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Feeding 19,000 Kids Daily Vs. Couch Potato's Talking

BY RAGHUNATHA ANUDASA

USA, Dec 31 (VNN) — While many senior devotees talk endlessly if such programs are even proper, Madhu simply goes off and feeds 19,000 school kids---DAILY.

(Article below) Madhu's success in S. India and lack of participation from other god brothers may prove a significant and valid reason for Madhu keeping ISKCON/GBC at arms length.

I can't help but wonder if these talks (about not feeding the poor) are at best frivolous. Let's say it was clearly demonstrated that Prabhupada wanted and demanded prasadam programs for the poor. Let's also say they proved a powerful preaching tool as demonstrated by Madhu. It appears most of those on this conference would still fail to provide a Food for Life program. These talks therefore seem slanted towards discounting such prasadam programs as a means to excuse their own failings to provide this invaluable service.

It reminds me of Prabhupada's god brothers who sat on the side lines critiquing the legitimacy of Prabhupada's programs and devotees. It did not occurred to them to go and assist Prabhupada, learn from him or go off and do the same. Maybe we should consider learning from Madhu, if not helping him or trying something similar.

Fighting words indeed. If you feel I am inappropriate, well good, please prove me wrong and go out and give some prasadam to your neighbors, nearby college campus etc. I did and do. As much as 20% of our income on occasion can go towards prasadam distribution. We have so little money and $30,000 credit card debt. Still, we provide some prasadam program. I don't know how devotees can not.

I'm a little exasperated for in my own experience those who discounted the importance of prasadam (for others) always have customized or first class arrangements for their own eating. To me, there seems to be a strong correlation between being heartless or self centered and being tight fisted about prasadam. I have not been proven wrong yet. Just a thought.

Raghu

"Subject: SV: prasada to poor people; some relevant quotes

Here are some nice newspaper articles that have recently been published about the prasadam distribution of the Bangalore temple, which feeds 17,000 children a day in the schools of Karnataka. The government was so impressed with the program that they have adopted a similar program for the rest of the state; and the chief minister of Karnataka personally honored the ISKCON temple president at an inauguration function. Just imagine, ISKCON is setting the standard for the government to follow. Don't you think Prabhupada would be happy? But some here would say it is "Food for Death", it is an offense to Srila Prabhupada, and it is all mundane karma-kanda.

After all, they are just giving prasadam to the needy. Why aren't they giving it to the rich?"

TIMES OF INDIA

Mid-day Meal Started in N. Karnataka

Times News Network

Raichur: Chief Minister S.M. Krishna sat down to lunch with students of the Government Primary School on Friday, kicking off the mid-day meal scheme for the seven districts of North Karnataka. The launch took place at Arakera village in Deodurga taluk of Raichur district, where Krishna arrived by helicopter along with some ministers at 11.40 a.m.

Minster for Education H. Viswanath, district in charge and Public Works Minster Dharam Singh, Health Minister Maalaka Raddy and Home Minister Mallikarjun Kharge joined the CM in the meal. After the lamp had been lit and vocalist Sangita Kakhandiki had sung the invocation, MP Venkatesh Nayak delivered the welcome speech.

"Children are not a burden to society. To encourage them to study, and decrease illiteracy in the state, particularly in a backward area like Deodurga taluk, we have proposed to introduce the mid-day meal programme," Krishna said in his speech.

Krishna had a special word for the social services of ISKCON and Wipro chief educationist Azim Premji (the richest Indian in the world). At present, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Bangalore, has taken on the responsibility of providing mid-day meals to 19,000 people in Bangalore.

Later, Krishna's cabinet ministers and His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das, president and project director of ISKCON, Bangalore, also spoke, Deodurga MLA Yellappa Akkarki proposed the vote of thanks.

ISKCON Seer Felicitated

Chief Minister Krishna felicitated His Holiness Madhu Pandit Das of ISKCON with a shawl and presented him a memento. In his speech, Swamiji Madhu Pandit Das said that "annadanna is supreme. No other gift or donation is equal to it. ISKCON has already started providing mid-day meals to 19,000 people in Bangalore, and plans to feed 2.5 lakh (250,000) people a day in and around Bangalore", he said. "It will cost roughly Rs 30 lakh ($60,000) a month, but Lord Krishna's grace, we have no scarcity of finance."

The Swamiji invoked the tale of the 'Akshya Patre Yojana' (miraculous pitcher) which never got empty, to relate to the mid-day meal programme.

He blessed Krishna to lead Karnataka and make the state hunger-free within three years.

DECCAN HERALD

Iskcon chief calls for Child hunger free State

BANGALORE, Nov 10
The president of Iskcon, Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit, has urged Chief Minister S M Krishna to adopt the mission of making Karnataka a "child-hunger free" State during the remaining three years of his tenure.

Replying to the felicitation for the success of Iskcon, Bangalore's "Akshayapatra" programme of feeding poor children of schools in and around Bangalore, Mr Madhu Pandit attributed it to the dedication of their 70 full-time volunteers, who go with a begging bowl each morning, albeit in a sophisticated manner with brief cases and by appointment, to affluent Bangaloreans and awaken their social responsibility to support one hungry child.

The scheme has managed a phenomenal reach of 19,000 children in little over a year and it is aimed to feed 30,000 children by end of this academic year, said Mr Madhu Pandit, thanking the donors whose donation of Rs 1,200 each helped feed a child for a whole year. Mr Madhu Pandit was felicitated by Chief Minister S M Krishna at the launch of the State government's mid-day meal scheme for seven north Karnataka districts at Arakere, Raichur District, on Saturday

He said the Centre at present supplied free rice for feeding primary school children. If a similar request is made to feed high school children through an NGO, the Union Food and Civil Supplies ministry was willing to oblige.

The State Government should immediately approach the Center, he suggested.

THE HINDU

'ISKCON's Programme has shown results'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, NOV. 10. The Akshayapatra Annadana programme implemented by the ISKCON in several schools in the State under which children are given free mid-day meals has resulted in their improved attendance, "increased attention" and academic development, according to Sri Madhu Pandit Dasa, chief of the ISKCON, Bangalore center.

Replying to a felicitation by the Chief Minister, Mr. S.M.Krishna, at Raichur on Friday, he said a study report of the Education Department said the free mid-day meal had a great impact on school children, and 99.6 per cent of the beneficiaries felt that they paid better attention towards their studies. He added that 93.8 per cent of the teachers felt that there was an overall academic improvement in the students.

Sri Madhupandit Dasa said that 91.8 per cent of the teachers felt that the attendance of the students had improved. In the current academic year.

16 Schools had reported a 15 per cent increase in enrolment. The mid-day meal programme had addressed two of the most debilitating problems-hunger and education.

The Home Minister, Mr. Mallikarjuna Kharge, the Minister for Public Works, Mr. Dharam Singh, and the Education Minister, Mr. H.Viswanath, were present.

The ISKCON, Bangalore Centre, which provided mid-day meals to over 19,000 children planned to help 30,000 children daily, Sri Dasa said and added that it required Rs.30 lakh a month to sustain the present programme.

Specially thanking philanthropists and organizations in the State, he said each donor paid Rs.1,200 to feed one child for a whole year. He said ISKCON's aim was to make Bangalore Rural District a hunger-free district, "Which had 2,50,000 children, who were hungry."

Requesting the Chief Minister to introduce a programme to provide mid-day meal to all poor children in the State. Sri Dasa said that this should be done even at the expense of an infrastructure project or by levying taxes.

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