DECENTRAILZED ISKCON, INC.

DECENTRAILZED ISKCON, INC.

I wish that each and every Branch shall keep their independent identity and cooperate keeping the Acarya in the centre. On this principle we can open any number of Branches all over the world.

(Letter to: Kirtanananda -- San Francisco 11 February, 1967

This is how a decentralized ISKCON, Inc. keeping Srila Prabhupada in center is being envisaged in brief:

1.  Each temple, organization, center remains with their own name, organization etc. They only voluntarily affiliate to ISKCON, Inc. by a resolution passed by them.

2.  This affiliation would always remain voluntary. The local center can any time dis-affiliate and go out of the Society by passing another resolution if they feel the dire necessity.

3.  The ISKCON, Inc. society or Long Island temple cannot in any way control the local organizations whether it be legal, financial or administrative, as the local societies are only affiliating with it, not becoming legal branches or putting oneself in administrative control of ISKCON, Inc.

4.  A worldwide GBC is being elected from among the center heads of those who are affiliating. The election is being conducted region by region, keeping Srila Prabhupada’s principle of local representative management in view.

5.  By this process, worldwide devotees elected for 3 years become the GBC of ISKCON, Inc., NY.

6.  Also, it is proposed that the Certificate of Incorporation of ISKCON, Inc. be amended to have trustees of ISKCON, Inc. to be GBCs for a true representative management.

7.  The post of President of ISKCON, Inc. is sought to be removed with the amendment so that the GBC and the Trustees of ISKCON, Inc. become the true drivers and controllers of ISKCON, Inc.

8.  An ISKCON Constitution, as desired by Srila Prabhupada and based on his Direction of Management is sought to be adopted by wide participation, which would finally govern the duties, roles, qualifications, powers, rights of each individual and manager (GBC, presidents, preachers etc.) in the Society.  GBC of ISKCON, Inc. can then govern based on this Constitution, make detail rules/policies based on this constitution only. All dispute resolutions would be based on this Constitution.

9.  The process of drafting the Constitution that is being proposed is that

i.            The elected GBCs will appoint Constitution Committee Coordinators from around the world taking into considerations that widest possible participation and respectability is needed from this Coordination Committee. Hence it is proposed that the GBC appoint 1 Coordinator each from Russia, India, USA, China, Europe, South America, Oceania, Africa etc. if possible, from among those who are respected sober Prabhupadanugas.

ii.          These Coordinators in turn will oversee a forum on a website where each clause to be included in the draft would be put up for discussion openly and transparently. Various research oriented devotees would be encouraged to participate as well as anybody who can soberly put forward points based on experiences gotten from wide spectrum of devotees available worldwide now. From all regions, all races, all ages, all viewpoints. Then the Coordinators will vote to include these conclusions thus being arrived at by the discussions. They would also be charged with facilitating the discussion on the forum to achieve though roughly discussed conclusive clauses.

iii.       A draft thus arrived would be sent to the GBC by the Constitution Committee to be sent to individual centers to be adopted. The center heads/presidents will put the draft to vote among their members. On a high % of votes which would be >75%, the constitution would be considered adopted by that center. Similarly in other centers too. A center can send in a no vote too with suggestions to change certain clauses. If 90% of the centers send in a Yes vote, the constitution would be considered adopted otherwise it would go through the same process again, but this time the discussion would be constrained to those suggested clauses objected to. The Constitution Committee would then organize similarly open discussions on these objectionable clauses and send in its recommendations back to the GBC to request it to go through the adopting process again.

iv.        A Constitution thus adopted will come into effect and will be applied by all members/managers/GBCs all over the world. Its basic principle will remain the Constitution of Association and Direction of Management given by Srila Prabhupada.