From Mumbai
Braja Bihari Prabhu the sankirtan leader of Radha Gopinatha Mandir in Chowpatti India has sent this sankitan lila:
"We were euphoric and I hadn't realized I had not slept for two nights. We were swept away by the sales in one company. Touching an unprecedented high for our bus party. It was non-stop excitement for us, to say the least."
With permission available for setting up book stalls in many companies, we overlooked a few 'small' ones, preferring to go all out at the bigger companies during the marathon. One such industrial unit we ignored was of Cummins Internationals. Jagannath Prabhu of the Pune temple usually covers these companies so we looked for greener pastures. However, a few months later as we followed up, we were told that they hadn't covered the company. We then decided to put up a stall there and with a team of six drove to Pune one early morning. Little did we know that we would be in for a big surprise. As the first shift ended and the workers came out at 2.30 pm, we had emptied almost half the bus. By 8.30 pm, all the stock was disributed!!! I immediately called up the temple and told them to keep a bus and driver ready. I then left Pune and reached Mumbai in the early hours next morning. We then went to the BBT book room, loaded the bus and left again to Pune. As the traffic on Mumbai Pune highway slowed our bus, I was anxious. If we did not make it before 2.00 pm, we would miss the second shift workers. Fortunately, we just about made it and without a moment's delay, all of us began distributing sets. We had never known that this place had so many workers, as all of them pounced on our tables and demanded books. We had been granted permission to put up a stall only till 6.00 pm, but the constant flow of people kept us going till 9.00 pm and again the books were almost over. We had made a collection worth Rs. 150,000 in just the last six hours!!! we needed more books for the third and last day. Again, I left for Mumbai, but by now the BBT had no stock of SSR (Science of Self Realization). We needed one big book to make up our 'set'. We then drove to Pune temple and picked up 200 "Prabhupada", unsold by them over the last four years. I rushed back to Cummins just in time as the last few copies of the previous stock was being distributed. With these fresh books going out again, it was quite a sight as one devotee's job the whole day was only to cut open different boxes and the other giving it out from the bus. Two devotees were passing out these books to the surging crowd while a couple more were simply noting down employment numbers and the amount to be collected later from them. H.G.Veer Nrsimha Prabhu was frantically attempting to bring some order as the counter was getting overcrowded with the restless and excited employees insisting on their set of books. As the third day ended, we had made a total collection of 250,000 rupies!!!
P.S. : Still fresh from this never before witnessed event, H.G.Manohar Prabhu, although fast asleep the next night, was vigorously moving his hands to and fro as if giving out books and occasionally loudly chanting " Srila Prabhupada ki Jai!!"
