Dhaba Joy!

Had the cutest experience yesterday. I was just done with my gym and was starving ... so went to this cafe called "Dhaba Joy" to get a sandwich. As I ordered my sandwich, I noticed that the guy behind the counter, who served me, wore the Tulsi beads around his neck. I asked him if he was a part of the Hare Krsna's and he said yes. He was a young good looking guy with lots of tattoos on his arms and legs. One particular one of interest was the one on his left bicep which showed an enlightened soul and read "gyaan" in Hindi below it.

It turns out he has been a part of the Hare Krsna's for more than 5 years now. His hometown is Dallas and he is a part of the Kala Shanti Mandir there. He was a Brahmachari there but his Guru thought that he must get an education and then come back to the Mandir. So here he is in Austin getting his degree from University of Texas. He has one more semester before he returns to the Mandir.

I asked him how he got into it .. he said when he was in school his best friend was Indian and his friends parents were Prabhupada disciples. They were a huge influence on him. One random day, while still in school, his friend got shot and passed away. The parents left back for India and he immediately decided to join Iskcon. Tragic but he said it doesn't bother him 'now' at all. He 'understands'.

For now he was extremely excited cause in a couple of weeks he will be taking his first trip to India. It's a two week trip and he will be traveling with his Guru to Mayapur and other nearby cities. He has been trying to learn as much Hindi as possible and said he had been saving up for over 2 years for this trip. The excitement definitely showed. He hopes to get a beautiful Radha Rani tattoo on his left arm before the trip! :)