Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 12:23:23 +0400
From: Amalendu Das, Mauritius
Subject: Ananta Sesa installation ceremony, Mauritius

Jay Srila Guru Maharaj ki Jay!

The Sri Ananta Sesa installation ceremony for the new Temple, the second major Temple of the Mission in Mauritius, went on very nicely. Last Sunday, 13th July, devotees organised a big festival full with Harinam Sankirtan, Krsna-katha and Prasad distribution.

A big tent was erected on the site and more than 800 people were present. The weather was very bad. We are in winter now. The temperature dropped by a couple of degrees below normal and it was very windy and rainy the whole day. With the rain the site became muddy all over, still more than 800 people turned up! There were 1,050 chairs for guests in the tent. Prasad was prepared for distribution to more than 1300 people. The programme lasted for three hours and at the end, after arati, the film sent by Mahananda Prabhu about Sri Govinda Kunda and Sriman Mahaprabhu Chandan Yatra Mandir was shown to all on a big screen of 10 feet by 15 feet. All the guests were very pleased. The MBC, the national television channel of Mauritius, was present and they made a report for the evening news. It was shown yesterday in the Hindi Samachar bulletin in the evening and will again be shown today in the evening in the French and English News on television. The festival was very nice and it was a big celebration, all for the pleasure and satisfaction of Srila Gurudev, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Dev-Goswami Maharaj.

As explained to Srila Gurudev by Dhameshwar Prabhu, the site for the new Temple and Ashram is on an important road and the traffic flow is constant. So with the Prasad which remained after the programme, all devotees came on the road and formed three groups: one doing Harinam Sankirtan, the second preparing the plastic plates with rice, subjis, chutney and sweet rice, and the third group stopping passing cars and giving them Prasad. It was wonderful. Even the children participated. All the people served were very happy, some even handed out donations in cash while others stopped their cars and joined in Sri Harinam Sankirtan, all this despite the bad weather! Thus all the Prasad prepared was distributed.

We shall send the recording of the whole programme very soon.

With prayers at Srila Gurudev's Lotus feet for the well-being of all devotees around the world.

Dandavat pranam. Hare Krishna.
Amalendu Das