NIGHT OF ACTIVITY

Bhaktimarga Swami
5 days ago
1 min read

Friday, October 31st, 2025

Brickworks, Toronto

Some of our Bhakti Academy members decided to go downtown at Dundas Square anticipating that the location was rowdy and happy. Being that the 31^st is Halloween night, many people would be there in costume (maybe a little tipsy), so our group got all dressed up after getting into our drama costume room with makeup before heading to the Square armed with drum and musical instruments for chanting. Well, that went over very well. The response was great. Hundreds were singing and dancing.

Meanwhile, I had been on the residential streets of Rosedale where I observed interesting Halloween displays while hundreds of a younger breed accompanied by their parents who took them for trick-or-treating. Of course, this got me reminiscing about my childhood doing the same.

But there was one more purpose that the evening had unfolded for me, and it wasn’t at all ‘spooky’. At least once a year I receive a request from friend, Buddhimanta, asking me to give an “Energy Class.” The topic this time was “Servant Leader”. The phrase “servant as leader” was a concept written as an essay by Robert Greenleaf in 1970. His essay sparked an interest in thoughtful people at the time. Surely, such philosophy is not new. Vedic civilization put it into practice long before.

Anyways, I made up my list of nine items, qualities of a servant/leader type. The list I call “The ABCs of Servant Leader.” They are as follows:

1. Accessible

2. Accountable

3. Active

4. Benevolent

5. Bodyguard-like

6. Builder

7. Commander

8. Communicator

9. Creative