In a rare interactive session, almost impossible to imagine in Xi Jinping’s Communist China, locals took to the streets to dance and sing to the Hare Rama Hare Krishna chant. The International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISCKON) has taken to Twitter to share a video of the same.
https://twitter.com/IskconInc/status/1300295934048256002?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwIn the short video shared on the microblogging site, Chinese women are seen circle dancing while men play instruments like the manjeera and mridangam and sing the Hare Rama Hare Krishna chant. Some onlookers sing along the Hare Rama Hare Krishna chant with the devotees and many stop by to enjoy the performance and click pictures.
Over the years, the cult of Krishna has seen a steep growth in ‘atheist China’. There are as many as 5 ISKCON centres in the entire China region. Janmashtami, the festival that marks the birth of Lord Krishna, is also celebrated with fervour in China. In the event, organised by ISKCON every year across China, Krishna devotees celebrate by chanting of “Hare Krishna”, singing devotional songs, readings from the Bhagavad Gita and distribution of prasadam.