ISKCON CHICAGO

ISKCON Chicago

Srila Prabhupada drew me to Chicago again and again. Even though I was settled in Toronto and first met the devotees in Toronto, the first time I met Srila Prabhupada was in Chicago. We drove to Chicago to get his darshan and Srila Prabhupada was very kind to me, my wife and kids from the time we first laid eyes on him. Thereafter, I made other trips to Chicago and also saw Prabhupada there for Ratha Yatra and during his visit with the Radha Damador Travelling Sankirtan Party. Even in this case Srila Prabhupada was merciful since I had just arrived, did not have devotional clothes on and Prabhupada asked me to be in the famous Radha Damodar Sankirtan Party group picture. So in a sea of bramacharis and dhotis, there is one guy in pants. I accompanied Srila Prabhupada to the Rathayatra and spent precious time with him in Chicago, taking in his intimate instructions and wisdom.

After Srila Prabhupada's physical departure, I was asked to become President of ISKCON Chicago. This was a difficult decision since I was very attached to ISKCON Toronto and involved in its managment as well. In addition, I held a Vice President position at a Fortune 500 Insurance company, however I decided to try to be of menial service to Srila Prabhupada and resources were required within ISKCON. I shifted my family to Chicago and in the process we sold many of our material assets and left the business world behind.

Srila Prabhupada used me and a dedicated group of devotees as an instrument in moving from the rented location on Evanston to the current location on Lunt which remains home to the ever gorgeous and kind Kishor Kishori. This was one of temples that was not financed by selling paintings or seeking out donations from the Indian community but rather by simple hard core book distribution. I was humbled to have the great fortune and association of so many dedicated book distributors who would hit O'Hare airport and the streets of Chicago to distribute Srila Prabhupada's books. In their humble attempt to please Srila Prabhupada, even my two kids, Minakshi and Indresh went on sankirtan and book distribution and they fondly remember the many devotees in Chicago who would help and encourage them. To this day I miss the BBT trailers coming in, the daily book counts, the bustle of a thriving temple and most of all Sri Sri Kishor Kishori.

We have not had time to find, sort and digitize all the memories from that period, however during the process of going through Srila Prabhupada's files and memorobilia we found a few interesting pictures to share and we hope to add to this collection in the coming months...