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Walking Monk on Guyana journey
Bhaktimarga Swami, better known as the “Walking Monk”, is in Guyana to be part of the Hare Krishna Movement’s seven-day festival called Padayatra – the walking festival which began on Monday and ends this Sunday.
Using drama, presentations, lectures, dances and Bhagans, the movement aims to preach the message of peace, unity and national wellbeing.
During the festival, devotees of the movement meet at different locations on East Coast Demerara and walk a designated route.
Bhaktimarga Swami is the movement’s special guest for the festival.
He is a follower of the millenary Vedic tradition from India, and has already covered various areas of the country.
Today, he will be walking from the Demerara Harbour Bridge to Parika.
The Swami, 55, said he was attracted to this lifestyle and enrolled as a monk (of the order of “Swamis”) in the Hare Krishna movement back in 1973 when it was hip to be radical, daring and different.
At the events held on the East Coast, he said many people along the route said they recall similar events in the late eighties when the first Krishna pioneers of Guyana such as Bhutadi, Agrani, Paramatma, and others hosted this main event.
On his walk in Guyana, he said the response from Guyanese has been good.
“We are talking about simple sweet folks here who are not burdened with many of the distractions of the developed world.
“People are so quick to wave a hand and make the address ‘Ram Ram’ or ‘Sita Ram’ or ‘Haribol,’” he said. He particularly noted that Afro-Guyanese express these terms as do Hindus.
The Swami said he admires the level of spirituality in Guyana, where soft-heartedness is prevalent.
“Maybe I’m wrong; maybe they like seeing their swamis out and about. In any event, piety is a feature of this north shore South American land.”
His walks are aimed at promoting meditation, pilgrimage and “the walking culture.”
The walk begins each day at 04:00 or 05:00 h and he goes on for about nine hours everyday.
He carries with him a sack holding his meditation beads, and often chants and talks to the Creator along the way.
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