At 11am on Saturday, June 18, about 50 to 60 chanting devotees left the Food for Life Restaurant in Karangahape Road to proceed down Queen Street, Auckland City. With a sound system making the Holy Name clearly audible, enthusiasm, smiling faces and armed with flyers they charmed the onlookers who responded with large grins, waves and tooting horns.

Flyers inviting everyone to Food for Life restaurant for a free lunch, were distributed liberally, and around 800 plates of prasadam were enjoyed by devotees and patrons. Food for Life proprietors, Nimananda, and his wife Suchitra, were the generous donors. They, and their team of volunteers, worked hard and cheerfully throughout the day. Annually, to celebrate the occasion of their spiritual master, Tamal Krishna Goswami’s Vyasa-puja (birthday) they have accepted his instruction to distribute prasadam, and made it a special offering to him. Their intention is to stage this event later in the year, at Janmastami and again at Christmas.

Soon after the harinam, the Radha Giridhari Temple in Riverhead, was the venue for a 24 hour kirtan which began at 3pm with chanting groups taking shifts and chanting throughout the night. They continued until 4pm on Sunday.

The Couch: Edition 10, June 2005