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WORLD  Important Mayapur Festival 2002 Update BY BHAGAVATAMRITA DAS MAYAPUR, INDIA, Feb 20 (VNN) — THIS YEAR FESTIVAL ATTENDANTS AND ACCOMMODATION: In previous festival years, we normally have received 40 to 50 advance bookings. Last year the total attendants at the Mayapur festival were approximately 400 to 500 registered devotees. This year according to Guesthouse room booking reports, as of February 17th, around 600 devotees from 32 different countries have booked their accommodations. Most of these devotees are arriving by March 12th and leaving by March 30th. Every day we are getting more and more bookings. Many leaders are staying in Mayapur after the GBC meetings for the festival seminar. We have almost completed our new guesthouse Vamshi Bhavan, which will be ready in the first week of March. These rooms are already completely booked. We are now creating more facilities for accommodating more devotees, so there will be sufficient space to ladies and gents separately. It is now very difficult to get an attached bathroom for devotees, as these rooms are limited. To get your accommodation please write to Naru Gopal das by e-mail today. FESTIVAL SEMINAR The festival seminar is different from the MIHE seminars. The festival seminar begins on March 13th and ends on March 17th and there is no charge for attending. About twenty different seminars will take place during this five day period, and will be called "Sadhu sanga week". Every day after evening aratik, HH Radhanath Swami will give Gaura Katha for one hour! Then every night there will be different events like Congregational preaching night, Book distribution night, World Excellency award distribution night, etc. Do not miss these very attractive programs. Festival fee: No festival fee!! What does this mean? Devotees only have to pay for accommodations and prasadam. THANKS TO THE GOVT. FOR NICE ROADS TO MAYAPUR: Devotees will be happy to hear the Indian Government has begun widening and repairing the road from the National highway to Mayapur. Road construction is taking place quickly so as to be completed before the Gaura Purnima festival. NAVADWIP MANDAL PARIKRAMA BOOKING: >From advanced bookings, we see devotees are arriving by March 12th and leaving around March 30th. But many of them have not mentioned whether they will go on parikrama. In order to efficiently prepare the appropriate facilities, we are requesting all devotees to please let us know how many of you will go on parikrama - whether you would like to spend the night at the various parikrama sites or return to Mayapur every day after finishing parikrama. We have to prepare the facilities at each parikrama site and arrange transportation accordingly, so your information is imperative! Many sannyasis and leaders will walk during this year's Navadvipa mandal parikrama. Contact Naru Gopal das for parikrama booking. Naru Gopal email address- Children's competition: This year there will be nice engagements for all the children. There will be different competitions among the children, including Chanting Bhajans, Reciting verses, giving speeches, etc. There will also be different game competitions like running around the Samadhi, etc. The winners will be awarded certificates and gifts. If you have children coming to Mayapur festival, please contact Veda Sar das by e-mail for more details and inform him about the participation of your children. Veda Sar e-mail address- RETURN TRAIN BOOKING: Like last year this year also there will be facilities for booking your return train tickets. We are still requesting devotees to have their return train tickets before they arrive in Mayapur. It will prevent last minute ticketing problems and save laxmi as well. If you are not able to obtain a return ticket, let us know your name, age and departure date and preferred train. We will try to prepare advance bookings for you. Send us e-mail. KOLAKATA MAHA NAGAR SANKIRTAN: On March 30th this year, there will be a maha nagar sankirtan in Kolkata, the birthplace of Srila Prabhupada. Devotees can attend the Jagannath feast on March 20th in Mayapur, and the morning of March 30th, they will be brought to Kolkata for Maha Harinama. From there they can take the train to wherever they need to go. Please make your train bookings accordingly. Contact Attention Purananda das E-mail address - Mayapur Chandrodaya Mandir BRING YOUR NATIONAL FLAG: We will place National flags of different countries around the pond in front of Srila Prabhupada's samadhi to demonstrate how Srila Prabhupada has created the real United Nations of the spiritual world. There will be a special celebration for this program on March 24th, with the media also being present. Please bring the national flag of your country. Ekachakra (Birth place of Lord Nityananda prabhu): There will be a tour conducted to Ekachakra during the festival period (except during the Parikrama period). Devotees can visit birthplace of Lord Nityananda prabhu. This is a one-day tour. We need volunteers for different services: please contact Bhagavatamrita Das Contact VNN about this story  Send this story to a friend
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