For the Sydney devotees, chanting on the streets was a way of life, and they did it with full enthusiasm. They were more mobile now. A new blue Volkswagen Kombi van enabled them to travel quickly and efficiently to various city locations.
Upananda: One day a huge crate of musical instruments arrived from India. We were ecstatic! Handsome new clay mridangas would add power and authenticity to our daily harinamas. Upendra sat us all down and taught us how to play the karatals properly and discussed how we could improve our street presentation. Upendra had insisted that the devotees not look disheveled, but rather that they dress in clean neat attire. The men now wore matching brown sweaters and nicely pressed dhotis. The ladies all wore saffron saris. Upendra personally choreographed the dancing, it looked appealing. They would chant, two-by-two, through the city streets, and when standing still, danced the ‘swami step‘. Prabhupada had taught his disciples how to dance like this in the early days at 26 Second Avenue. Holding their arms above their heads they would swing their left foot forward across the right foot, and then bring it back again in a sweeping motion. Then they would swing their right foot across the left, in reverse. At the same time they would swing their bodies from side to side, left foot to right side, right foot to left side, in time with the one-two-three rhythm.Many office workers would lean out of the windows as the kirtana reverberated off the tall city buildings. The sankirtana party was becoming a regular daily sight in downtown Sydney, and Chris and Christine were amongst the most enthusiastic of the chanters.
Reference: The Great Transcendental Adventure by Kurma Dasa
