A VERY NICE STORY BY ANUTTAMA DAS ABOUT HIS SERVICE AS THE AUTOMOBILE WALLA OF THE HENRY STREET TEMPLE IN BROOKLYN, NEW YORK
~As most of you know, I was in charge of the cars during my time at Henry St: 1972 till we moved to W. 55 St in Manhattan in 1975. In fact, the cars were called “Automobiles”.
We learned early on that new cars and New York City did not go well together. Dents appeared almost daily and our sleep-deprived drivers did not help either.
Romapada das was in charge of flooding New York and surrounding areas with Prabhupada’s books. To accomplish this he needed a fleet of cars and an army of devotees. My job was to provided the cars and vans.
Since buying new vehicles proved to be disastrous, I resorted to buying used ones from the Penny Saver paper, police impound auctions and government surplus sales. The local government was having a big sale with over 150 municipal cars soon. These were offered for sale with a sealed bid. This meant that you mailed in a bid, and if it was the highest, you won.
We needed a few more cars, so I thought “Let me bid low on many cars and maybe I will get a few.” I bid on 40 cars offering between $50 to $70. After a few days, the auction contacted me and informed me that I had won 21 cars. Holy cow! What were we going to do with 21 cars?
I gathered up a group of men, including Hari Kesha, and drove to a dock around 22 St on the West Side of Manhattan and we returned with the cars back to Tiffany Place. I picked out nine of the best ones to keep for the temple, and decided to sell the rest on behalf of the temple. I placed ads in the Penny Saver and listed them for $300 to $500. After I sold them all, I ended up covering the cost of the cars that I was keeping and had a profit for the temple too.
After that I gained the nickname “21 Car Anuttama.”
PS. In 1974 I bought a used luxury Chrysler Imperial from a government surplus sale. This was a beautiful car. I bought it for Srila Prabhupada to use when he came that summer. We fixed the front fenders with VIP flags like a diplomat’s car. Prabupada use that car, and after his visit I sold it for a profit for the temple.
During my years managing the cars at Henry St, there was almost no cost to the temple. I would buy low and sell high, a business concept I would use later in my life running a successful auto business that I named Rama Auto Sales.
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On a side note: after we moved to Manhattan, the new manager [who was very intelligent] decided that I was not needed anymore. They would buy all new vans and cars.
Marching into the local dealership, they plunked down “BIG Money” and bought about eight “new” vehicles. Boy, did they look nice parked in front of our new 11 story building. I remember the halls on the second floor were lined with the back seats from the vans. Passenger vans cost more then cargo vans but money was no object, I figured. Yes, you guessed it. Within six months all those vehicles were banged up.
– Remember that when you know it all, there is no need to ask advice from experienced people.
~ by Anuttama-Tom Morrison.