Saturday, October 19th, 2013

Saturday Night Sounds

 

Juhu Beach, India

 

What does Juhu Beach look like on Saturday night?  It's pretty much what you'd expect.  In the commerce and residential areas it is busy with crazy traffic and people milling about.  Passions are high.  Ambitions and anticipations are also.  What fun can I have?  Let's try a new restaurant.  Let's hope to spring upon a new relationship; let's build upon the old ones.

 

And the beach itself from the stretch of fish town (smell it - uhh!) to the end of a lamp-post section it's people catching some air off the Arabian Sea.  There's gatherings, Hindu rituals, and vendors flogging their nic-nac wares.

 

One thing that's intriguing for beach-comers on this Saturday night is a bunch of hot, sweaty young men in some kind of moving formation, holding placards and just making a lot of noise.  But wait their is the thud of drums - djembe and Bengali drums.  There's sounds of protest, so it seems.  Yes, in fact, protests against maya, the illusions all about.

 

That group, in friendly opposition, is us.  Well, I'm not young.  Let's make a disclaimer there, but the actual kirtan that we are taking on our feet over the surface of the sand is making me young.  I had at one moment winced at the thought of getting old.  You see, it's been a topic of discussion to some degree.  My excuse for being on the beach with the other devotees and not sitting in on the last sessions of meetings with my peers at mid-term AGM was to lead this chanting.  In one session the topic of resigning or retiring from managerial positions for a number of us took place.  Yes, succession planning is topical.

 

It's good that you can't say that for kirtan, chanting that you can never retire from.  It's about the only thing going on that is a fountain of youth.

 

Our gig on the beach drew in greater crowds.  It seems that people are drawn to hot, sweaty something-or-other going on and as excitement peaked with our drums and our lungs I saw the opportunity to physically pull potential dancers into our circle.  It worked.

 

Such was my second visit to the sands of Juhu for the day and such was my finale for walking before being treated by an excellent massage therapist, Rasik Shyam.  It lifted my spirits when he said I'm in good shape.  That's humbling to hear.  It's all by the mercy of guru and God.

 

May the Source be with you!

 

9 KM