THE MEMBERS of the ISKCON, irrespective of caste, religion and sex, perform religious rituals to the idols in the sanctum sanctorum of the three temples at the ISKCON Hill in the City. This is indeed a silent revolution.

Dispelling the caste system, Sri Dasa says that Chaturvarna system is the most scientific categorisation of people. Each individual chooses his career or avocation according to his or her "antarika swaroopa" and not based on his or her parents. The present-day caste system has no bearing on the ISKCON and it is a distortion of scientific "Varnashrama" social system, he adds.

By strictly observing the Chaturvarna system as enshrined in the Vedas and reiterated by Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, anybody can join the ISKCON movement and perform puja and chant Vedic hymns.

Sri Madhu Pandita says most of the members are non- Brahmins. In fact, there are members who belong to all castes and there is a Muslim also. The movement, which was launched in the U.S., has members from all major religions including Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Having done his M.Tech from IIT, Mumbai, he joined the ISKCON in 1981. First two years, he preached the message of the Gita. He was transferred as President of Bangalore centre from Thiruvananthapuram. It was appealing, he says, especially as a student of science. Spiritualism is the science of Self.

"I thought that the valuable knowledge in the. Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism is not mentioned in the Vedas) should be shared with others," Sri Dasa says. A talented boy right from the school days, he was Trivandrum District Junior Chess Champion several times.

All that those who seek admission to ISKCON need to have is an aptitude to withstand the rigorous life of an inmate. They will be observed for six months to one year. "We are ahead of all other systems of worship in the world. Even women can perform puja. All that they have to do is to take Gayatrideeksha.

They should be strict vegetarians and shun eating even onion and garlic, which will have a negative impact on the mind," he says.

On the criticism that ISKCON is taking only promising and educated youth, he says they can easily grasp the concept of the movement. They are highly dedicated and devoted to Lord Krishna and the Bhakti Movement. Even Prabhupada was criticised that he was in league with the hippies when he started public sankeertan at Tompkins Park in New York. Sri Dasa, who is responsible for the construction of the Rs. 30-crore Sri Krishna Balarama Temple on a seven-acre hillock on Chord Road, describes it as a "miracle".