Left to right: Carsani dd, unidentified gurukuli, Panca Dravida Swami, Satsvarupa Swami, Bhakta Tirtha Swami, Hrydyananda Swami, Kirtanananda Swami, John Cataneo.
This is a picture I came across recently. It has interest to me because John Cataneo is in it. He was the first person I knew personally who passed away because of AIDS back in 1986. He used to drive the bus in NV and other things.
BTS being there as a swami and the Palace backdrop, means it was taken not earlier than 1979.
John left NV a few years before he left his body and, considering the constellation of stars of that era in this picture, this must have been from a big festival, ergo I would narrow the dates to 1979-1983, “83 being the current RVC temple opening, the 25th anniversary of which is July 4, 2008.
Due to the way the picture was mounted and protected it is just like a picture I can definitively identify as being at the Palace opening in 1979, so if pushed to pick a specific date, I would say this is from Labor Day weekend, 1979. So this is 25 to more likely 29 years old.
April 19, 2008 at 5:50 pm
The “unidentified Gurukuli” is Vrndavan dasa. He is one of the older Gurukulis and in his early 40s at this point. He was first initiated by Srila Prabhupada and second initiated by Satsvarupa prabhu. You can see from the photo that he is wearing a brahmana thread. Vrndavan liked to spend as much time as possible with Satsvarupa whenever he came to NV and that most likely explains why he is standing with all the swamis.
Vrndavan came to live in NV when the Varnashram College started, which was in the summer of 1980. He moved away around the same time the VC closed in the winter of 1983. So, I would say this picture is some time between summer 1980 and winter 1983.
April 20, 2008 at 8:58 am
Thanks.
We did have additional Palace opening festivals in 1980, 1981, and then the RVC temple opening in 1983 so by applying the big festival theory, we can narrow it to one of those dates.
Since most of the action at the RVC temple was at the RVC temple, I would say relatively confidently 1980 or 1981.
Was Vrindaban second initiated before or after he came to NV?
April 30, 2008 at 12:56 am
I contacted Vrndavan dasa, sent him a copy of the photo and asked him if he knew the year. He wrote back, “This is at the Palace opening 1980.” So, for the record this would date the photo to September, 1980.
April 30, 2008 at 6:59 am
Thanks