Celebrating 40 Years of the 'Hare Krishnas' in London
21 November 2009

It has been forty years since the "Hare Krishnas" made their first mark on the streets of London with unmistakable sounds of cymbals, saffron and shaven heads on Oxford Street in the West End. Since then, ISKCON has made a very positive contribution to the UK, and in particular it is building a leading centre of cow protection and working oxen and is the faith advisor for the first state-funded Hindu primary school in the UK. The Hare Krishna movement has grown into a major international organization, with more than 400 centres, 60 organic farms, 52 schools and 60 restaurants.

1969 was the year that the late George Harrison of the Beatles produced the chart-topping "Hare Krishna Mantra" single, and the Hare Krishnas made their first appearance on British television, singing live on Top of the Pops. Now, of course, the Hare Krishnas represent main-stream Hinduism and are woven to the fabric of London life.

Shyamsundar Das, who was one of the first Krishna devotees in London, said: 'To many, the Hare Krishnas represented the psychedelic spirit of the sixties. Although their philosophy is one of actual abstinence, of non-violence and pure vegetarianism. I am so pleased to be part of the celebrations culminating with this truly memorable dinner at the Troxy Centre' Govindas was one of the first vegetarian restaurants in central London which is still going strong."

The Hare Krishna faith, also known as Gaudiya Vaishnavism, has firm roots in the 8,000 year old Vedic culture of India. The movement is famous for spreading the teachings the ancient text Bhagavad-Gita, whose admirers included Albert Einstein and Gandhi. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, the Radha-Krishna Temple (off Oxford Street), which is the oldest Hindu temple in the UK, hosted a series of events including a cultural evening at the renowned Troxy Theatre in London, on 21st November 2009. The event celebrated the Hare Krishna's arrival in London and their achievements in the fields of art, culture, spiritual education, Vedic philosophy, food and ecology.

'As the Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster it was a pleasure to take part in the celebrations marking the 40th Anniversary of ISKCON in London,' said Mark Field MP , Key note speaker at last Saturday's Gala Dinner. 'The chanting processions of the orange-garbed devotees in Oxford Street have become a welcome and indeed exotic part of the city's multi-cultural landscape. The help that members of the Hare Krishna movement have given to the homeless has been much appreciated and I hope that they will continue their good work for many years to come."

*There were 558,000 Hindus living in Great Britain in 2001. Just over half (52 per cent) of Britain's Hindu population [or 290,160] live in London. (Sources: Census, April 2001, Office for National Statistics and Census, April 2001, General Register Office for Scotland).

Visit www.iskcon.org.uk for further information.