Sports Gambling?
By Anandini devi dasi

Hare Krishna. I think the recent article on CHAKRA by Danavir Goswami is completely ridiculous. According to his article, about 75% of devotees would not be serious about their advancement.

For one thing I don't see how "adopting current fashions" is a sport. Perhaps that could be explained a bit more clearly. Are we all supposed to wear dhotis and saris to work? Or maybe wear floods and 2 different color socks? I think he is forgetting that most devotees have to blend in a bit with society.

Danavir Maharaja writes, "Actually it is the elders who are addicted to sports and they help pass on the addiction to the children. Nevertheless, elders like to say that it is the children who insist on playing games and they, as parents, are obliged to facilitate their children."

I beg to differ. Although, this may be true in some cases (I admit there are those who get their kids into sports because their desire is to be into sports), but Maharaja goes on to make a blanket condemnation: "There are no kit-kit heroes to emulate and praise and no kit-kit leagues. Perhaps this is precisely why it has not gained popularity among the movement’s parents.”

This is an unrealistic statement. Maharaja does not have children and could not understand what it is like to raise them in this society. Many of our children go to school with non-devotees. They want to play with other children and more than likely will take a liking to a particular sport or hobby. Are we supposed to not allow them to play with the other children unless they play kit-kit? We do not live in India nor do we have many devotional communities where there are proper educational systems to put our children in. So I don’t think his comments are practical.

Sincerely,
Your servant,
Anandini devi dasi

© CHAKRA 16-December-2000

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