Newfound religious fervour has little mass appeal

October 4, 2012 Ajay Kamalakaran

The controversy surrounding Pussy Riot and Innocence of Muslims is pushing
lawmakers to draft harsher laws for those that offend religious beliefs, but Russia largely
remains a non-religious society.
On a long train journey somewhere in the Siberian hinterland, I met a Dagestani
conscripted soldier who was assigned an army unit near Novosibirsk. He was proud of
his Muslim heritage but laughed when I asked him if he fasted during Ramadan or
avoided pork and alcohol. The soldier said hed starve if he didnt eat pork while serving
in the army. It would also be very un-Russian to not drink with comrades, who shared
his fate as conscripts. The young man had never set foot inside a mosque and the stories I
heard about his life in the largely Muslim Republic of Dagestan would shock the quasipuritan religious leaders of Russia.
Its not just the Muslims in Russia who frown at open display of religious zeal, most
Russians tend to be agnostic (not atheist like some put it). Despite attempts by religious
leaders to mobilise people on the basis of a heritage, beliefs remain largely a private
affair in the country. I have gone many times to the church where Pussy Riot displayed
their hooliganism. While the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour is beautiful, when it
comes to spiritual energy, it is hardly any different from the magnificent cathedrals of
Europe, which have more tourists than pilgrims.
From my own experiences, I can say that most Orthodox Churches in Russia when
conducting prayer services have an odd mix of babushkas (grandmothers), very rich
businessmen, a smattering of nationalists and the occasional curious onlooker. Although
personally agnostic, I like the mystic Russian Orthodox Church. The older monasteries in
places like Valaam, Borovsk and Sergiyev Posad have a calming effect on those dealing
with the heaviness of Russian life. However, there is always one question that boggles
visitors to Russias churches: Where are the young people?
When I first moved to Russia in 2003, I went to an Orthodox Church accompanied by a
local friend. Most of the faithful in the church were happy to see a foreigner taking an
interest in the Orthodox faith, but they didnt express similar sentiments towards my
friend. She covered her head as she entered the church, but growing up in an agnostic
home, she had no clue as to how to pray and the resident babushkas gave her several
disapproving glances until we left the church. That was my Russian friends first and last
visit to an Orthodox Church as a believer.
Despite being largely agnostic, Russians tend to be open-minded to diverse religious
ideas and beliefs. It is very trendy to be Buddhist and vegetarian in many circles these
days. I have also seen how dedicated Russian followers of the Hare Krishna movement
are. Even at the time when the Orthodox Church was at the helm of affairs in the country
in Czarist Russia, artists and philosophers like Nicholas Roerich who had deep
inclinations to the East, appealed to a large section of Russians.

Religious freedom is almost absolute in Russia in the 21st century, but religious leaders
are always on the lookout to mobilise the masses and to create some sort of new panreligious identity in the country. These leaders have made in-roads with decision makers,
who want to draft laws that call for severe punishments against those that offend religious
beliefs. I agree that the law should come down hard on those that deliberately incite
religious hatred or those who attack people or religious symbols. However, one has to
really look at the merits of paying too much attention to idiots.
Many of my Russian friends are debating whether the ban on Innocence of Muslims, is
justified. Human stupidity has no limits whatsoever and I personally feel that the best
way to deal with garbage like that film is to not dignify it with the slightest bit of
attention. I remember when Russia banned the film Borat as it was termed offensive to
Kazakhs. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, did not follow suit and
claimed that there was no such thing as bad publicity. Interestingly enough, the ban made
the film one of the most downloaded in Russia.
Many religious leaders in Russia live in a time-warp called the 19th century, where
religion played a major role in public life and was even the cause of the disastrous
Crimean War. Given the agnostic beliefs of the majority, the Russia of today is hardly a
place where religious sentiment can be whipped up and mobilised for political gain or
other vested interests.
Diwali marked across the length and breadth of Russia
November 13, 2012 Alexander Korablinov, Elena Krovvidi, specially for RIR
From St Petersburg to Vladivostok, special programmes are being held this month to
mark the Hindu Festival of Lights.
Every year members of Russias small Indian community organise a few programmes to
celebrate Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. The celebrations are not just restricted to
Moscow but are spread across to remote corners of the country, with Russian people also
joining in on the festivities.
Diwali celebrations in Russia kicked off in the city of Rostov-on-Don, where a few
cultural programmes were held on November 1-3. The southern Russian city, which will
host a few matches in the 2018 Football World Cup, has a community of Indian medical
students, studying at the prestigious Rostov State Medical University.
Vladivostok will be celebrating Diwali on November 14 with a programme at the Indian
Cultural centre of the Far Eastern State University. Professor Alexander Sokolovsky,
who holds the Asia-Pacific Chair at the universitys Institute of Oriental Studies, believes
that such events help to develop and strengthen the friendship between the people of
India and Russia as well as enhance diplomatic relations between the Russian Far East
and India.
diwali

