711013 - Letter to Tamala Krishna written from Nairobi

Letters by Date, 1971

Tridandi Goswami
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

CAMP: c/o G.N. Shah; P.O.Box no. 41442; Nairobi, Kenya; E. Africa
ISKCON [handwritten] 28946 [handwritten] 13th October, 1971

My Dear Tamal Krishna,
Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd October and have noted the contents. I am starting for Bombay on the 19th October at 10:00 p.m. reaching Bombay at about 8:30 a.m. on Wednesday morning.* I shall stay there until the 23rd, four days, and then I shall start for Calcutta on the 24th, some time in the morning. The exact time of my arrival in Calcutta will be informed to you in my next letter. I do not know whether you are all coming to Calcutta for the festival there. Neither I know who is in charge of organizing the Calcutta meeting from the 28th. Your reply to this letter may be sent to Bombay address.
So far printing Hindi BTG, why the check should be issued in the name of ISKCON; why not directly to the press name? My checks for the book fund account are lying in Bombay. So you can let me know in Bombay the exact amount, or the press bill, and the name of the press so that the check may be issued directly to their name.
Regarding record impressions, the price appears to be very much exorbitant. In U.S.A. I think such records are printed at 15¢ per copy. So that comes to Rs. 1.13. Why should we get from Gramaphone Co. at such high cost? What will be the selling price for these records? If the cost is about Rs 5/- per record then would they be sold at Rs. 10/-? I do not know at what price you have sold them in the past. Anyway if you have already placed the order with Gramaphone Co. then what can be done? We will have to take delivery of them. So in your next letter to the Bombay address you can mention the exact amount to be paid to the Gramaphone Co. and a check will be issued directly in their [handwriten] name. I think there is no need of issuing a check in the name of ISKCON and again have to transfer it to the company name. The real method is that the check should be issued directly to the payee's name.
So far the books are concerned, the method appears to be very nice. So make correspondence with our book supply department and do the needful. Another point is that why don't you get all reprints of our books, such as TLC, NOD, etc., that are to be distributed in India, printed there in Delhi on offset press? You can inquire into this matter.
So whatever has been done in the past you forget, but now do things nicely. All new matters should be consulted with all the members and a vote taken. I think you should immediately consult with Rupanuga and Karandhar also about the record impressions, what would be the cost in USA.
Outside of India everyone is cooperating with Karandhar. I don't think there is any discrepancy, but I do not know why in India cooperation is lacking. So you should do things nicely and in consultation with others and rectify the situation. I have also apprehended a scandalous situation; so do things nicely and immediately begin.
Printing Nepalese edition of BTG is a good suggestion. Also to Mr. V. R. Ragam (c/o Sri Rama Nama Kshetram; Guntur-4; S. India) you should send a complimentary issue of our Hindi BTG each month, beginning with the issue already printed with Dai Nipon.
Hoping this will meet you in good health.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami

ACBS/adb
c/o ISKCON Delhi

P.S. Please offer Gurudas my blessings. I have received his letter of 7th October, 1971 and noted the contents.

While posting I received one letter from Ksirodaksayee and the program presented by him appears to be very nice. So kindly cooperate with him and make things nice. We have got great responsibility. Further talks when we meet./ ACB

* flight # E.C. 820, arriving 8:15 a.m. 20th October. East African Airlines. [handwritten]