SURAT: A regular morning walker need not carry his or her IPod along any longer. For, the morning walkers will now have the company of SankirtanGroup of ISKCON temple. The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) temple devotees have now introduced the concept of prabhat feri' at Joggers' Park in the city.The concept was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi during the Independence movement. It was a useful tool to unite people and to spread the message of non-violence and harmony. For ISKCON devotees, the prabhat feri' also known as Sankirtan is an important medium to spread brotherhood.The ISKCON devotees in white dhoti and kurta enter the park with mridang, manjira and a music system playing Hare Krishna Hare Rama.' The morning walkers soon join them. Currently, the group has started its activity at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) and Joggers' Park on Ghod Dod Road."The locations were chosen after careful consideration on what the response would be. People join us to sing and dance. Many times we go to residential localities but the experience at the Joggers' Park is comparatively better," says Dilip Katira, a Sankirtan group member.Prahlad Patel, an elderly walker at Joggers' Park near Ghod Dod Road, says, "It is wonderful to have these people singing bhajans as we walk. We join them as it gives us mental peace.""Lord Krishna teaches us to love everything around us. Thus, we spread the message of harmony through the Vedic chants every morning," says Sidhheshwargor Das, a devotee.
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