I have two brothers and one sister. We lived about 15 kilometers from the city and our father used to regularly take us by train to the City of Melbourne. We would visit the Museum, or the botanical gardens, and many other landmarks around town. My most memorable visit to the City was in 1972. I was 12 years old at the time, and we were walking along Swanston Street, on a day that happened to be the day a Ratha Yatra parade was coming down Swanston Street in Melbourne's CBD.

There was all this noise of drums, cymbals, and what seemed to me at the time, to be yelling. I asked my father what are these people doing, my father said that they were probably students from the Melbourne University, performing some sort of prank, which they did regularly in those days.

We moved closer to the curb to have a look. At this point I could see a large statue, which I now know to be a Deity of Lord Caitanya. Walking a little distance near the front of the Deity was a Magnificent looking man, who I now know to be Srila Prabhupada. Srila Prabhupada was wearing a saffron beanie and was turning around every so often, and looking back at the very large Deity.

As the procession came very close to us, Srila Prabhupada happened to look over toward us. At this point He looked at me and smiled. As a 12 year old boy who wasn't too in touch with his emotions, I still have a vivid memory of how emotionally overwhelmed I felt from that one smile. It was like thunderbolt hit me, I couldn't understand it.

In 1977 my brother, who was with me at the time in 1972, was killed in a motor car crash. He was 16 years old at the time. Our family was devastated, and never really got over it. At this point I began wondering what life was all about. I started researching spirituality and not long after in 1979, discovered ISKCON and the Hare Krishna Movement, which led to me to discover that Person who so mercifully smiled at me in 1972.

Kurma Dasa (not the chef)