Don’ts for 1st year boys’ program and general preaching

 Bringing a big crowd of boys like a herd of sheep, mostly new, not internally active, never
participating in discussion but keeping mum.
 Frontlines showing me a `long list’ of names of boys being followed up but mostly not
engineering but from other streams, that too in final year or already passed out or localites
or second year with YD etc.
 Frontlines saying, “they come to program out of compassion for the frontlines who beg them
to come for the program”
 No mention of chanting of hare krishna by the preacher during the program, but a long-
winded lecture that tires the students
 No participation of students in discussion, but making them a mere spectator, grasping
hardly anything
 Preacher maintaining a cold behavior and giving a lecture for the lecture sake and winding
up without bothering about the understanding of the audience
 Preacher insensitively releasing difficult-to-accept truths like ‘Chitraketu had one crore
wives’ and allowing the neophyte boys minds to be stuck there but going ahead lecutring in
their own world to themselves.
 Preacher not knowing the names of boys or even asking them, not caring to welcome
newcomers making them feel comfortable, but just bothering about his own lecture
 No circular sitting posture to make everyone feel direct access to speaker, but students
sitting hiding behind one another just to finish off the program and go for prasadam.
 No well-planned vibrant kirtans in the beginning and end, but kartals-mridangam-voice all
going in three different directions.
 Preacher coming late, but keeping the already punctual boys idly sitting staring at the clock,
killing time
 Not taking address slips filled up from new people and allowing them to go away without
even knowing who they are.
 Not noting down the ‘Questioners’ ‘Arguers’ ‘openers’ ‘commenters’ ‘dominators’ ‘spark
throwers’ and remaining insensitive to know who they are.
 Not talking, paying attention to regular visitors and allowing them to just eat prasad after the
program and go away without encouraging them in spiritual life for whatever they are doing
and to inspire them to increase chanting
 No activity during prasadam. No seniors talking to boys; no background hare krishna music
going on. Boys idling, eating prasad and talking some gossip amongst themselves.
 OC or Announcer, speaking ‘transcendental’ language with words like ‘E1RC’ (and not
Meditation circle), ‘ecstatic’ (and not happy) ‘DYS YBF YSJ’ (and not their full forms).
 No giving out of SP books from library (no one appointed to be in charge of library), no
lecture tapes given out of library for upcoming students to hear in their own rooms (no one
appointed to take care of tapes library)

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 No E1RC engagement or management services or follow up services for the handful of fired
up upcoming cream devotees, allowing them to just remain ‘guests’.

 There are innumerable factors that affect our preaching – good frontlines moving to
other BACEs, passouts, our own devotees not getting jobs near our BACE, students
shifting out of Pune, crisis in services, plenty of boys to follow up but no enough man
power to follow up, tension of exam results, job, parents, etc and many many more.
 I know that every BACE is sincerely trying their best to show me good results in
preaching when I visit them; I can see the way they struggle to develop preaching and
I am sure Srila Prabhupada will be pleased with that struggle. Such sincere struggle is
more important than ‘success’. At the same time our struggle need not be a mindless,
unplanned, nonstrategic endeavour to just ‘work hard’, but a prudent move to bring
gems. Our ‘streshta’ program was a prudent move to bring toppers; even if not
successful, no problem; we will improve it in future. If we got one gem for a college
that’s a success.

DOs for 1st year preaching

 INTERESTED boys are those, who come to program without being called
everytime. They are regular in chanting. They look forward for the weekly
program.
 Look for INTERESTED people.

 Boys are fascinated by ACADEMIC HEROES among them who are also equally
KC.
 Also our Preachers should keep the classes highly interactive,
 preachers should prepare hare krishna tunes beforehand and ensure that Mridangam
is not making DOB..DOB sound, but playing well. Everything we present should
be of quality. The preachers should talk to boys in a friendly way both during and
after the programs.
 note who is brilliant, who is skeptical, who is enthusiastic, who is dull etc.
I had marked Shyamarupa prabhu and Vikrama pandita prabhu
 It is better to follow up INERESTED people than to follow three dozen uninterested
people and drain all our energy.

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  Don’t divert your attention to Pharmacy, Science, MCA, MBA, 11 th Std, 12th Std or
Polytechnic students. We have no hatred for them. If they know about us and
come of their own accord, we won’t reject them.
 Somebody along with the team of OCs and frontlines can make a brief two or three
pages notes on the following questions :
 What all announcements should be made after the class?
 How should the boys be invited to the weekly program?
 What should be content of Meditation circle?
 How can we make the Weekly program successful?

 Even among the INTERESTED boys coming for the weekly program, if you don’t
engage them in solid services, they will go away.
 Remember the following slogans –

 Don’t keep them ‘guests’. Make them ‘hosts’ !

 Don’t keep them mum or remain bum. Make them open, all ice broken !
 Don’t snore and ignore; be awake to care and share !
 Better to get the interested ones, than to get the uninterested interested !
 Better to get a diamond and polish it, than to struggle to change a cat into tiger!