There is a new sankirtan sensation in New Zealand that is creating a fire of enthusiasm and camaraderie in the community. It is called the “One Book A Day” challenge (OBAD) and was initiated by Bhakta Jordan from The Loft Outreach Centre in Auckland.
Bhakta Jordan himself first came in contact with Krishna Consciousness through book distribution. His sister came home after meeting a sankirtan devotee in a car park and brought him back a Chant and Be Happy. After reading a few chapters, he started watching Srila Prabhupada’s lectures online and chanting the maha mantra. All this before even associating with devotees and getting his first japa kit. Fast forward six years and Bhakta Jordan has now been following the principles of bhakti yoga and steadily chanting 16 rounds for two years while living in a contemporary working men’s ashram. He often distributes books on the way to his painting job in the early mornings (petrol stations are his favourite spot). Frequently, he distributes books before 7:00 am! He calls it “Books Before Breakfast.”
The idea for the OBAD challenge came to him after Devamrita Swami gave a presentation at the end-of-year sankirtan celebration in New Zealand, stating, “Don’t just leave books to our big distributors; we can ALL do something.” Inspired by this, he decided to create a challenge that was originally aimed at working devotees like himself and those in the grihastha ashram.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/the-one-book-a-day-challenge-in-new-zealand-sparks-enthusiasm-worldwide/
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