By Krsangi Radhe dasi (Communications Officer, ISKCON Durban)
As the world commemorated Mandela Day by honouring the former statesman on Friday, 18 July 2014, the devotees and maintenance staff at the Sri Sri Radha Radhanatha Temple in Durban, South Africa offered their contribution in the form of prayer, a conservation program and food distribution.
Being the first Mandela Day since the passing of the late South African president, Nelson Mandela, civilians from all walks of life pitched in to offer 67 minutes of their time to humanitarian work. The Food For Life teams in various regions began cooking breyani, dhall and halva at the crack of dawn. Over 20 000 warm meals were distributed to the residents of informal settlements. Whilst devotees and volunteers cooked with love, this mood was extended to the recipients as their faces beamed with smiles of gratitude.
The temple maintenance staff were offered several way to engage their 67 minutes to honour Madiba. Interestingly, the staff chose to spend their time chanting for global peace during the midday arati ceremony. The staff embraced this opportunity, as they downed their cleaning equipment and raised their hands to chant the Hare Krishna maha-mantra. Enthusiastically, some members of the group also picked up musical instruments to add to the auspiciousness of the day.
Whilst the maintenance staff were engaged in prayer, the temple devotees embarked on a conservation program around the temple grounds. The temple car also serves as a foot-path for over 5000 commuters on a weekly basis. Devotees engaged in cleaning up this area. The team, headed by His Grace Vibhu Caitanya dasa spent 67 minutes sweeping the grounds, picking up litter and focussed on garden maintenance.
The Sri Sri Radha Radhanatha youth group chose to dedicate their 67 minutes by hosting an evening of prayer through melodious chanting. Several guests joined the singing, dancing and collaborative prayer by creating an oasis of social harmony within the temple grounds.
Interestingly, the Nelson Mandela Foundation focuses on several areas that Srila Prabhupada emphasised: Food security, Education and Literacy, Shelter and Infrastructure, and Service and Volunteerism. The Hare Krishna Movement prides itself in comfortably fitting in all of the above areas. In Durban, the temple extended its facility and infrastructure to the public to get involved in spending time in service to the community, through service to God. The Sri Sri Radha Radhanatha Temple has also been highlighted in Sunday newspaper for their wonderful contribution to Mandela Day.
The aspects devotees and staff focussed on Mandela Day are clearly described by Srila Prabhupada in a letter (1967), “Our procedure is very simple and consistent. We chant, we read from Bhagavad-gita & Srimad Bhagavatam and we distribute prasadam.
Another thing I request is that everything in the Temple should be kept nice and clean… We should always remember that Krishna is the purest & similarly only the pure can associate with Him. Cleanliness is next to Godliness.”
By commemorating Mandela Day in this way of food distribution, prayer and a clean-up initiative, the devotees in Durban created an oasis for peace via mind, body and soul. Although, devotees dedicated a special 67 minutes to Madiba, the Hare Krishna movement practices these humanitarian offerings on a daily basis. Our feeding programs, daily education classes through the deliverance of spiritual discourses, and opportunities for service to God are available on all 365 days of the year at any Hare Krishna temple around the world.