editorial
In 1976, at the height of the Troubles, and many years before a lasting peace was achieved, a large bus with large Sanskrit lettering on the side pulled into Belfast carrying an international crew of Hare Krishna devotees. They brought the seeds of true peace with the blessings of Srila Prabhupada.
This unexpected event, completely unrelated to the gloomy and tense atmosphere of deeply divided and policed Northern Ireland, brought a striking contrast to the street, as vivid as the contrast between the dark and conservative clothes of Belfast onlookers and the bright and cheerful robes of the Hare Krishnas. The sudden appearance of the Hare Krishna bus, with its vibrant atmosphere and exhilarated passengers, was in stark contrast to the sadness and anxiety that pervaded the city at this difficult time. Srila Prabhupada, the Founder Acharya of the Hare Krishna movement, had visited London on many occasions, meeting the cream de la cream of Britain’s hip leaders, but he had never visited Ireland. He wanted to, but the leaders in London discouraged him. “They are always fighting…these Irish”.
While the demonstration against the murder of the three Maguire children is said to have started the first peace process in Northern Ireland, this manifestation of Prabhupada’s compassion, the bus tour of April 1976 started the Hare Krishna movement in Ireland, the liberator or real peace formula. Ranchor Prime, a famed biographer of the early Beatles conversion and beginnings of Hare Krishna in UK, was in his early role as a kirtan party leader, followed closely by the Swedish future leader-to-be Smita Krishna (later Swami) and Kripamoya dasa, later becoming famed for jump-starting in the 1980s the congregational preaching projects in UK.
Other notable members of the adventurous team include Mahavidya Das, Michael Powell, who went on to become a key figure in South African preaching, and Janananda (later Swami), who went on to preach in Australia and the Far East before returning to Europe in recent decades.
Preaching in Ireland was also a training ground for many other devotees before Rambhoru dasi and her husband decided to move there from Germany.
Kripamoya dasa reflects on the photographs: “Newspaper headlines in one photo seem to indicate April 1976. The sun is quite low in the sky in some of the afternoon shots, so it is not summer time. Interesting faces on the tour include Bhaumadeva (better known as writer Robert Tailor) as the “go ahead man”, Ranchor Prime singing in some shots, Sruti Sagara and Ram Mohan was the bus driver according to Kripamoya dasa. Smita Krishna (Swami) was the pujari, Janananda (Goswami) speaks at a book table, Paradhyeya cooks for the adventurous team.Bhoumadeva Prabhu remembers looking at the photos:
“What a nice surprise to see these great photos from a happy time in my life. We went to Northern Ireland before the party to arrange venues where we could perform for the children! The plays we did were Genie In The Bottle and Sakshi Gopal. I also did some “Gorilla Theatre” in the canteen at Belfast University!
The challenges faced during that journey only reinforced the wisdom behind the initial advice given to Srila Prabhupada against undertaking the trip.
Of course, the journey was not all safe and sunny.
We sang Kirtan from the roof of the bus on the Shankil and Falls Roads because there were some elements in the crowd who would have roughed us up!
Like the Shankill Road, the Falls Road has played a significant role in Belfast’s modern history: from the iconic Bobby Sands mural to the Solidarity Wall, these images have become emblematic of the area’s resilience and determination in the face of adversity. But the significance of Falls Road goes beyond its symbolic value. It has been a battleground, a site of protest and a rallying point for those seeking justice and equality. The streets have echoed with the chants of demonstrators and the sounds of clashes as the community has fought tirelessly for its rights and recognition. One can only imagine the reaction of the locals to a large British-registered bus full of supporters, not one of whom could speak with an Irish accent.
Followers remember:
We were always looking for a well-lit place to park the bus for safety at night! After several attempts, we finally found a really well lit car parking lot and parked! Within 30 seconds the door was kicked in by British soldiers with machine guns! They were shouting “You f…ing wankers, you are about to be shot! You have just parked in the car park of Maze Prison.
FYI: Prison Maze was a prison in Northern Ireland used to hold paramilitary prisoners during the Troubles from August 1971 to September 2000. This seems to underline how far removed from the reality on the ground the first preachers were, not even knowing where British were holding the IRA bombers, and parked right in front of this most symbolic site.
Yet, it’s hard to underestimate the positive impact of this adventure: “You can see how happy the crowds look – we’re such a relief at this terrible time!
Bombs were going off everywhere and soldiers were everywhere! We were followed to some venues by plain-clothes Royal Ulster Constabulary.