Desi Dialogues

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As the summer gets into full swing, there is no dearth of South Asian festivals in the GTA. But one of the biggest South Asian festivals with an international ring is the two-day festival by Toronto's famous Hare Krishna Centre.

This 36th annual Festival of India will take place on Centre Island on July 19 and 20. Organized by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness movement, this is a part of the big Hare Krishna movement in the western world.

The Hare Krishna movement centres on the Hindu god Lord Krishna. It propagates a consciousness of Krishna (god) as it is revealed in the holy Hindu scriptures - the Bhagavad Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. And it aims to propagate spiritual knowledge and educate people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values, says the official website of the society.

This movement has gained popularity in the west after many English singers such as Beatles who, after coming into contact with the Hare Krishnas in 1969, took interest in the movement. The interest was reflected in songs later recorded by the band with the Hare Krishna mantra being sung by George Harrison in My Sweet Lord. Many western singers have been influenced by this movement and it is reflected in their scores as well.

But this movement was brought to the west by A.C. Bhakti Vedanta Swami Prabhupada in the 1960s, and now the movement has gained in popularity in major cities of North America.

The highlight of this two-day festival in Toronto, however, is the Rath Yatra or the chariots that carry a monument of Lord Krishna, his sister Subhadara and his brother Balaram amidst chants and devotional songs for two hours from Yonge and Bloor streets, continuing all the way to Harbourfront Centre on July 19 at 11 a.m.

Rashi Singh, one of the organizers, explains the chariot rides are a re-enactment of the journey Lord Krishna took from the holy city of Dwarka to Vrindavana. The journey Lord Krishna took was to simply go from a place where he was living as a king to the place from his childhood. The significance is that while people come to the temple to see the lord, during this is one day the lord comes out to see the people, she says.

This two-day festival, which welcomes almost 35,000 people from all over the United States and Canada, is bigger and better and this year with the entire event after the chariot ride taking place on Centre Island.

So after the chariot ride is over, people can hop onto the ferry and go to the island where free vegetarian meals will be provided to everyone. People can also enjoy a free arts and cultural showcase, drama, a South Asian bazaar, exhibits, a children's area and entertainment by many top bands, including dancers from India and around the world.

July 20 features a yoga meltdown, which means the entire day is devoted to the practice with classes, demonstrations and meditation seminars. Everyone is welcome. People need to bring their own mats.

Those who are inclined to get spiritually inspired can do so during this two-day festival. For those who are just curious about this famous movement, it gives people a chance to peek into this spiritual world. All in all, it promises to be something different to do for that weekend.