ISKCON Rath Ready to Roll over Recession Fears

BY: SHIV SAHAY SINGH

Jun 23, KOLKATA, INDIA (INDIAN EXPRESS.COM) — At a time when global economic gloom is giving sleepless nights to many, the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has made recession the theme for its annual five-day Rath Yatra, during which it will spread the message of spirituality to ward off stress and anxiety among students of premier institutions in the country.

The five-day event is likely to be attended by thousands of students from IITs, IIMs and NIITs who will get tips on how to deal with the crisis.

“Students from these institutions are of a competitive mentality and want immediate results. They are so obsessed with success that setbacks the recession has brought in its wake cause stress, anxiety and depression that even lead to suicides in some cases,” said Acharya Ratna Das, vice-president of ISKCON. According to Das, spirituality would help them see the ups and downs in proper perspective and deal with them effectively.

During the June 24 to July 1 event, IITians and spiritual leaders from across the country will discuss the issue through seminars on “Growing amidst Recession, “Coping up with Recession: Message to Youth in India”, “Art of Discipline” etc.

ISKCON has been regularly interacting with students of premier institutions and organising workshops with them. They have set up a core group of students who will serve as resource persons at the programme.

The students from IIT Kharagpur, NIIT Jamshedpur, NIIT Rourkela, NIIT Surat and NIIT Warangal will act as resource persons. They will set up stalls and interact with students and provide useful tips on how to deal with recession. Students from IIM Calcutta, Calcutta Medical College and many other state universities will attend the celebrations during the 38th Rath Yatra of ISKCON.