Saturday, September 5th, 2009

Falls And All

Taveuni, Fiji Islands

After a four hour ferry ride, Radha Madhava and I docked at our third island, Taveuni, a more lush temperate exotic place. Parrots and snoker reside here. As I suspected, the smaller the island and the fewer the people the more simple the folks. Although very bright the group of Krishna followers here did not catch on to my casual remarks which is largely North American humour.

We should not assume that everyone understands us. Each person is so relative and not absolute. What passes as normal in one place doesn’t necessarily fit into everyone else’s shoe. In any event we are looking at a very isolated place – Taveuni.

With some of the kirtans I led not all could follow although I rendered rather simple tunes. Due to lack of exposure the young men playing drums regardless of their enthusiasm simply require some lessons and someone to spend time with them.

In the early afternoon session of the day a grand total of fifteen youths joined me on the government road for a 10km hike. One of the girls led a spontaneous chant using cucaracha as the melody and applying the maha-mantra to it. So cautiously I corrected her makeshift version of the tune and when I mentioned that the Spanish word cucaracha means cockroach it became an enlightening moment for the group. They have no qualms about laughing to this realization.

After the 10km stint which took us near the airport, the size of a quaint tea-stall, the group was driven to a cascade of a three level waterfalls. There we swam in the rain. It was a good bonding time. After all it was Saturday. Or was it? I’m forgetting the time. Each day is a holiday. Few worries. Few cares. I just have to make the best of where I am. Leave sometime to myself and reserve a whole lot of time for the world.

There are two types of monks, it seems to me. There’s the seclusive hermit type. And then there’s the out and about type. It is my understanding that our Guru, Srila Prabhupada, wished for his monastic students to exercise travelling the world and touch the hearts of the people.

10 Km