EVENTS were held in the cities of Swan and Kalamunda earlier this month to commemorate the 50 years since the founder of the Hare Krishna Movement visited Perth.

Sacred India co-director Shree Radha Raman said the celebrations were significant to the Hare Krishna community in Western Australia.

“We consider it a great honour that the founder of the worldwide Hare Krishna Movement, Srila A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, chose to spend 10 days in Perth 50 years ago,” he said.

“We recognise that his visit all those years ago sowed the seed for the future growth of our community here in WA.”

Mr Raman said seeing the younger members of the community was a memorable part of the celebrations.

“It was particularly touching for me to see younger members of our community, our teenagers and our kids, all enthusiastically participating in our celebrations.

“These kids are our future for the next 50 years.”

Mr Raman said he joined the Hare Krishna Temple in 1984 and took vows as a monk in the same year, at the age of 19.

“There was only a handful of Hare Krishna members in Perth in those days, we were all young and very much a part of the Australian counter-culture generation of the 1970s and early 1980s.

“We now have hundreds of families in our congregation, and we provide important community services as a spiritual and cultural organisation dedicated to cross-cultural awareness and support.”

During this time in his life, Mr Raman said societal expectations about education, career and family had moulded parts of his life.

“But I wanted to know more about the essence of my existence beyond all the labels.

“I was also very intrigued by the concept that so many things upon which we place great value will ultimately come and go.

“I also wanted to try and help others to deal with the challenges of this modern world, which can at times be a very confusing place to exist.”

Mr Raman said a key driver for his faith in the movement was his belief in the external and internal side of people’s existence.

“In the modern world, there is so much emphasis on externals as a measure of a successful life, but my work as a Hare Krishna monk focuses on assisting people from all walks of life to deepen their inner journey.”