EVADING OUR WILD FIRES

Tuesday, July 14th, 2026

Thunder Bay, Ontario

It was "brush and flush" time, a common expression on the bus. Close to midnight, enroute to Thunder Bay, we were on the longest route in the remote north. Though we drove on the "main drag" of Canada, the Trans Canada Highway, road travel is almost nil.

There was, however, one busy open at this hour for the brush and flush routine, at Circle K, a convenience store. With one washroom it was an impossible task to be quick. The brushing of all the bus youth took place while waiting for the door to open in the aisles, amidst sweet and salty confectioneries, was a scene I won't forget. The clerk behind the counter, by name Raj, was a bit overwhelmed with our numbers. I gave Raj a "Gita" as a gift.

We arrived in Thunder Bay. I opened the door to the bus. In the air was the smell of fire. Did someone get married with a havan ceremony? "No!" said Prem Kishor, our ISKCON co-ordinator. "The wild fires have begun." That ominous dark sky haunted us by the next night. Just after our performance at Bora Laskin Theatre, when it was time for departure to our next destination, we viewed a dirty, toxic sky. Fortunately we evaded any manifestation of agni, the fire god. Perhaps he was pleased with our performance which once again was of good quality.

We did not see fire on the trip but just missed a moose and a fox. Close calls indeed!

A reflection: when we complete our show and satisfied our audiences, I feel like we've conquered something, defying impersonalism with our devotional dance, drama and mantras. Carly, a native woman, her husband Guru, a Punjabi, and their daughter Hazel, were soaking it up. Carly is a nurse and sports tilak on her forehead at work. She has a “Krishna” book in her hand. She’s taking the bhakti path very seriously.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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