by Hanumatpresak Swami
Basically we were super involved in this NIOS Annual Symposium. In the end Radhika, Garuda, Prof. Ken Rose (Karnamrta Das) were involved and then Prof. Messier from Tennessee,
Rabbi Rami from Tennessee and two professors from South America. It was a LOT of work but is a part of our efforts at Strategic Educational Development in North America. There are many programs in North America: Danavir Maharaja's Rupa anuga College, Rasa-raja's Bhakti-vedanta Institute etc. but in general it has been very, very hard for anybody to PENESTRATE into the academic world in North America like in other places as we hear eg. Findland, Hungary. So we decide to drive our stake in the ground in Tennessee and see what we could do. We are having mixed results but there is some.
After Tennessee we came to Houston which is one of the four places we are actively trying to establish Bh. Vai. training and Diploma centers. After a LOT of hard work by ourselves, Hari-lila Das and many others the poltics of the educational system got clarified and everything else. We see this as a primary challenge, what is the relation of education to the broader institution.
Simultanously San Jose was approved by the BoE for BhVai Diploma Center status and Vaisesika, N.America Sankirtana leader, leaders in Texas and San Jose, us, were all super animated by this, and now Radha-Krsna Das B'cari is moving very strongly to get the BhVai approval finished for Texas also. We just finished three days of Orieentation and will start the actual BhVai classes Monday night with 20-registered students including President and others. 18 have BhSastri diplomas and all professionals. Ooooof!