EUROPE
September 18, 2002 VNN7562
How Gokul Came To London
BY RAMESH KALLIDAI
 LONDON, Sep 18 (VNN) — The following article published in the Asian Voice (UK), the largest English weekly in Europe for Indians and is reproduced with permission from the Asian Voice UK - featured in the weekly column "Screaming Hot Bhajiyas" by Ramesh Kallidai".
"The one important thing about people from India is that they know how to worship God," said Akincana Dasa with great feeling. "The degree of fervour and the spirit of devotion that people from India display is incredible.
Just thinking about them makes my hair stand on end." The last time my hair stood on end had been when I was watching the Lord of the Rings. Unlike me, Akincana was of course thinking of the Lord of the Heart - Sri Krishna. Since 1981, he and his American wife Lalita Dasi have been devout followers of His Holiness Swami Bhakti Ballabh Tirtha, a monk in the Chaitanyite tradition. Swami Tirtha Maharaja is the present Acharya of the Shri Chaitanya Gaudiya Math and the Guardian of the Global Organisation of Krishna-Chaitanya's Universal Love (Gokul).
Three years ago, Akincana and Lalita came to London from America on the order of Swami Tirtha Maharaja to set up a Gokul preaching centre in Britain. "My wife is from New York, but she couldn't wait to get away from there," he laughed. "New York was too intense for us." I knew of at least two people who wouldn't have agreed with him: Frank Sinatra because he thought New York never slept, and myself because I thought New York never woke up. Every time I visit New York I cannot help being hypnotised by the way Americans with closed eyes in breakneck speed whiz past other Americans with closed eyes in breakneck speed, without so much as touching each other. New Yorkers seem to be practising the lost art of sleepwalking to passionate perfection.
"In the last three years, we published three books, released some CDs, organised tours for Swami Tirtha Maharaja and conducted weekly satsang programmes in homes and halls," explained Akincana in a friendly voice. He was first introduced to a taste of spiritual life in 1974 when he met Swami Prabhupada the Founder of ISKCON in Toronto through his mother. He has also produced several dance music records under a band named 'Overlords of the UFO', some of which had featured prominently in underground charts. "I just borrowed the name of the band from a tacky 70s documentary, and I must say I really have nothing to do with UFOs," he laughed, much to my intense relief. UFO fanatics are not really that easy to deal with, and I was happy he was as normal as the rest of us.
"I'd like to invite you to our bhajan programmes," he concluded. "And I'll send some books to you by post." Three days later the Postman delivered a huge box that I could barely carry inside my house. Inside were some of the most exquisitely designed and spiritually enriching books I had ever seen or read. Oh well... the little perks of being a part-time journalist... sigh! For more information please contact Akincana Dasa on 0771.84.94.234. or visit http://www.gokul.org. If you have any news to share on this column please contact the author by email: rameshkallidai@hotmail.com
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