Profiles The faces beyond... The following devotees were so kind to participate in the Talk To Us project. Suhotra Swami Prthu das Premarnava das Pragosh das Jahnu das Urmila devi dasi We hope to increase the amount of devotees in this project in the near future so that we can offer a faster response time and a bigger variety of topics. Suhotra Swami Suhotra Swami joined ISKCON in November of 1971, in Boston, USA. During the first years he was active in the Radha-Damodara Travelling Sankirtan Party and later in the BBT Library Party, distributing Srila Prabhupada`s books in USA. In 1976 he travelled to India, visiting the holy places and preaching the glories of Lord Krishna. A year later he based himself in Germany, from where he expanded his preaching to Eastern-European and Scandinavia. After entering the sannyasa ashram in 1982 Suhotra Swami continued preaching Krishna consciousness in Europe. He travelled throughout the world from 1988 till 1991, visiting many Asian and Australasian countries. During his devotional life he wrote and compiled several essays, three of which can be found at this Web presentation: Doubt and Certainty in Krishna Consciousness Hinduism - Followers of the Veda The Six Systems of Vedic Philosophy Suhotra Swami is one of the members of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission. Prthu das Prthu das was born in 1946 in Meppen, Germany. After finishing a catholic boarding school in Iburg, he studied comparative religion, political science and sociology at the University of Bonn, and sociology and psychology at the University of Marburg. He joined ISKCON in January of 1972. During his twenty four years of devotional service he fulfilled a variety of functions. Bookdistributor, bhakta-leader, and temple president in Heidelberg, Rettershof, Amsterdam, Zurich and Dublin. He has been the Governing Body Commissioner representative for Ireland for a considerable time and is at present Candidate GBC for the North-West U.S. Zone. Besides being an ISKCON Initiating Spiritual Master since 1986 and running an Ashram in Vrindavan, Prthu das also travels regularly throughout India, Europe and the U.S.A to preach and conduct seminars on the relationship between the Vedic and Christian traditions and household life in Krishna consciousness. He is the driving force behind Look Beyond magazine and the co-author of Food For Life, a vegetarian cookbook which includes topics on the philosophy of vegetarianism. At the moment Prthu das oversees the establishment of a hospital in Vrindavan for devotees in their last days and is working on a book about the teachings of the Jesus of history, as opposed to the Jesus of faith. Premarnava das Premarnava das joined ISKCON in the summer of 1981 in to Korsnäs Gård, Sweden. He successfully and steadily distributed Srila Prabhupada's books until 1990, when he was chosen to take the post of temple president in Göteborg. Two years later Premarnava das moved to Stockholm where he took the responsibility for the ISKCON Sweden Communications program. In 1994 he moved back to Korsnäs Gård to fulfill that service in more suitable surroundings and to dedicate part of his time to the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. In December 1995 he presented a paper at the Academic Communications Conference in Cracow, Poland, entitled ISKCON in Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union, covering topics such as "Relationship to Governments, Media and Traditional Religions" and "Organizational Development." Since the beginning of 1996 Premarnava das is additionally serving as ISKCON's Governing Body Commission correspondence secretary. Pragosh das Pragosh das, born in 1961 in England, met the devotees for the first time in 1981. After working for some time in the London restaurant Healthy, Wealthy and Wise he went to Dublin, Ireland, where he fulfilled various functions over the years -- book distributor, treasurer, temple president, and restaurant manager. He took initiation of His Holiness Satsvarupa Maharaja in 1985, and entered the grhastha ashram a year later. Pragosh das and his wife, Goloka devi dasi, have since had two children. In 1987 it was decided to start a rural community in Ireland and now, nine years later, this community consists of a total of 20 members, with its own school and a small restaurant. Pragosh das is a member of the Irish National Council and has recently accepted the service of GBC deputy. Aside from his involvement in sunday feast and festival preaching, he also has a lot of preaching engagements in secondary schools in Ireland. Jahnu das Jahnu das, married with Labangalatika devi dasi and father of two, joined ISKCON in 1982. The first five years in this movement he spend in full-time book distribution. After that he became the manager of a preaching center in Aarhus, Denmark, where he also devoted a lot of time to the local Hare Krishna radio station. In 1989 Jahnu das returned to Copenhagen to assist in the radio preaching there, and four years later he moved to Almviks Gård with his family to enable his children to get a Krishna conscious education. Since then he has also been engaged in preaching on the Internet, through WWW, Usenet and IRC. At present Jahnu das additionally serves as an editor for the Danish publications of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Urmila devi dasi Born in a wealthy and well-known Jewish family, in 1955 in New York City, Urmila devi grew up with a thorough Jewish education, complete with several trips to Israel and study in the Jewish Theological Seminary. She spent high school and part of college exploring various philosophies, but after reading Srila Prabhupada's Bhagavad-gita As It Is, she finally decided to dedicate her life to serving Lord Krishna. Since she joined ISKCON in 1973 in Chicago, USA, Urmila devi dasi has served Krishna in various ways -- distributing Srila Prabhupada's books, raising three children, dressing and worshipping the Deity of Krishna, being the head cook for a large community, running a preschool, acting in a drama troupe, and answering questions about Krishna consciousness. In 1983, Urmila devi dasi started teaching spiritual and academic subjects in gurukula (Vedic primary school), and soon became the principal of the school. She and her husband have run successful gurukulas in Detroit, Michigan, and Hillsborough, North Carolina. As part of her educational responsibility, she has written a guide to teaching Krishna consciousness, and has edited and compiled textbooks and children's books. At the request of ISKCON's Governing Body Commission, she is now in charge of internal accreditation of schools and curriculum development.

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