I, with another congregation devotee from Bangalore whom I met just a day before, arrived in Pondichery (Puduchery) on 18th March 2010 at 4:30 am. H.G. Sivananda Sena Prabhu came to pick us up.
H.G. Sivananda Sena Prabhu was staying with us in Singapore in the year 2004 when our temple was at Norris Road. While ha was looking for work, he used to be helping us with our Food For Life Program and was spiritually trained by H.G. Sundar Gopal Prabhu, our Singapore Temple President. Shortly after that he was helping out Sri Krishna Mandir in Malaysia managed by H.G. Saci Suta Prabhu. In Malaysia he was further trained up by H.G. Saci Suta Prabhu and was eventually initiated (ritvik). After rendering valuable service in our centres at Klang and Johor Bahru, he had to go back to his home town, Puduchery, due to family obligations. He started a centre there just last year. After having to change a few locations, he moved to the current place at Janseerani Street.
Upon reaching the centre, we quickly bathed and attended the full morning program. After breakfast we both took some rest while Sivananda Sena Prabhu and H.G. Karuna Sindhu Prabhu (who was also trained up in Singapore) went for book distribution.There is also another Mataji who chants 16 rounds daily; she comes to the centre every morning, does service and returns home in the night. H.G. Sivananda Sena Prabhu, who is a very good cook himself, trained up the mataji and they cook and distribute prasadam to the poor everyday without fail. Just in a few months' time, the temple there is now well known for giving free Prasadam.
After the lunch Prasadam, Sivanandasena Prabhu showed us around the centre. It is a single-storey structure with 1 room, 1 hall in which the altar is installed and a kitchen. Adjoining this centre is another room in which the landlord stays. The landlord is a very nice, pious man. He did not rent out the place for the past 6 years or more. He comes for Prasadam everyday as he is staying alone.He is always ready to do any service. He is kind enough to let Sivananda Prabhu to use the roof top and the spacious courtyard.
Sivananda Prabhu is a good preacher. He attracts many people. He invites almost anyone he sees passing by the centre, poor or rich, boy or girl, man or woman, old or young, for Prasadam and preaches to them.
While we were there in Pondichery we were going out for book distribution, Prasadam distribution and Harinam twice a day.We had nice Harinams at the busy shopping hub.We also did Harinams at the famous sea side which is visited by thousands of tourists from all over India and the world, as Pondichery is a tourist state. In fact, just a week before I was there, our devotee from Bangalore(also trained in Singapore), H.G.Sanatana Prabhu gathered some 15 devotees and had a big Harinam there.
While I was there, H.G. Krishna Caitanya Prabhu (who is planning to start a regular Bhagavad Gita session at his residence in Anna Nagar,Chennai ) and H.G. Vijaya Hari Prabhu, who were with us in Singapore and now in Tamil Nadu, also came to help Sivananda Prabhu in his preaching. All of them who came had promised to come back again regularly to help Sivananda Prabhu in his preaching. They are planning to do college preaching in Pondichery, which houses more then 20 well known colleges for medicine and engineering.
More than 30 people attend the weekly Sunday program regularly. That is commendable considering the fact that Sivananda Sena Prabhu was preaching for only a few monthsIn fact, the landlord is also one of the regular attendees.He even volunteered to translate the final instructions of Srila Prabhupada pertaining to future initiations from English to Tamil language. During our stay there, we had very nice Prasadam cooked by Sivananda Prabhu everyday. We definitely would like to go back to Pondichery and hope to see the preaching growing tremendously there by the mercy of Krishna and Srila Prabhupada and the blessings of all Vaishnavas.
P.S.: The photos of the new centre will be out soon. There is some delay in procuring the photos. Once they are out, I'll put them up in this article.
Srila Prabhupada ki jai! Pondichery Yatra ki jai!
Raghupati Das
