MARCO IN MONTREAL

Tuesday, May 26th, 2026

Montreal, Quebec

Phillips Square in Downtown Montreal has been the spot for Krishna monks to appear there with their music. After a leisurely walk with European Bhakti Prabhava Swami through the Botanical Gardens, our schedule called for a visit to the Square for more of what devotees have been doing for decades — kirtan. At least that’s the location for the ancient practice in this great city in the summer months. In winter time we get permission, as musicians, to sing and play music in the Metro, the underground commuter trains.

When the group of us stepped out of the van, we received some hollers from a guy by the name of Marco. He’s a real character, a person somewhat easy to make buddies with. The younger devotees in their 20’s didn’t quite know how to deal with someone so rough and loud. With my years behind me doing what we call samkirtan for years on the streets, the interaction was smooth.

Says Marco, “Hey, I filmed you guys in the front of “The Bay” (across from Phillips Square) from 18 years ago. You wanna see it? Maybe you know some of them.”

“Sure, we’ll look, Marco.” Sure enough he captured some of our members that are still around. It was exciting chatting with him as we set ourselves up for chanting. It seems Marco knows the main graffiti artists in town. “They’ve been all over the place for the last 20 years. There’s some of their work.” He pointed to an exterior wall only accessible from the next door roof.

Anyways, we could have ignored Marco for his gregarious and obnoxious nature. Better to make everyone your friend, if you can.

MAY THE SOURCE BE WITH YOU

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