Georgetown, Guyana
Gag on Gas
We’ve heard our guru, Srila Prabhupada use the term, ‘Man proposes, God disposes’. You might say that the term applies to us in Guyana this year. I was supposed to take a trip via canoe to a district where indigenous folks reside, pretty much the way they have for centuries. To some regret, it wasn’t meant to be, and I ended up quite happily, in any case, in the Georgetown district once again, for an experience on padayatra on day four.
Response was good. The sun shone, finally. Monsoons let up for the most part. Our group thickened, of course, it’s also Saturday.
Now, Guyana would be a perfect place for the use of the bicycle, at least along the coast, the terrain is relatively flat. But sorry to say, the two-wheeler is not the mode of transport for most people. Like so much of our planet, Bhumi, it is overrun by cars and not pedestrians or cyclists.
Our padayatra, festival on foot, demonstrates a good will gesture, not only as a spiritual affair, but by dint of this physical endeavour we make another statement of benevolence. As a padayatri, you must take in the brunt of the car fumes. And to boot, the exhaust from the generator on the back of the pickup which carries sound speakers causes enough for us to gag on. If you lead a kirtan like I have been, you are subjected to the foulness spewing out of the machine.
To recover from today’s physical challenge, I took to the fabulous seawall for a jaunt to catch the ocean air, what a relief.
With pride, our performance of 'The Jagannatha Story' on the stage was a big hit. It was presented after popular, Dina Bandhu, spoke in his own animated way about the joys of bhakti, devotion. The stage events culminated with mantras, a perfect closure to a triumphant day, despite the gas.
May the Source be with you!
8 KM
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