the varnasrama mission. The second important group is the Pada Yatra Ministry which has been having devotees touring villages all around India since the last 25 years. The third very important group the ministry aims to link with are the various organized Youth groups around India. The varnasrama ministry will offer many exciting ways in which our youths can especially be involved at various levels.
Actually, the work of the ministry has been on-going since the last four years and already a number of books and documentaries promoting the varnasrama mission have been published. These will be made available in all the temples and in this way devotees and congregational members will get an opportunity to know more about the ministry’s activities.
I would like to invite devotees to get involved as much as possible. At present here in India there is a very strong attempt being made by various religious organizations to protect Krishna’s cows. Sadhus from different parts of India have started the Visva Mangala Gou Gram Yatra, a 108 day yatra travelling around India, with the aim of bringing awareness to farmers and people in general about the need to protect our mother cow and maintain our villages. Varnasrama cannot be developed without giving protection to cows who are the pillars of dharma and without helping to support and revive our villages. Devotees can help by signing a petition which will help stop the unecessary slaughtering of cows.
Within the coming month the varnasrama ministry will set up its owe website and devotees can become more acquainted with the aims, objectives and strategic plans for the ministry. I welcome the input and involvement of any interested devotee. We can be contacted at www.varnasrama.org. Hare Krishna.
NEW VARNASRAMA MINISTER FOR INDIA - Download
