Born in 1955 in London into a Christian family, I have been a part of the theistic Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism since 1979. Before that, I was a deck officer in the merchant navy for some years, until I moved into the ashram at Bhaktivedanta Manor, the temple donated to the Krishna movement by George Harrison. After living as a monk for five years, I married my wife, Chintamani, in 1985 and soon after opened a bhakti centre with her in Manchester. We ran that for fifteen years, during which we also had three children, Madhva, Radhika and Janaki, now grown up and living with families of their own. In the early 2000s, we moved back to the Manor community, and I worked for a while for a Housing Association, managing their community centres. I published my first book, a retelling of the Ramayana, just before we moved. Since then, I have published over a dozen other titles, many in collaboration with Chintamani.
Although I am sometimes referred to as a Hindu priest, there is in fact no defined hierarchical priesthood within Hinduism, or rather the Vedic tradition. There is a class known as the Brahmins, whose business is to provide priestly services to society, such as rites of passage and spiritual instruction, and I would call myself an aspiring Brahmin under the guidance of Srila Prabhupada’s teachings.
I do not see my acceptance of the Vaishnava tradition as a departure from Christianity, but as a natural continuance of Christ’s teachings. The instructions of all the great teachers, such as Prabhupada, Christ, Buddha, Mohammed, and many others, contain the same essential teachings. All these prophets taught us to elevate our consciousness and go beyond this material world to reach the Supreme Absolute, who has many names such as Krishna, Allah, Jehovah, Buddha, etc.
My goal is to bring the wisdom of the East to Western audiences in an engaging way. I believe spiritual life should be an enjoyable experience that enables us to transcend the trials and tribulations of present-day materialism and eventually awaken our loving relationship with God.
I am available to give talks on the Vedas, along with their associated disciplines and teachings such as yoga and meditation. I can also give Vedic or Hindu perspectives on current events, either in written or spoken media. And, of course, watch this space for new books.
Om tat sat
Krishna Dharma July 2026