In the west Kirtan

paramhansa yogananda, bengali saint proponent of kirtan in west, chanting guru nanak dev s hey hari sundara ( oh god beautiful ) 3,000 people @ carnegie hall in 1923. kirtana became more common spread of gaudiya vaishnavism international society krishna consciousness s (iskcon) founder a. c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada in 1960s.

kirtana singers have appeared in west, such krishna das, bhagavan das, wah! , jai uttal snatam kaur, lokah music, deva premal, jim gelcer, jyoshna, aindra das, gina sala , , gaura vani & kindred spirits. yoga centers report increase in attendance @ kirtana; according pure music’s frank goodman in conversation krishna das in 2006, kirtana has taken on wider popularity.

in united states case law, term sankirtana has been used refer evangelical activities of iskcon. iskcon had sought right perform sankirtana in california airports such in los angeles. court ruled while iskcon has constitutional rights of protected speech, los angeles airport has right forbid form of solicitation, out of legitimate interest in controlling pedestrian congestion , reducing risk of fraud , duress attendant repetitive, in-person solicitation of funds groups including iskcon.