When the predominantly householder community decided in 2004 that they had to find a new way to fit book distribution into their nine-to-five lives, they created the “Monthly Sankirtana Festival.” Their motto? “A lot of people doing a little bit each.”
The program grew gradually, but attracted more and more devotees with its unique approach. No one was overburdened, and everyone had a service that made them feel involved. “Sankirtana creates jobs,” says US sankirtana strategist Vaisesika Dasa. “We want jobs for all our citizens. And if elected I guarantee, jobs, jobs, jobs.”
He may be quipping, but he’s not joking. Every month, there are postcard reminders to mail, permits to be obtained, and scheduling to be detailed for one hundred devotees. Lunch packs must be prepared for everyone, cookies must be made to hand out, and thousands of books must be stamped with the temple’s address and website.
Then there’s a fulfillment director to order books and send scores to the BBT, a communications director to spread news to the local and outside Vaishnava community, and a database team to store customer details and make sure they’re followed through. And that’s not counting all the book distributors, the twenty-four team leaders, and the overall sankirtana leader.
The high level of cooperation isn’t the only unique thing about Monthly Sankirtana Festivals at ISKCON Silicon Valley (ISV), however. “We focus on book distribution as a spiritual practice, rather than a numbers game,” Vaisesika says. “We want devotees to get a greater taste for hearing and chanting through it.”
To this end, the community gathers every Wednesday for Bhagavad-gita class, and every Saturday for three hours of group chanting, reading and interactive discussion. “It’s important for all the devotees to feel that they’re in a safe environment and that their service is valued,” says Vaisesika. “One of our mottos is “Encourage the heck out of everybody.” Nothing’s too small. We go out of our way to notice whatever service anybody does, and acknowledge it.”
It’s an approach that works. This Gaura Purnima at ISV, eighty-nine devotees distributed 4,500 books, collected $9,500, and made one hundred new contacts for their comprehensive follow-up program. Last year ISV came in at number three in North America’s BBT newsletter, just behind Los Angeles and Rupanuga Vedic College. And that’s with their entire congregation, but for three temple devotees, living outside and working full-time. “If you prioritize properly, then the result comes automatically,” says Vaisesika.
Of course, practical training is also in place for new members. “We ask them to just watch and assist for their first three festivals, with no pressure to distribute books themselves,” Vaisesika explains. “Once they get a clear understanding, they can begin.”
Excitement runs high on the weekend of the festival. Devotees hit the streets Friday evening at exactly 6:59 p.m. to chant the holy names. When the inevitable curious crowd arrives, they’re ready with books for the adults and meticulously packaged “Kiddy Packs,” complete with devotional toys, coloring book and crayons, for the children.
The next morning at 7:30 a.m. sees the temple bustling with activity, as devotees stamp books and pack lunches while listening to the Bhagavatam class.
Team leaders take care of their group, giving them designated spots and making sure they know the basics of sankirtana—first and foremost, Vaisesika says, is to leave everyone with a good impression. The book distributors then work their Saturday shift, returning on Sunday morning straight from their homes. “Some distribute for one hour, some for eight or more,” Vaisesika says. “We never put pressure on anybody.”
Scores are collected at the end of the day and sent to the festival’s Yahoo group, so that everyone can find out how they’re doing towards group goals. “Each festival has its own goal, often not monetary,” Vaisesika says.
“One month we had ‘The Festival of Steady Improvements.’ Another, we had ‘The Festival of Loving Exchanges,’ where devotees concentrated on giving gifts to each other and projecting a loving mood when giving books to people on the street.”
Group scores, rather than individual ones, are reported at the end of the festival. “That way no one person feels too exalted, like they’re the main distributor,” says Vaisesika.
With all these innovative strategies, the end result is overwhelmingly positive—people who met Monthly Sankirtana book distributors on the street pour into the temple, while devotees become more attuned to hearing and chanting, enthusiastic to attend programs, and capable of spreading the word. Former ISV team leader Adi-Guru Dasa, for instance, has successfully replicated the Monthly Sankirtana Festival program in both Houston and Pittsburg.
“If you’d like to introduce monthly festivals at your own temple, you can find our manual at Distributebooks.com, or even better, visit ISKCON Silicon Valley and soak in the experience firsthand,” Vaisesika says. “But whatever you choose, make sure to encourage devotees through hearing and chanting, in a non-threatening atmosphere, with lots of training. Let the program grow organically, rather than trying to force any results out of it.”
With ninety-nine percent of ISKCON devotees currently living outside, could Monthly Sankirtana Festivals be the future? Vaisesika, predicting that they’ll soon become the mainstay of ISKCON’s outreach all over America, certainly thinks so.
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