Diwali in Russia: let the Festival of Lights burn all the bad times
At the programme held on the day India marks Bhai-Dhuj (a festival celebrating the love
between brothers and sisters), students and teachers of Indian languages and culture will
recite poems and sing Indian songs. Diplomats from the Indian consulate will be present
during the festivities. The festival will also be marked by the Indian community and Hare
Krishna followers on the far eastern island of Sakhalin, where a small community of
Indian expats work on some of the oil and gas projects.
St Petersburgs 2 Krishna temples are also conducting Diwali poojas.
Laxmi Pooja and Bhai-Dhuj usually remain private and family occasions in Moscow,
which is believed to have around 10,000 Indians, many of whom have lived in the city for
decades. For me, Diwali is a family holiday, says Deshini Lakshman, who is a senior
executive in a pharmaceutical firm. He also invites a handful of friends home for Diwali.
We decorated the apartment festively with lanterns and candles...We will also celebrate
in our building compound with fireworks.
The city will host a special cultural programme on November 24-25. IndianDance.Biz, a
Russian-language website that brings together lovers of Indian culture and dance will
organise a series of folk dances featuring dance collectives and solo performers.
Moscow may lose its sole Hare Krishna temple
The temporary site where Russian devotees of the Hare Krishna Movement or ISKCON
pray is likely to be demolished, Krishna.ru, a site run by Russian ISKCON followers said.
The movement has faced several bureaucratic hurdles in its quest to have a permanent
structure to conduct its religious activities. When the ISKCON temple situated near the
Begovaya metro station (in the centre of Moscow) was demolished in 2004, the Moscow
government allotted land for construction of a new temple at the Leningradsky Prospekt
(north of Moscow). This land was subsequently taken away.
In 2006, the Moscow government promised to build a temple in the Molzhaninovo
district (10 km from the Moscow ring road) as part of the joint declaration signed by the
Moscow and New Delhi governments. A Russian Orthodox Church has since been built
in Delhi.
Despite all clearances for the project for the temple to be built in Molzhaninovo, the
Moscow government cancelled the project. The authorities of the Northern administrative
district of Moscow have also threatened to demolish the temporary site where Moscowbased ISKCON followers pray.
Moscow is believed to have 20,000 followers of the ISKCON movement.
Russian ISKCON followers look to Pranab Mukherjee for support

November 8, 2012 Alexander Korablinov

Believers of the Hare Krishna movement call for the Indian Presidents support in the
construction of a new Krishna temple in Moscow.
Representatives of the Hare Krishna or ISKCON movement in Russia met Indian
President Pranab Mukherjee last week to gather support for the construction of a temple
and cultural centre for the community in Moscow, Russian website news.ru said. The
delegation was led by Bhakti Vijnana Goswami, the chairman of the governing body
commission of ISKCON's Moscow unit.
Goswami told the president that the growing community of ISKCON (which stands for
International Society for Krishna Consciousness) followers in Russia was in urgent need
of a new cultural hub in Moscow. We need a modern centre, which reflects the spirit and
tradition of friendly Russian-Indian relations, Goswani was cited by news.ru as saying.
In 2004, the Moscow city government did not allow ISKCON to build a sprawling
prayer-cum-cultural complex in central Moscow. Later, the movement was permitted to
set up its centre in a Moscow suburb. Land was allotted in 2010 for a new temple and
cultural centre, but work has yet to begin as ISKCON followers claim to be up against
red tape from Moscow city authorities.
Goswami told the Indian President that that Russia and India agreed on the construction
of the cultural centre in 2002 and this issue was taken up by Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh, when he visited Moscow last year. Vaishnava communities exist in Russia for
more than 40 years, and the current stage of development is characterised by peaceful
integration, growing interest in social service, health promotion, and of course, the
deepening friendship between the Russian and Indian people, Goswami said.
ISKCON says it has around 100,000 followers in Russia spread over 100 communities
from St Petersburg to Sakhalin Island. The popularity of the movement in smaller
Russian towns has often led to resentment among followers of Russian Orthodox
Christianity. Last year, prosecutors in Tomsk tried to get the ISKCON version of the
Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita declared extremist. This led to an uproar in the Indian
parliament but the Tomsk court rejected attempts to ban the book and the movement.
Followers of the ISKCON movement account for a large proportion of Russian tourists to
India. Twice a year, members undertake pilgrimages to the holy places such as Vrindavan
and Mathura (the birthplace of Krishna), Jagannath Puri, the Himalayas, and southern
Indian temples and shrines.
Gita row: Is there a hidden agenda? In the name of Gita, dont spoil India-Russia
relations
A day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returned to New Delhi from a
successful bilateral summit with Russian President Dmitri Medevdev, several newspapers
in India reported that the Hindu sacred book The Bhagavad Gita faces the prospect of a
ban in Russia. The misleading headlines, including Bhagavad Gita faces extremist
branding in Russia and Extremist Bhagavad Gita faces ban in Russia, seemed to have

