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Transcript of The Bhagwad Gita in Your Hotel Room - India · PDF fileGujarati Patels. This gives the ......
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The Bhagwad Gita in Your Hotel Room
SHALINI KATHURIA NARANG, Apr 30, 2010
“Wherever there is Krishna and Arjuna there is opulence, victory, power and morality. Whoever readsone verse, one line, or even touches one of these books will have an opportunity to achieve perfectionin life and meet Lord Krishna face to face,” says Vaisesika Prabhu the leader of ISKCON ( SiliconValley), based in San Jose, California.
Prabhu is the visionary behind the PanchajanyaProject, a program to place at least 1 million copiesof the softbound English language edition of theBhagavad Gita in hotels and motel rooms in theBay Area, similar to the placing of Gideon Bibles inhotel room nightstands.
The Bhagavad Gita (Song of God) is widelyconsidered the most important of Hindu scriptures.It is less a religious tome than a philosophicaldiscourse on ethics and the nature of God. Theorganizers of the International Society of KrishnaConsciousness(ISKCON) believe that makingthese sacred books available to millions of travelers (who might not otherwise buy or examine them) islikely to have a positive ripple effect beyond the immediate readers.
On the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) convention in April 2009, volunteersdistributed copies of the holy book and requested the hotel and motel owners to allow them to placecopies of the scripture in their property rooms.
“Many motel owners, especially the Patels, have whole-heartedly welcomed and supported thisprogram. ISKCON volunteers have placed copies of the scripture in rooms of chains such as HowardJohnson, Holiday Inn, Quality Inn, Best Western, Days Inn, Comfort Inn, Super 8 and America’s BestValue Inn,” says Milan Doshi, one of the founding directors of the project and a software engineer atWells Fargo Bank.
“Around 60% of the economy lodgings in the United States are owned by Indian Americans, primarilyGujarati Patels. This gives the owners an opportunity to spread the wisdom and glorious message ofKrishna throughout the United States. We are finding that many of the owners we contact have beenwaiting for an organized effort such as this one and are showering their blessings on this project,”says Rohini Nandana of ISKCON’s Boston temple.
“I often see guests coming in for breakfast with the Bhagavad Gita in hand and reading it while theyare in the lobby or in the reception room. It is satisfying to know that I have contributed in spreadingthis knowledge,” says Nilesh Patel, Manager of a Super 8 in Sacramento, California.
Taking a booth at the national AAHOA conventionin April marked a concentrated effort by theorganizers of the Pancajanya Project to expandoperations throughout the U.S. and Canada. They received over 12,000 confirmed orders. Todate, the ISKCON volunteers have placed 30,000books in hotel and motel rooms.
“We request owners to place the Gitas and tocontact and encourage their friends and relativesto do the same. Many, but not all motel ownersare contributing the cost of the Gitas for their ownrooms. Many more are waiting to receive bookswhen funds become available to pay the cost ofpublication and shipping.
Currently, books can be supplied for approximately $3 apiece, plus shipping” says Doshi. To make theproject financially viable, the goal is to cover the cost of the books through donations from the motelowners themselves. For now the books are being supplied free of charge to owners who are willing toplace them in their premises.
“We started stocking the Geeta in our motel rooms last year. Some of my patrons have asked me ifthe books are for sale. Though initially I was skeptical and concerned about people’s reaction, I havenot received any negative feedback yet,” says Kirit Patel of Capri Motel in Santa Cruz.
“This is very interesting. I curiously picked up this new book lying besides the bible and I found it verynice. It has so much depth. I have taken a copy with me and I will certainly read everything. It has
The Bhagwad Gita in Your Hotel Room - India Currents http://www.indiacurrents.com/news/view_article.html?article_i...
1 of 2 3/26/11 1:34 PM
opened a new horizon for me,” says Andrew Spencer, a guest at the Howard Johnson at Houston.
“The Bhagavad Gita is profound literature. I thank the motel authorities who allowed me thisopportunity. It has helped me to understand who I am and about life. Life is much happier and lessstressful. I still cannot believe my luck,” wrote Jon Rodriguez, a guest who dropped a complimentaryletter at Best Western in Memphis.
“I have developed respect for the Hindu culture now that I have read and understood a little about it,”says Vivian Browne, a guest at Rodeway Inn at Monrovia.
The project began in April 2008, and after the pilot in California, the initiative has expanded to otherstates in the United States such as Oregon, Texas and to Toronto in Canada.
Shalini K Narang is a freelance writer based in the Bay Area. She reports and writes on business,technology, health and food when she's not working as a content/technical writer in high techcompanies.
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