Flic En Flac, Mauritius
“I may be hot
I may be tired
But I’m not this body
I’m spirit soul”
This mini-song we projected out with our voices as we entered Flic En Flic, a beach community. I think it got the message across at least to convince ourselves who were indeed “hot and tired”.
To accompany the lyrics we sang the maha-mantra. We, the participants, were 25 in number. At 5:20 AM we left the Phoenix temple called Radha Golokananda Mandir and took to a modest 15 kilometres-men, women, children. Traffic was picking up as early as 6:00 AM (just like in a hustle-bustle city anywhere on the globe). To evade the rush and diesel exhaust, we traversed along the paralleled sugar-cane roads which were a little uneven in spots but that’s okay. That’s when the feet get the most reflex experience.
Most motorists are of Hindu descent as that reflects the country’s make-up. You can imagine the potential in Mauritius for the embracing of Krishna Consciousness.
Yet it’s silly. At one stretch just prior to reaching the beach front motorists were looking at us as if we were an oddity, like we were aliens or something.
“Why are they walking? Don’t they have a car?”
I would say boldly that the automobile has ruined society. It spoiled us rotten and has taken away our health and community spirit. We touched on this topic in the evening at the home of Dev and Devika, who hosted three hundred guests to their home.
“Yes the world has gone crazy. We need to re-think how to do things. It’s Friday night and we’re having a party devoid of drinking, smoking and trying to pick up someone. We are having the greatest time in the most clean way possible by duplicating the approach of Sri Chaitanya, with song, dance, spiritual food, some philosophy and friendship building.”
At that gathering where I was asked to lead the chant and speak I was hot and I was tired but I’m not this body, right? I’m spirit soul.
15 Km
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