Wednesday, October 25th, 2023
Pune, India
It's quite incredible how things have changed since my last time here. All these buildings have come up in the district of Pune where our ISKCON temple is located. Residential and commercial enterprises have muscled their way in. Some people will call it 'development', others may say, "devil-up." I recall beautiful open fields, some greenery. But that's all gone.
What hasn't changed about the temple complex itself is the spirit of the place. On my last visit, I gave a class to the young students or brahmacharis. I also presented a play, Krishna Is.
Today I was invited to deliver "Tales from Trails" and commenced it with a kirtan. Parents came as well as some children. All in all, there was about 120 - 150 listeners. You know they're interested when no one falls asleep; they laugh at the jokes and there are many questions to follow.
The first question was, "Would you consider walking India?" My answer was along the lines of, "I love India and the people; but there is dust, noise, traffic, and lots of litter and garbage." They laughed at that.
The last question was, "How do you overcome fear in your travels?" My answer was, "Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna...." We all sang it together.
"Any alternatives?"
"Yes, convince yourself you are not the body, you are spirit." They liked the answer.
MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU!
1 km
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