been timed to perfection. Instead of the Indian people reacting positively to a fresh
momentum imparted to the Indo-Russia relations, India woke up on a cold wintry Sunday
to headlines making Russia look like an anti-Hindu country.
Read more:
Russia regrets Bhagavad Gita controversy
Tomsk prosecutors wage war on the Mahabharata
A casual scrutiny of the articles will help any reader understand that prosecutors in the
Siberian city of Tomsk (of all places on this earth!!!) want a version of the Bhagavad
Gita, published by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON)
banned. The matter has been sub judice since June but for very strange reasons the news
appeared in most Indian dailies only after the Indian prime minister left Moscow. The
reports flashed on Sunday newspapers across the country, however, make no mention of
the working of the Russian legal system. Have they bothered to even find out if a court in
Tomsk can ban the book across Russia?
The followers of ISKCON or the Hare Krishna sect are spread out across Russia, but not
all Russians who follow some form of Hinduism are members of the sect. Russia has
several followers of the Sathya Sai Baba and practitioners of sects like the
Brahmakumaris. I have personally seen several versions of the Bhagavad Gita in different
parts of Russia. While I am not a religious person, not once in four years I spent there did
I ever feel that I didnt have the freedom to practise Hinduism in Russia.
While I am not qualified to give an opinion on the Hare Krishna movement, its the issue
of the groups proselytisation that seems to have bothered some practitioners of Orthodox
Christianity in Russia. While many Hindus in India abhor missionaries who come to
India to convert people, they fail to see parallels in their co-religionists going abroad for
the same reasons.
There was once a furore in India over another well-timed media report where a priest
from an Orthodox Church in a small provincial town called Krishna the devil. While the
Russian Orthodox Church refused to endorse the views of the particular priest, the Indian
media couldnt get enough of the comments.
Russia is a country that has always been friendly to India and Indians. Many Indians talk
of natural warmth they experience when they are in Russia, something that isnt common
in the West. India also enjoys tremendous soft power in Russia and the former Soviet
Union; something that existed long before the country became fashionable in the West.
So who benefits from misinformation being spread among Russians and Indians?
Could it be the same set of people who seem to have a stake in the prolonged delay at the
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant? For 65 days, poor farmers and fishermen have been
agitating against the Russian-built power plant. How can these poor people afford to
support and feed their families without an income for two months? Is it possible that their
loss of daily earnings is being compensated from an external source? This is something

