Sunday 18 July 2010

A Great Kirtaniya is Mourned.

Aindra das, loved the world around for his dedication to kirtan, passed away unexpectedly on Friday night, in the pilgrimage town of Vrindavana, India. Aindra had left his home country of America in 1986, I think, to dedicated the rest of his life to kirtan - the chanting of sacred mantras. He organised a team of fellow kirtaniyas to perform twenty-four hour kirtan every day, year after year, in the Krishna Balarama Temple, and although he stayed always in Vrindavana, became famous in all corners of the world, as the many visitors to the pilgrimage site got to know of and appreciate his wonderful chanting. He was an inspiration to many of the new, up-and-coming young kirtaniyas of today. Aindra will be very much missed. In his memory, kirtaniyas have been gathering to perform twenty-four and even fourty-eight hour kirtans in various parts of the world.

Here is a piece I found describing Aindra and his mission in more detail.