Devotees at Kirtan Festival remembering Aindra Dasa.

Last month, a kirtan festival was held at the Kanai Balai Assembly Hall in Mayapur in remembrance of His Grace Aindra Dasa, the devotee most well-known for his passion and leadership in reviving 24-hour kirtan at the Krisna-Balaram Mandir. The festival event, organized by Karuna Devi Dasi, attracted many devotees who gathered to celebrate the spirit of love, devotion, and absorption of the Holy Name.

The kirtan festival featured renowned kirtaniyas such as Madhurika Devi Dasi, Janeswar Das, Madhusudan Das, Narottam Das, and Rasapriya Dasi, creating a warm, family-like atmosphere. Excerpts from lectures were also read during the event glorifying and remembering Aindra Dasa.

The event was organized by Karuna Devi Dasi, who said, “I have to tell you honestly, it was the sweetest moment today because it was very familiar, and I absolutely loved it like that…it was easy to connect with the holy name.”

Kripanidhi Das, a disciple of Srila Prabhupada who was present at the kirtan shared his experience at the event, “I loved it. I got up and started dancing. I’m an old guy. My knees are all gone. I rate it a 12 out of 10. I hope we can do more. Madurika is like a Gandharva and she sings from her heart. So that was beautiful. Madhusudan sang very nicely. He is like family, very personal. It was beautiful from the heart. That’s important. That’s what bhakti is.”

Madhusudan Das, a disciple of Gopal Krishna Goswami recalled, “I was very blessed to know Aindra prabhu personally and ask him questions about the spiritual life. I used to ask him many questions and he would always answer those in a straightforward way. He was an acharya in deity worship and he had over 3,000 shaligrams in his room. My Gurumaharaj actually received many instructions from Aindra Prabhu himself.”

He continued, “I feel fortunate to know Karuna. We’re close friends. The plan has always been to bring devotees together. Everyone, including myself, tends to stay in their own bubble. But when kirtan is possible, these barriers disappear. I believe in expressing myself openly when practicing bhakti because bhakti is love and devotion. If you don’t express yourself, something is missing. Lord Chaitanya danced in ecstasy and was considered sentimental, but he showed us that bhakti is not sentimental<, it is pure love. Prabhupada said that when you chant and your arms and legs start moving, it’s an expression of prema, not mechanical movements like ballet. It’s spontaneous, from the heart.”

One of the other attendees, Ladli Kishori Dasi, said, “It is good for your devotional life to listen to the Holy Name and to have association with the devotees. There was nice prasadam and a family atmosphere with very friendly people.”

Kalakanti Devi Dasi said, “[Aindra Das] inspires us to make kirtan our primary sadhana. It was beautiful to share this time with the devotees and encourage each other. The mood was simple and sweet, like family. In winter, we have a very big program. Now, in the summertime, we have a small gathering. But where the Holy Name is, there is everything perfect.”

To watch the whole event, click on this link.