that the Indian government has finally started to think about. Media reports in several
publications suggest that the Intelligence Bureau has started to probe the sources of funds
for the protestors in the villages near the plant. A protest by residents and industrialists in
Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu in support of the plant was, however, ignored by the media. The
protestors numbered around 3,000, but their protest could only last one day since NGOs
and foreign governments perhaps were not ready to sponsor them.
The small yet powerful anti-Russia lobby in India is working on an overdrive to destroy
the warm and time-tested political and people-to-people relations that India and Russia
share. They have a subtle modus operandi. Label any pro-Russian in India as a
communist or JNU type. Use the media and even Bollywood to attack Russian
interests. Why did the Bollywood film from 2006, Rang De Basanthi single out MIG
aircrafts in the closing credits? Could some of MIGs competitors have played a role in
the mention after the emotional film?
There is an old Russian proverb that says (Stari drugh
luche novikh dvukh), which literally translates as An old friend is better than 2 new
ones. Even as the Gita controversy rages on, Russia and India ease visa norms for each
others citizens, the countries support each in international diplomatic forums and have a
convergence of interests in Central Asia and the Middle East. This doesnt go well with
those that benefit from a manufacture friction between these countries, so brace
yourselves for more mountains to be made out of molehills.
Russia regrets Bhagavad Gita controversy
December 20, 2011
Following the uproar over an attempt to ban Swami Prabhupadas translation and
comments of Bhagavad Gita in the Siberian city of Tomsk, Russia has expressed regret
over the situation.
Alexander M Kadakin, Russian Ambassador in India, made a statement, in which he
called the initiative to take any holy scripture to the court inadmissible.
The Ambassador said: Russia, as it is known to anyone, is a secular and democratic
country where all religions enjoy equal respect. Even more applicable it is to the holy
scriptures of various faiths - whether it is the Bible, the Holy Quran, Torah, Avesta and, of
course, Bhagavad Gita - the great source of wisdom for the people of India and the
world.
It is not normal either when religious books are sent for examination to ignorant
people.
Mr. Kadakin added that academic scrutiny should be done at scientists' fora, congresses,
seminars, etc. but not in courts.
Alexander Kadakin also said that it is strange that such events are unfolding in the
beautiful university city in Siberia, as Tomsk, which is famous for its secularism and
religious tolerance.

"Well, it seems that even the lovely city of Tomsk has its own neighbourhood madmen. It
is sad indeed, the Ambassador said in his statement.
India has strongly taken up the issue of demand for banning Hindu scripture Bhagavad
Gita, which a group linked to the Christian Orthodox Church has described as 'extremist',
with the Russian authorities, Indian Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra said.
At the moment the court in Tomsk postponed its ruling on the petition banning Bhagavad
Gita as extremist and allegedly sowing social-discord in Russia.
Tomsk prosecutors wage war on the Mahabharata
December 20, 2011 Boris Falikov, The Moscow News (Mosckovskiye Novosti)
Theologian Boris Falikov express his opinion on the Bhagavad Gita controversy.
Tomsk has been the scene of a tragicomedy. Three researchers at the local university
declared the Bhagavad Gita to be an extremist book. The fact might have been ignored,
because Russia is a vast country with many eccentric people, but the problem is that some
of these people are in authority. The local prosecutors office asked employees of Tomsk
University to examine the Gita text and filed a claim to ban the dangerous book. Do the
prosecutors have a bone to pick with the holy Indian scripture? It is very simple: the
Bhagavad Gita is worshipped by Russian Krishnaits and, as you know, they are a
dangerous sect the Bishops Council of Russian Orthodox Church made a relevant
warning in 1994, calling for Russians to be watchful. So the prosecutors are keeping a
watchful eye out. The local FSB office is watchful, too, lest some poor Tomsk residents
be lured into the sect. The simplest way to tackle the problem is to declare the Krishnait
extremists and ban them. But first it has to be proved that their propaganda is founded on
destructive books. As a result of that simple deduction, The Song of God has become
the subject-matter of a lawsuit.
They are going to try a specific book, Bhagavad Gita As It Is, translated from Sanskrit
by Swami Bhaktivedanta Prabhupada. It was he who transferred one of the Indian
Vaishnavism schools to the West in the 1970s; the school still exists as the International
Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON). This manoeuvre brought about
transformations in Vaishnavism, but it managed to survive. One proof is that it remains
hugely popular with the Indian diaspora, which is rapidly growing in our world of
globalisation. If some Indian businessman should come to Russia, he will see native
temples here to pray at and ask Krishna to help him in his hard communications with
local officials. The Russian people praying nearby also inspire confidence that there are
people in this country with whom you can find a common language without incurring
financial losses.
Prabhupadas translation is not a literary masterpiece. Furthermore, it is a double
translation: he translated the Gita into English and unnamed assistants further translated
the text into Russian. The defects in this double translation are obvious. The first Russian
translation of the Gita was also made from English and was published by Nikolai
Novikovs printing house in 1788. I would not advise using this text to familiarise
yourself with the Gita. The brilliant translation by Vsevolod Sementsov is a completely
different thing the translator managed to not only convey the religious depths but also

