Scarborough, Ontario
Mini Ratha
If you don’t know the famous song, “Scarborough Fair” by Simon and Garfunkel, then I do believe it’s time to get musically familiar with the iconic, idyllic piece. It’s magical, easily defines the dreaming time of the ’60s and expresses a quality sound for the heart.
I was reminded of the song when one of our friends from Scarborough, Toronto‘s eastern suburb, drove me to a mini re-enactment of the usually (thanks to Covid) larger Ratha Yatra. A caravan (of vans) was mobilized to visit congregants at their homes. One particular van carried the beloved deities of Krishna in the form of Jagannath, Baladeva, and Subhadra. When it backed up into a driveway and the motorist opened the rear door to the van, the deities were exposed in their usual joyful manner, for family, friends and neighbours to see.
There you have it! It was a blessing at your own home. A ritual was then performed called an arati. A melodic chant was sung. People would then get into the ‘receive-and-respond.’ Then, in every household that we went to with this format, delicacies were up for grabs. No “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme,” as mentioned in the song by S&G, but more like Indian dishes of samosas and chickpea delights, along with sweets.
The event was organized by the solid team of administrators at ISKCON Scarborough. It was successful. However, I did leave midway through, in the travel between households, to tend to other devotional events for the day. This downscaled cosmic venture involving Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe, is something that’s doable, and compensates for the shutdown of larger community gatherings.
May the Source be with you!
4 km
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