Volume 5

The City of Doom and the Temple of Fire

Volume 5, Chapter 20 June 17 – 27, 2004, Azerbaijan. The second half of our spring tour was going well, and I was looking forward to the final program, to be held in Olsztyn in the north. Though our tour had been marred by run-ins with rougher elements of society, no real damage had been [...]

Counting my Blessings

Volume 5, Chapter 19 June 13 – 16, 2004, Poland. After leaving Kielce, where we successfully defended our festival against right-wing extremists, we arrived back in Warsaw at midnight. I fell asleep by 1:00 a.m, but woke up at 4:00 because of a terrible nightmare where I dreamt skinheads broke through the barrier of security [...]

The City of Scissors

Volume 5, Chapter 18 June 02 – 12, 2004, Poland. Our spring tour has been gaining momentum as we travel from town to town in southern Poland. As a result of well-organized publicity we have even had to turn people away at the door at some programs because the halls quickly filled to capacity. It [...]

The Pampered Prince

Volume 5, Chapter 17 May 02 – June 01, 2004, Katowice, Poland. As my flight circled over Warsaw waiting for permission to land, I looked out the window at the city below. Even from the sky, Warsaw wasn’t attractive. Once one of the more beautiful cities in Europe, it was leveled by relentless bombing by [...]

The Jolly Swami

Volume 5, Chapter 16 March 12 – May 01, 2004, Mayapur, India. I was waiting for Sridhar Maharaja in the arrival hall at London’s Heathrow airport. Finally he appeared and started walking slowly toward me. He smiled as he came close. “What chapter of the diary are you up to?” he asked. I immediately hugged [...]

Remembering Goswami Maharaja on His Disappearance Day Festival

Volume 5, Chapter 15 February 11 – March 11, 2004, Mayapur, India. Dear Tamal Krsna Maharaja, Please accept my most humble obeisances. All glories to our beloved master, Srila Prabhupada. Goswami Maharaja, this is the first time I have visited your samadhi mandir in Mayapura. I have often walked past the samadhi since I have [...]

Narottam! Narottam! Narottam!

Volume 5, Chapter 14 January 30 – February 10, 2004, Bangladesh. “Why do you want to visit my country?” the Bangladesh Ambassador asked suspiciously. “We’re the poorest people on earth.” “I know, Sir,” I replied as I adjusted my Yankees baseball cap, “but in a BBC survey several years ago it was determined that the [...]

Hankering for Home

Volume 5, Chapter 13 January 18 – 30, 2004, An Islamic Country. Early last December, I was at the airport in Warsaw, checking in for a flight, when I heard someone call out, “Hari Bol!” I looked up and saw that it was a stewardess passing by with a flight crew. I was busy at [...]

A Gift of Grace

Volume 5, Chapter 12 January 13, 2004, Letters, Poland. This chapter consists entirely of letters written by, to, or about Lance Ackerman, a South African devotee. His first letter is to Sankarsan Prabhu, a dear Godbrother of mine based in Austin, Texas. December 1, 2003 Dear Sankarsan das, I am trying to locate a devotee [...]

Will We Have Harinama?

Volume 5, Chapter 11 November 02 – 17, 2003, Sarajevo, Bosnia Hercegovina. As my flight circled over Sarajevo, Bosnia, waiting for permission to land,I saw that the first snow of winter had already fallen on the city. On our descent, I also caught a glimpse of the ancient mosque in the city center. During my [...]