| Growing up in a small village called Sea Cow Lake | | | | that white bodied people (europeans) were preaching |
| was a beautiful life filled with excited that one can only | | | | to Indian people about their culture whilst the Apartheild |
| read about in books like Huckelberry Finn and | | | | regime (europeans) was trying to crush the Indian |
| Treasure Island. Although this area was primarily | | | | culture by preaching Christianity to the Indians. |
| occupied by Indian people under South Africas | | | | The remoteness of Sea Cow Lake allowed a |
| Apartheid rules these people were simple farming | | | | delayed impact of the Christian preaching program |
| community. I together with my parents and | | | | thus ISKCON took a stronger foot hold in Sea Cow |
| grandparents lived at number 58 Hippo Road on the | | | | lake as compared to other Indian areas and which |
| same plot. My regular activiies included working in the | | | | eventually spread into Phoenix especially after the |
| fields digging up the earth, planting herb seeds, watering | | | | people of Sea Cow Lake was relocated with |
| the crop and harvesting the crop. Co-incidently one | | | | promises of running water, electricity and cheap brick |
| could drop a line in the nearby umgeni river, tend to | | | | houses in Phoenix. One can still find perhaps one or |
| ones crops and return hours later to find a fat catch of | | | | two wood and tin styled houses in Sea Cow lake. |
| some river fish good enough to be fashioned into fish | | | | As was customary we all walked long distances for |
| cakes by my hard working mother. | | | | anything like bread, milk and just visting some family |
| In those early days the ISKCON members would | | | | thus I think I developed the endurance to walk long |
| frequent our street and have their Harinam Kirtans. | | | | distances and eventually could run long distances |
| Little did I know that some years later I would make | | | | including the gruelling 87 km Comrades Marathon. |
| contact with these devotees of Lord Krsna. Contary | | | | Some where on the top on one of the Inchanga hills I |
| to popular belief many Indians knew about Lord | | | | noticed a Rock Painting which resembled that of a |
| Jaganath as they had the Jaganath Musical Band. | | | | picture I had seen of Lord Jaganath and ISKCON's |
| They als used to music nights called Nagara whence | | | | Ratha Yatra Chariot Procession. This inspired me to |
| they would sing all night using different ragas. The | | | | establish a running Club -called Jaganath Athletic Club. |
| uniqueness of the ISKCON tradition at that time was | | | | |