July 30, 2026
A book distributor recounts a wonderful encounter in a Brisbane bank queue with an Indian gentleman whose name was Gauranga.
The Bank Queue Conversation
In August 2013, while attempting to bank Krishna's lakshmi in Brisbane, I was looking for opportunities to distribute books in the queue. I asked the gentleman in front of me if he liked reading. He was Indian. When I asked him his name, he replied: "Gauranga" — the name of Lord Caitanya!
I raised my arms and exclaimed, "Gauranga!" He invited me to visit his restaurant next door after the bank transaction.
I raised my arms and exclaimed, "Gauranga!" He invited me to visit his restaurant next door after the bank transaction.
From Nadia to Mayapur
At his restaurant, he told me he was from Manik Nagar, in the Nadia district of West Bengal, just 10 kilometers from Navadvipa, and that he was a regular visitor to Mayapur. When I asked him to purchase some books, he said he had most of them back in India. I offered him a circumstantial discount, and he purchased a Bhagavad-gita As It Is and a Srimad-Bhagavatam. All glories to Gauranga!