Friday, March 14th, 2025
Peterborough, Ontario
When smoke started seeping through the dashboard, it was time to pull over, stop the vehicle, and get the hell out, driver and passengers. It’s the logical thing to do if you want to live a little longer.
We were on Highway 35 on our way to a Gaura Purnima festival. Our destination was the chapel at St. Andrew’s United Church in downtown Peterborough. The hiccup came when Nityananda’s engine overheated. Jai and I were Ubered from there. Nityananda and Venkatesh headed back to Toronto.
Anyways, the fun began. Our Uber driver was a nice guy from Afghanistan. While being an admitted Muslim, he listened well. “Tell me about Krishna?” It was truly a pleasant ride with him.
When we arrived at St. Andrew’s, there were twenty people already waiting. Peterborough has a history of kirtan. Chanting has been going on for decades by two or three groups who collaborate with each other. They are all white folks, some who are retired, and some who are second gen (like in the case of Lily and her son, Jordan) who have caught on.
I wasn’t really sure of today’s arrangement by a sincere Murali, who did the invites. There was a second installment of people who came, a terrific Hindu community. With both groups, a nice mix shaped up. They were listening to Krishnadas and my explanations.
The chanting was fine, the message, the eating, the mingling, and the dancing. One local, Henry, left a little early but came back after viewing the red moon at this amazing time of an eclipse. Chaitanya, master of kirtan, was very kind upon us.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
? STEPS
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