Pradeep and I had a little time to kill before the kirtan gathering at Soham Yoga Studio. We ventured off to Locke St., the hip part of town, a place for cannabis shops, salons, spas, boutiques, and bars. Pradeep remarked that people here haven't seen too many monks. They take a second look.
It was on Locke that we met Pat, a sweet middle-aged woman who upon seeing Pradeep and I, decided to follow us to the yoga studio. It was her first time to the kirtan. It was also Pradeep's first. Approximately 40 folks came, mostly Hamiltonians, to experience what is everyone's human birthright – the spiritual side. The main attraction was a group of young men from Toronto. A Mandali band that specializes in chanting, two mridanga drums, a harmonium, kartals, and their voices, played out to the souls there. Of course, everyone participated. No kirtan that I ever attend goes without dance. Dancing just makes the kirtan complete. It seals the deal. When the body moves, it is engaged in Krishna’s service. Body, mind, intelligence, soul, when all are mobilized, then you call it ‘sweet surrender’.\
When the Hamilton program completed., Pradeep and I were set for a similar program with some added features such as arati and japa in Niagara Falls. This weekly program attracts families and students. They are a little more stiff than the Hamilton bunch, but they eventually come alive after a class from the Gita. Philosophical questions came our way. Both communities, though a one-hour drive apart, are shining.
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