History Made in Mexican Parliament with Visit by Vaishnava Leaders  

On March 30th, the “Building Peace around Ancient Cultures” forum was held in the Legislative Palace of San Lázaro in Mexico City, coinciding with the Rama Navami festival. The Federal Commission for Culture and Cinematography organized the joint gathering, chaired by Deputy Carlos Francisco Ortiz Tejeda, in collaboration with NIOS (the North American Institute of Oriental and Classical Studies). NIOS is an educational research institution at the service of ISKCON and was founded by Hanumatpresaka Swami (Prof. Huber H. Robinson) and others in 2004. NIOS has organized similar partnerships worldwide, including programs with the Indian Museum in Calcutta, the Department of Philosophy at the Pontifical University of Santiago, Chile, and the National Library of Peru. Topics have included science and the Vedas, world classical literature, interfaith dialogue, and political science.

This most recent gathering was designed to strengthen the ties between Mexico and India while introducing Vaishnava culture in academic and cultural circles. Deputy Salvador Caro Cabrera, president of the Mexico-India Friendship Group, acknowledged the achievement of this meeting after highlighting NIOS’s contributions to the science and arts, the studies of oriental and classical philosophies, and spreading the teachings of A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in the Western world. 

Speaking to the assembled participants, Hanumatpresaka Swami said, “This meeting has been an impetus for us to see if we have been able to inspire an organization that will continue building bridges between East and West.” Swami continued, “We hope the leaders of Mexico can endeavor to include Vedic culture in their agenda for world peace.”