Kumba Mela 2010 Haridwar - April 12-14, 2010

Book distribution report by Anita dasi

April 12-14, 2010

Leading up to the main “royal bathing day” on the 14th, Haridwar swelled beyond bursting. News reports estimated 10 million people came to bathe in Ganga devi. They closed all the roads in the city, and they became filled with currents of pilgrims. These long crazy days I think are best presented as a medley:

Mari-lou, our new friend from South Africa. We seemed to run into her everywhere, and she came for lunch a few days and had lots of good questions.

We met Tribhuvanath in the photocopy shop. He came to visit later and brought a beautiful mounted poster of Sri Sri and Radha Krsna as a gift. Then he helped distribute books with us, and was so happy after distributing several books.

Taruni dasi was invited into a pandal. She announced the books. One man said he would pay for the books that anyone wanted.

One sadhu who wanted a pocket Bhagavad-gita so bad he put the book on top of his begging bowl and waited until enough charitable bathers piled money on top so he could buy it.

Yogesh prabhu, a new devotee from Delhi, came for a few days and had his first real taste of book distribution. The first day after selling one book and giving one to a sadhu for free he felt a bit discouraged. But by yesterday he was over the moon when he sold one big Bhagavad-gita and five small ones to one person, and another 38 Siva Tattva to someone else.

Many people who came up to us with ten rupees and asked for a book by name. I guess word spreads.

We ran into a boy who we met in February. At that time he came back a second time and said he took a book for free and felt bad and paid for it. We saw him again and he was so happy to meet again.

One Indian who lives in Hong Kong who bought a few books including the new Journey of the Soul. He says he has lived there a long time but never found people he could really connect with.

A police man Caru Chandrika didi met when we came for Siva Ratri came to visit and asked many questions about prosperity and spiritual life.

One person changed us up, but a day later someone else wanted to give extra of the same amount that was lost.

One sadhu who wanted a book and we told him that he should give something. He tried to give us his whole bag with a tiffin, a cup and a one rupee note inside. We took the rupee but refused the bag.

The man at the ice cream shop remembered us from Siva Ratri. He pulled out the copy of Siva Tattva he got then and asked if he had any new book for him.

Loads of invitations to people’s homes and cities across India.