Shyamasundar das will be a featured speaker at the upcoming Chicago Fest For Beatles Fans — Aug. 9-11 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare.
The author of Chasing Rhinos With The Swami, Shyamasundar will be sharing fantastic stories of his experiences with The Beatles, as told in his remarkable book.
Here’s a bit of a sneak preview:
Over the past 60 years, nearly every aspect of the Beatles’ collective and individual lives has been explored in great detail. But what about the Hare Krishnas? Till now, no one has chronicled Bhaktivedanta Swami and the Krishna devotees’ profound and enduring impact on the Fab Four!
What about elementary penguins, Here Comes The Sun, Give Peace A Chance, Instant Karma, My Sweet Lord, Give Me Love and another dozen of George’s songs? Rocketed into the stratosphere of magic, fame and fortune, the Boys asked, “Why me, Lord? Who am I? What’s the purpose of life? Where am I going?”
From 1968 onwards, the London-based Krishna people lived in the Beatles’ orbit, feeding them spiritual information that subtly shaped their world-views and many of their greatest songs.
Chasing Rhinos With The Swami, Shyamasundar Das’ three-volume masterpiece, fills this huge and important missing gap in the Beatles’ vast biography. In 1400 pages and with 108 never-seen-before Beatles/Krishnas photos, Shyamasundar describes in eye-witness detail theKrishna devotees’ massive influence on the world’s most famous band!
Here are just some of the exciting stories from CRWTS:
*September 1968: Six Hare Krishna devotees arrive in UK
*Shyamasundar meets George at Apple Xmas party
*Get Back/Let It Be sessions at Twickenham
*Kirtans at George’s house in Esher/“Here Comes The Sun”
*Apple co-signs for Krishna temple at Bury Place, London
*Montreal bed-in, surrounded by Hare Krishnas/“Give Peace A Chance”
*“Hare Krishna Mantra” recorded at Abbey Road; #11 on the charts!
*Bhaktivedanta Swami & 20 devotees live 3 months at JL’s Tittenhurst estate
*John/Yoko/George: recorded conversations with the Swami
*GH pays for printing KRSNA book, writes Foreward
*“Govinda” recorded 2/70 at Trident Studios; “Top of the Pops”
*Devotees live six months at Friar Park with GH; “All Things Must Pass”
*“Radha Krishna Temple” LP released, 5/71
*Shyamasundar with GH at Bangla Desh concert, NYC
*George donates 17-acre Bhaktivedanta Manor property in Hertfordshire
*Summer ‘73: GH often visits Prabhupada at the Manor; deep conversations
*1974: With George and Ravi in Jaipur, India
*A magic week with George in Vrindaban, India, 1996
*George & Olivia at Bhaktivedanta Manor, 1996
*Journeys to Friar Park 1970 – 1999
*November, 2001: The final days with George
To see fabulous unseen Beatles/Krishnas photos and to order Chasing Rhinos With The Swami, HEAD HERE
To contact Shyamasundar Das, email: chasingrhinos@gmail.com
