Sunday 5 July 2015

Sunday, June 21st, 2015

Sunday, June 21st, 2015
St. John’s, Newfoundland

On The First Day Of Summer…


On the street called Penny Lane, you find the local Hindu temple, our first stop for the day.  Brihat and I took to walking along the rails-to-trails path from Manuel’s River before we ventured off to the Hindu temple.  There was an emphasis there on Father’s Day, and the children of the community offered presentations over the microphone for honouring dads.  Some jokes were told.  I particularly liked the phrase, “Even if you grow taller than your dad, you always look up to him.”  The community responded very well to the kirtan, dance, and my talk, and at meal time at the Hindu temple, I found the potato curry scrumptious. 

Our next stop was at Bowring Park where yoga practitioners laid out there mats for exercise at what’s called The Bungalow.  Brihat and I met these fine folks, but sat on the grass by the wayside to catch up on chanting and emails.  Indeed many people strolling pass by.  Although today was International Yoga Day, I felt more comfortable saying to people, “Happy Fathers’ Day”.  That brought nods and smiles.  I can’t see that saying “Happy Yoga Day” works at this point in time. 

Lastly, Brhat and I, along with host, Rashesvar, gathered with people at Miranda’s.  To her credit, Sunday night has become a consistent night for kirtan for 13 years now, something that she and I started.  Now the group at Miranda’s was phenomenal, especially for their singing and dancing.  We took on a semblance of a tribal group, something like what you might find in the musical, Hair. 

Yes, going down Penny Lane in the morning, and ending at the home with drummers and dancers singing a song, flashes you back to the 60’s.  The only thing missing is the weed and the patchouli oil to cover it up, but as monks, it’s rather inappropriate to indulge.  That’s the beauty of our guru, Srila Prabhupada, who taught us how to have fun without such accessories. 

May the Source be with you!

5 km

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