to transpose Sanskrit shlokas into Russian verse. Yet Prabhupadas translation never
aspired to literary heights. The author had a different aim to make comments on the
sacred book in the context of Bengali Vaishnavism. He naturally targets modern audience
but he heals souls rather than adapts to the reader. His exposures sometimes sound rude.
This style is typical of many modern traditionalist preachers with charisma. Any
Orthodox ancient would effortlessly beat Prabhupada the logic of such preachers is
simple: they need to shake up sinners who are sunk in disbelief in order to open their eyes
and souls.
The castigatory rhetoric of Prabhupadas comments refers to Indian archaic practices,
which may seem uncivilised to us. Yet, in comparing non-believers to dogs, pigs and
camels, Prabhupada keeps strictly to the most sacred texts. Similar comparisons can be
found in other traditions. The thing is, modern Christians are trying to refrain from them
(unlike Muslims), while Prabhupada is not.
Most importantly, in order to understand the sacred texts properly, it is necessary to
understand the context in which each given statement is made. This way you can easily
pick misanthropic quotations from the New Testament. For example, take a quote from
Matthew: For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her
mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a persons enemies will be
those of his own household, and this concludes that Jesus calls for splitting families.
But it is on this practice that Tomsk University researchers built their examination.
No wonder they found features inciting discord in the Bhagavad Gita.
This expert review is not simply uneducated. It was obviously contracted by
prosecutors and the FSB in the sense the word contract is used in the criminal
underworld. But the amateur "experts" failed to show professionalism even in this narrow
context. When a posse of Moscow Orientalists and scholars of religious studies arrived in
Tomsk for the court hearings, the local researchers chickened out. The original findings
were cancelled and a new examination was ordered. Yet, instead of inviting specialists,
the new review will engage loyal experts from another Siberian university, with a
reputation for being an anti-sectarian champions. The findings of the new study are easy
to predict.
This tragicomic story in Tomsk attests to the security ministers lack of culture they
tend to eradicate extremism in extremism-free places and will never confess to faults
when esprit de corps is at stake. We would not expect anything else. What is much more
dangerous is that the imitation of justice is often accompanied by an imitation of expert
activity, which is conducted by selected "intellectuals" who are not only ignorant but also
have no moral restraints. This explosive mixture enables them to accuse a monument of
world literature of extremism or help put an innocent person behind the bars for many
years.
Translated from Moskovskiye Novosti

Indian ambassador calls the Gita trail an absurd, bordering on the bizarre
The Bhagavad Gita is perhaps the most important and respected scripture in the world.
First translated into Russian in 1788, it is not merely a religious text, but one of the
defining treatises of Indian thought. The Bhagavad Gita has circulated freely across the
world for centuries and there is not a single instance of it having encouraged extremism,
the ambassador said.
So, the case before the Honourable Court in Tomsk is indeed absurd, bordering on the
bizarre. Knowledgeable Russian and other experts have provided supportive statements
about the Bhagvad Gita to the Honourable Court in Tomsk. The Ombudsman handling
Human Rights too is due to speak for freedom of religion and conscience in Russia at its
next hearing on December 28, the ambassador said. It is hoped that all this would be
fully appreciated by the Honourable Court in Tomsk. The Russian authorities have been
approached at high levels to appropriately resolve this matter."
A Russian Krishnaite responds to allegations against ISKCON
Hare Krishna devotees at a procession in Russia. Source: Alexey Malgavko / RIA
Novosti
My recent column about a conversation with a Russian Orthodox priest on his views
about the Hare Krishna movement drew mixed reactions. While many readers from India
seemed to agree with the priest, I received a barrage of hate messages on Facebook
calling me all sorts of things from a KGB agent to a jihadi (!) A good friend pointed
out that the fact that I was getting hate mails from bigots meant that I was doing
something right. Amidst this bombardment, I received a message from a Russian Hare
Krishna devotee who has been living in Mumbai for the last 12 years. Without criticising
the views of the Orthodox priest, he asked for an opportunity to put his own views and set
the record straight.
Taraka Nath Das, born Alexei Mikhailov in the Leningrad Region in 1970, is married to
an Indian ISKCON devotee and is happy to live in a country, where a large number of
people are vegetarians. Krishna changed my life, says the devotee who faced the worst
kinds of financial hardships and had several run-ins with the law after the collapse of the
Soviet Union. There wasnt a banned narcotic substance that I didnt try and I cant
remember how often I was drunk, although I was not an alcoholic, he says.
Das says he first got acquainted with the Hare Krishna movement on a cold winter night
in St Petersburg in 1995, when he was freezing and starving and a believer in a random
act of kindness treated him to a warm vegetarian meal. There was nothing sinister in her
actShe could see my suffering and offered to help me. He says he found his answers
in the law of karma and the concept of love for all living beings and devotion to Krishna
changed his life. In 17 years, I havent had one drop of alcohol and not eaten any meat
or fish, Das says. Animals have as much of a right to live as human beings.

