Padmapani, Anuttama, Hunkara and Prema Rasa at the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx outside of Cairo, Egypt, 1978
Anuttama Prabhu accomplished a lot in helping to establish our flegling center in Cairo, Egypt. A small group of us had arrived there in the fall of 1978 and were initially holed up together in a small room at the Minerva Hotel in downtown Cairo. I was rather young and green at the time, so I was admittedly having some difficulty finding a place for us to live despite going out and searching regularly. Enter Anuttama Prabhu, who magically located a nice flat in the Zamalek district (on Schagaret El Dor Street) which was the best area in town chosen by ex-patriots and foreign embassies alike. Not only that, but Anuttama arranged a wonderful “India Day” program at the American University in Cairo. The student newspaper proclaimed that “The students were so excited about the food that they were sticking their hands into the pots!” It was a huge success. Anuttama Prabhu was also interviewed by the paper and he made a good impression to one and all. This devotee was obviously intelligent and professional without even trying (unlike me). It was a sad day for us when he decided to return to the West, although I certainly didn’t blame him. He had more important service to do for Srila Prabhupada, I’m sure. Wherever he is now, I hope he knows and remembers that he made a wonderful contribution to Srila Prabhupada’s preaching program in the Middle East. All glories to his service!
Please see the following page for a few pictures of the students enjoying prasadam at the “India Day” program arranged by Anuttama Prabhu: http://goo.gl/clKG3x