“Welcome, everyone, to the opening ceremony of our library at Bhaktivedanta College,” said Jaya Krishna Dasa, the Administrative Director of the college, on Sunday, May 17th. “We are very happy that after one and a half years, we can now use this part of our building and give our students a nice place to concentrate on their studies.”
The ceremony marked a big step in the college’s history, which was reflected on the happy faces at the inauguration. Recently, the college staff began using its new offices, which are on the floor below the library. The library, with 6000 books, provides an orderly environment for study, and the offices provide space for nine staff members.
Hrdaya Caitanya Dasa, the temple president of Radhadesh and a trustee of Bhaktivedanta College and a GBC, mentioned the importance of educating ISKCON’s youth. He mentioned the outstanding services of Jaya Krishna Dasa and Yadunandana Swami.
Mahaprabhu Dasa, who initially proposed including the new library above the offices and donated for the library, said, “I feel happy and honored that I could be instrumental in this wonderful opening, and I hope that the students will use the library very often, very wisely, and keep it very, very clean. I also hope that I can pass many moments here studying, looking through the books that we have collected through the years.” The ceremony concluded with a variety of ice cream.
The next day, the future of Bhaktivedanta College was discussed at the annual trustees’ meeting. Bhaktivedanta College has been operating since 2002 and offers a Bachelor of Theology degree accredited by the University of Wales Lampeter. This year, twenty-seven students from twenty countries are enrolled. The main part of the new building, once it is finished, will be residential.