The Russian Krishnaite said he respected the right of the Orthodox priest to have an
opinion but felt the young man was misguided. We have absolutely no political agenda
of any kind. Even if we had 100,000 followers in Russia, could we possibly topple a
government in a country of 140 million? Das agreed that there were many followers
from Western countries but insisted that these people merely sought salvation from the
vicious cycle of karma. He said his guru told him about how some Western intelligence
agents penetrated the ranks of the movement, but added that these were the exception
and not the rule.
Russians, like Indians, strongly resist change and any idea that is considered new, he
said, and thats why there is suspicion against the movement. Das said yoga was looked
upon with suspicion a few decades ago in the country but now even stringent followers of
the Orthodox faith practice the Indian system of physical and mental wellness. Its only
matter of time before those who have misplaced fears understand that were not on some
sort of political mission.
Das said the movement wasnt on a conversion mission. Every religion is right and is
just a human quest to be one with the creatorOur belief is that love for the maker calls
for the love for all his creations. He insisted that the basic principles of the movement
called for a few lifestyle changes and a devotion to God, by chanting the Hare Krishna
mantra. These changes included refraining from eating meat and fish, alcohol and drugs,
illicit sex and gambling. I know I am a lot healthier now than I was when I was
consuming meat and alcohol.
Although he seemed flexible on many things, Das insisted that the Bhagawad Gita, As it
is is the only authentic edition of the Hindu holy book. Krishna narrated the Gita to
Arjuna and theres no dispute about what he said even the most learned scholars will
agree to that.
!!
Hare Krishna and the Russian Orthodox Church
Das said the movement was shamed by the sex scandals and other controversies that
plagued it in the 1970s and 80s. We continue to suffer because of all that, but then that
doesnt make our beliefs wrong, just like some rogue priests dont tarnish the reputation
of the Catholic Church.
The Russian devotee does not fear any kind of persecution of ISKCON followers in
Russia. Our constitution guarantees freedom of religion and this wont be impinged
upon. He said land issues in an inflated real estate market were the cause of the Moscow
community not finding a permanent place for their temple. We have community centres
and temples in several regions in Russia and face no problems there, he said.
I couldnt help but feel that I interacted with a man who made peace with himself and
seemed to be living a happy and fulfilling life in suburban Mumbai.

There are a number of festive events held in the Russian capital to pay tribute to the
Hindu God, Krishna on his birthday, Janmashtami. These celebrations are in large part
due to the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which found its
way to Moscow thanks to Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the movement.
As ISKCON devotees take part in kirtanas and bhajanas, arrange rituals for themselves
and their families and friends, and enjoy the flavour of prasad, some of the long-term
followers reminisce about how they found the religion.
For many people, the words of wisdom from the Bhagavad Gita became a guiding path
for their lives. Andrei Kharitonov, former professor at the institute of mechanical
engineering from the Russian city of Kurgan, is a Russian ISKCON devotee. His life
changed drastically 14 years ago when his army friend gave him a Bhagavad Gita printed
through samizdat (dissident underground press in the USSR).
After reading the holy book, Kharitonov was spellbound. He immediately quit smoking
and drinking alcohol and converted to vegetarianism. The former professor also started
spiritual practices. Once, during his travels, in the extreme north of Russia, he met
ISKCON followers from Moscow. His new friends told him about the movements
temple in the Russian capital. This was when he became Guru Radhanathswamis
student, changed his name to Ananda Govinda and began to popularise the ISCKON
books. It was on Janmashtami that he visited the temple for the very first time.
Kharitonovs transformation took place in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet
Union, when the attitude of state towards religion changed. But the followers of Lord
Krishna who tried to practice their faith in the USSR faced suspicion and antagonism
from the state. Sometimes it manifested itself in unusual situations like the one Swami
Prabhupadas student Prithu-Das experienced. Prithu-Das recalled an incident at a
Moscow airport, when he sang a Hare Krishna prayer to a tune of a Russian folk song
Polyushko-pole as a protest against persecution of religious people. As expected, a
policeman approached him and demanded to stop Anti-Soviet propaganda. But he said
that its just a performance of the Russian folk song in Hindi, and the policeman let him
go on with the prayer.
Although there is some uncertainty over a new permanent premises for an ISKCON
temple, Janmashtami is celebrated with gusto and enthusiasm in the Russian capital.
Moscow is believed to have around 20,000 ISKCON followers.