Sunday, November 27th, 2016

Santa Clara, Cuba 

Some Things Work

Not everything works perfectly here in Cuba.  All was set for a yajna, a small fire ceremony, within a building called the Video Club.  Two followers of Krishna were to be blessed with brahman initiation, and one person, an aerobics/martial arts teacher, Denis, was to receive his first initiation.  Participants, including two priests, were preparing themselves for the event, by changing into the traditional dhoti, kurta and chaudar.  There was no change room.  All had to make due.

The toilet to the building didn’t flush.  No water came out of the tap.  The soap dispenser had bleach water in it.  The air conditioner was out of order.

Just as we were about to begin the ceremony, we were informed that no forum like this was to take place in a public facility for nine days during the mourning of Fidel Castro.

The twenty or so people in attendance were ready to adjust and move pronto to Denis’ residence to hold the yajna there.  No complaints.  Everyone was so cooperative, and the ceremony, held in the back shed, was ermoso (beautiful).  Sarees were hung to adorn the tin and barnwood slat walls of the shed.  Wool strings were used as make-shift brahman threads for the 2^nd initiates and Denis went home (oops! This is his home.) with a new Sanskrit name, Dhanvantari, the name of the avatar who is known for his ancient healing powers.

The Krishna community is growing at incremental paces in Cuba.  This is progress, as we see a pluralism of communities populating this land which currently is undergoing a very slow birth rate.

May the Source be with you!

4 km

Saturday, November 26th, 2016

Rodas, Cuba 

May He Rest in Peace

Very coincidentally, long-standing leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, passed away last night during our short stay in this unique country of the world.

I slept very little last night and it wasn’t because of the usual partying at the resort we stayed at.  Perhaps, there was some, more subtle, stirring in the atmosphere.  I was told by Nanda M. from our Canadian group, that Castro left at 10 p.m.

A message came from our coordinator, Janardan, that we are not to sing today at Rodas, the destination of tonight’s bhakti program.  People will mourn for nine days, and as far as I could understand, within this time-frame, his body would be cremated.

I remember hearing of Mr. Castro when I was a kid.  He was a regular headliner then and had, over the forthcoming decades, been a fairly high profiler.  He was buddies with our deceased Prime Minister of Canada, Pierre Trudeau, and attended the Canadian leader’s funeral.

Outside of Cuban resort areas, the nation was quiet.  Even Saturday night’s usual “loudness” was conspicuous by its absence.  We conducted a bhakti program but kept it quiet from a musical/chanting point of view.  On foot, Dhira and I went out after the program, to find radio broadcasts from people’s homes were in an amazing lull.  Out of respect, people were low-key in everything done.  Spanish spunkiness was asleep, while constant sobriety prevailed.  When Dhira and I arrived at our ten pesos a night accommodation, the owner told us he removed the DVD players so no jovialness would emanate from the house.

May he rest in peace!

May the Source be with you.

7 km

Friday, November 25th, 2016

Habana, Cuba 

Disappointing Points

At the Indian Embassy, Vijayalakshmy Sunderrajan had a chat with us shortly after we offered a gift of the thirty-volume book Srimad Bhagavatam, and she told us something about India.  Statistics show that India is No. 2 in the world in regard to diabetes.

“After?”  I asked her.

“I believe it’s the U.S.”

That wasn’t too pleasant to hear about for either of the two countries.  My heart goes out especially to Mother India.  And how we love thee!

Then Janardana, who was with us, remarked, “One report I heard is that, just ten years ago, 70% of India was vegetarian.  Now, it has slid down to 30%.”

That, I would say, is disappointing.  I believe that, in some way, India has been the champion for a commitment to dharma (obligation), and is envied the world over for its strong sense of spirituality.

Are these signs of Kali, the lord who reigns over darkness, infiltrating?

At one of the Cultural casas (homes) in Habana, I attended the function called “Namaste.”  The topic of discussion, led by Professor Maria T. Montes de Oca Choy, was the city of Bombay.  I also had an allotted time—a wholesome fifteen minutes—to promote the jewel of a text, Srimad Bhagavatam, to an audience of thirty-five people.

“India had for centuries been under the subjugation of foreign invaders, yet at the heart of Indian culture, bhakti (devotion to the Divine) has allowed for resilience.  It survived so much oppression.”  After my presentation, I pondered current trends in India.  It seems that a strong “me” culture can threaten and take the shine away from so many great values upheld for millennia.

May the Source be with you!

8 km