CHAPTER 35 : Hare Krsna and the latest Dance Fad

Hare Krsna and the latest Dance Fad

Volume 1, Chapter 35

W e d n e s d a y      J u n e     2 1

I gave class this morning from the Third Canto of Srimad-Bhagavatam. If I think of the activities I appreciate the most in Krsna Consciousness at this stage of my advancement, I would have to say they are doing kirtana and giving Srimad-Bhagavatam class. Delivering the perfect wisdom of Srimad-Bhagavatam by Srila Prabhupada’s grace is an important duty and responsibility for all preachers, and a pleasure as well.

This afternoon we went on Harinama sankirtana. As our car approached our pre-arranged meeting point I saw more than two hundred devotees in the midst of a blissful kirtana. But I also noted an ominous sign: there were four police vans parked alongside the kirtana party.

I asked Uttamasloka what was going on, and he explained that the police had suddenly taken a new attitude towards us. Up to a month ago they were always friendly and accommodating, but Uttamasloka speculated they had recently received some instructions from higher up and were being more strict with us. I again felt the vice closing tighter on our movement. The police cars escorted our Harinama through a desolate part of town, but when we said we wanted to chant in the center of the city, our request fell on deaf ears.

After an hour we managed to convince them to let us chant near a fairly large and populated street corner, where we drew a large crowd. Just off to one side, a group of young boys and girls were performing break dancing, the latest fad, with their ghetto blasters (large, loud tape recorders).

We invited them to break dance to our kirtana, and their performances drew an even larger crowd. It was an interesting combination. At one point they asked to dance to the music of one of their tapes, saying we would love it. I agreed and they put on the tape of a top band in Russia singing Hare Krsna. They had worked out a dance routine that all of us—devotees and those in the crowd—appreciated very much.