Lalithangi, Chennai, India

All Glories to Srila Gurumaharaj!
I happened to be in Chile, South America for two and a half years. It was then I realized the greatness of devotees born in western countries. Also, I felt fortunate for having born in South India. I have grown up visiting the beautiful, traditional temples here. I fall short of words to describe the soul-satisfying experience one is bestowed when having darshan of the Lord in these temple.
With such an orthodox background, one can imagine the heart breaks I felt when exposed to the culture in the western countries. My first reaction was instant disgust. Later on, I felt sorry for those born there. They from the early age, taught how to drink but not get drunk, they are given minced meat as their first food after mother’s milk. Illicit sex is a well accepted, thriving custom.
In such a scenario, there exists temple of Sri Sri Gaura Nitai, served by sincere souls from the same society who avoid intoxication, meat, illicit sex and gambling. This is not a fairy tale. It is a reality. A million thanks to Srila Prabhupada! People like iron are turned into gold by the magical touch of touchstone called ISKCON.
Every Friday, on my way to the temple, I cross atleast a dozen pubs, where school kids, in pairs enter for the Friday hang-out. Passing through the glaring undecipherable rock-bang, I enter the temple. There I see the devotees, dressed in sarees & dhotis, swaying to Gaura Arati. What a sharp contrast to the outside world! All Glories to Srila Pabhupada!
It is now 32 years since Srila Prabhupada left this planet, but the legacy is carried on by his disciples and is being passed to the next generation. Here comes the herculear effort by our Guru Maharaj HH Jayapataka Swami.Maharaj. He is one of those disciples of Srila Prabhupada, who non-chalantly traveled to all the corners of the globe, preaching the massage of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. What made him undertake such rigorous schedule of preaching, neglecting his own health? It cannot be anything other than his overwhelming compassion for the fallen souls, far away from Bharata Varsha. Every time he visits, he gives all his time to help devotees. He gives all his maximum possible time like Thakura Haridas he barely kept any time for his personal care!
I saw how his visit would lift the devotees from doldrums, made warring factions come together in the service of Lord Chaitanya. With first two minutes of his time and unlimited care, he is saving many devotees from falling back to Maya!
When he chants Jaya Radha Madhava with a large cymbals Sridham Mayapur descends right there and the devotees are instantly jumping and dancing. After the class a big list of devotees waits for his darshan. No matter, if he had traveled 20hrs non-stop in the flight and is in a severe jet-log, he has time for everyone waiting. Every devotee in the temple gets to have a word or two with him. He leaves in one or two days, leaving behind a lifetime of memories.