We also used to go to airport to receive Srila Prabhupada
Venue: Nagpur Airport
Dated: 14 june 2015
Hare Krishna,
We also used to go to Mumbai airport to receive Srila Prabhupada like you all came. We used to take his ambassador car to receive him, he had three cars one in Mumbai and other two in Vrindavan and Mayapur. We used to see him climbing down the staircase, Srila Prabhupada always looking in front. I was brahmacari at Mumbai at that time 40 years back.
We used to go with garland as you brought and apply chandan on Prabhupada’s forehead, you did not bring chandan. We used to welcome Srila Prabhupada with kirtan and dance.
Mumbai is Srila Prabhupadas office, a person has to go regularly to his office, some have to go everyday (laughter). Srila Prabhupada used to stay for 6 months in Mumbai and 6 months in foreign countries for preaching. Whenever he used to come to Mumbai we used to go to receive him and when he used to leave Mumbai that time also we used to go to drop him at airport. Our heart filled with his separation and our eyes used to follow him as he entered the airport. Then we used to climb the terrace and see his plane taking off and keep looking at the plane till it vanishes in the sky in the clouds and pay obeisance’s there on the terrace and say loudly Jai Srila Prabhupada and then go back to temple.
Prabhupada went to New York via Nagpur his plane was from Kolkata, so from Mumbai he went to Kolkata via Nagpur. So this year is a special year as it will be 50 years, 50th anniversary of Srila Prabhupadas journey to New York. So we will have a grand celebration on that day 2nd August 2015, we will go to the station and the same train will come in which Prabhupada went to Kolkata vai Nagpur from Mumbai. So we will have a grand celebration there. Banners all over celebrating the day when Prabhupada went to New York to propagate the message of Godhead all over the world.
All over there will be celebration on that day. So “Prabhupada in Nagpur” is a good topic to write book on, you can all do research and write a book. Prabhupada had given his hand written Bhagvat gita to the manager of Nagpur airport at that time, this should be included in that book. Prabhupada had a desire to have IKSCON in Nagpur, Hg Harisauri Prabhu has written this in his book “Transcendental dairy”. When once Prabhupada was sitting in his room with some of his disciples there was a map of world. Prabhupada was keeping his finger on some countries and saying “We will have a temple here, we will have a temple here” like that Prabhupada kept his finger on Nagpur and said “we will have temple here”. HH Sridhara Swami Maharaj was witness and he shared that incident with me.
So you all preach, by Prabhupadas mercy we have temple here in Nagpur and we should strive hard to join more and more people to our movement.
Haribol.