Saturday, July 8th, 2023
Montreal, Quebec
It was just a busy beehive at 1626 Pie IX Boulevard, the centre for Krishna Consciousness. The sun was shining, and the humidity was on. At the intersection of Sherbrooke and Ste. Laurent, The chariot, a handsome piece of craftsmanship built and owned by Abhay Charan, a local devotee, was all in spiffy decorum and ready to roll, and not rock, on Ste. Laurent.
First, coconuts were to be smashed on the streets, a ritual for purification. A priest from the platform of the chariot came down hard with several, but one split open and the major chunk bounced back to hit the very point of my new knee. That was a touch of karma, a small, “Ouch!” However, I would take a little more care in the future, Mr. Pujari (priest). That could have been a child or elderly person in the track of a bouncing coconut.
The kirtan began. The ropes tethered to the chariot of Jagannatha were taut, being pulled by loving devotees toward Mount Royale and Jean Mance Park. The drums pulsated establishing the heartbeat of the fest. Those nasty smog from Quebec forest fires appeared to be not an issue, but the stickiness of the humidity was.
The High Commissioner for India in Canada, H.E. Verma, came as well as a delegate from the city. Thousands turned up for Jagannatha’s celebration – a celebration for universal peace on this 43rd annual spiritual experience. Rarely is such a wholesome event to be found. The Lord of the Universe touches Montreal.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
6 km