HARE KRISHNA – THE FLIP

I was getting a bit bored with western food. Mohan & I were craving for some Indian food. Our search for good Indian vegetarian food took us to many places. Mohan suddenly remembered that there was a Hare Krishna Temple and it was somewhere in Perth. The second piece of information was more appealing to me. As part of their service, they provide excellent Indian food in the temple. So, we started looking around for the temple in the right earnest. We sent mails to friends all over the world, the Hare Krishna HQ & anybody and everybody trying to get some information about the temple. During weekends, we both went in various directions in our bikes looking for the temple.

At this point of time, Krishna showered some mercy on us. Hare Krishna devotees have the habit of pasting “HARE KRISHNA” stickers on their cars. Once, when Mohan and I were walking back to our accommodation. We saw a car passing by with one such sticker. We both started chasing the car like mad. It was the urge to have some good Indian food that gave us the strength to chase the car for at least half a kilometer. The traffic lights became a boon in disguise. The car stopped at the traffic junction. We got to the car and started banging at the windows very desperately. The driver got freaked out and thought we both were trying to rob him. Somehow, we managed to convince him that we were looking for the address of the temple. Then, he calmed down and gave us the address and got away in a hurry. We were extremely happy that we got what we were looking for and started waiting for that steaming plate of HOT SPICY INDIAN VEGETARIAN FOOD to be served to us.

On Sunday morning, we both took the first train to Bayswater, where the temple was situated. We walked along Railway Parade Road and found the temple. The temple was set in serene circumstances. It was situated in the middle of a beautiful flower garden. The devotees were having their breakfast after morning prayers. As the main reason was food, we immediately jumped into the fray. As days went by, this became a regular visit. As time passed, we were getting involved in all the activities of the temple. We were attending prayers regularly, reading religious books and even volunteered to cook for the Sunday feast. For Hare Krishna movement, Sunday feast is a very special event. They conduct prayers in their restaurants and provide food to the participants, free of cost. The workload was very heavy on Sundays. We had to cut vegetables, cook various dishes and transport them to the restaurant from the temple. Once the feast finished, we had to wash all the utensils, clean up the restaurant and the temple kitchen. Although we had a lot of work to do, we did that very enthusiastically. The devotees were doing it as service to god and we were doing it for food. Either way, it was a very convenient arrangement, which was mutually beneficial.

I was still a non-vegetarian. The more I frequented to the temple, the more I interacted with the devotees. Hare Krishna devotees are vegetarians. There were devotees from about 12 countries living in the temple following the religious routines very piously. They used to lecture me about vegetarianism. As the temple was providing me with sumptuous food, I became more inclined to listen to the lectures about vegetarianism. There was also a crumb of shame of not being able to control my tongue. Finally, I decided to become a vegetarian. I felt proud of that because I was able to communicate with the devotees without any guilty feelings. That is a decision I will never regret. It was a matter of following a group of people who had strong convictions.