Finland
Our Humble Obeisances! Jaya Srila Prabhupada!
Last week our group was in Turku. We had a free apartment in the city centre. Since doing sankirtan in Finland usually means lot of driving, I got the opportunity to take a holiday from that and went to the walking street of Turku every day.
It is technically quite an ideal place for distribution, enough people but not too rushed, nobody complains about us, lot of students and young people also. The only disturbance is some street musicians, Romanian folk-songs, a local boy playing Led Zeppelin loudly on his electric quitar.
There were some colourful exchanges:
I stopped an artist in her twenties. She already had most of our books and was reading them, but wanted to have e-mails about our happenings also.
Meanwhile two drunken fellows appeared; one was boasting, "I will buy all your books! (I had 12 in my trolly).
I said, "Go ahead, but 20 euros is not enough."
They seemed to be more interested in the lady than me and the books.
"Well sweetheart, what is on your mind?" What do you think, should we go to your place or mine? I can buy you a steak; we can have a dinner!"
"I'm a vegetarian (you idiot!)" She said sarcastically.
After giving her e-mail to me, the lady said that maybe it was better that she disappears.
The fellows were crying after her, not much interested in me anymore.
As she was leaving I said the the men, "Hey, don´t forget the books!"
"Oh, oh yes…"
They still got a Gita and gave a reasonable donation.
An elderly lady had met our Hiranya last year:
"Well, I wasn't very convinced about the book, but that exchange was so pleasurable that I happily gave 18 euros; you often pay more for less valuable things. I can buy your book also (SSR)."
I stopped a young female student: "Take a look, you look like a thinker."
"Sorry, boy, if you had kama-sutra, I might be interested."
"It is already sold out, but take a look at this SSR."
She was studying chemistry in Turku University, and said that you don't actually have to think that deeply and admitted that some spiritual wisdom would be good for her.
There were several people who had many books already, are reading them all the time, and like them.
Your Servent
Muniraja Dasa
