ISKCON South Africa Annual Report - 2014 | Page 38

Nothing but the Holy Name
In this day and age youth are faced with many challenges and view these
challenges as impossible to overcome. Unfortunately this results in many simply
feeding the fire of frustration by means of temporary gratification in the form of
intoxication, sex, and violence.
The youth of ISKCON South Africa have found solace in coming together in
Kirtan and building relationships based on spiritual principles. Sound is invested
with great potency to influence human emotion. As you turn the dial of a radio
some sounds like the blues might make you sad, some sounds will make you
feel upbeat and jolly, others will make you feel romantic, and others still might
make you angry. Spiritual sounds are invested with the potency to awaken our
inherent spiritual nature and nurture beautiful spiritual emotions.
The ISKCON youth, in this spirit, have made kirtan a central part of their lives. In
Johannesburg the youth have Wednesday Night Bhajans. Youth leader
Nandaraj Singh says, “It's a mid week break to come and forget about all our
troubles and become fully absorbed in chanting the holy names.” In Durban
many of the youth congregate weekly for “Friday Night Bhajans” and the same
model is replicated in other parts of the country and practiced throughout the
ISKCON world.
ISKCON’s youth also arrange many Kirtan festivals at different locations. From
the famous Moods of Vrindavana 6 Hour Kirtan Festival to the 6 Hour Kirtan
Festivals held in Durban, Phoenix, Sandton and Pretoria and participation in the
Hindu Sabha Bhajan Mela and Diwali festivals the youth are passionate about
the Holy Name and spreading the chanting of the names of Lord to all parts of
the land.

What is Kirtan
Kirtan is a musical prayer – a call and response connection with
the Supreme Personality of Godhead through sound. It is fast, easy,
fun and authentic.
We live in an age of mass distraction. Canned music in every shop,
advertising on every available surface, endless streams of emails
and texts to our smartphones, what to speak of TV, newspapers
and magazines.
Though we are supposed to feel more connected, for many, the
opposite is true. Kirtan is an antidote that links us with an eternal,
unchanging truth – a celebration of the relationship between our
soul and the Supreme soul