An American who was deported from South Africa as an 18-year-old some 30 years ago, was hailed as a hero when he returned to attend the anniversary celebrations of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness at the Shri Radha Radhanath Temple of Understanding in Chatsworth on Sunday.
Bhakti Caitanya Swami, commissioner of the Governing Council of the Society in South Africa, recalled how Kshudy das - then 18 years old and the first white devotee in South Africa - was summoned to the dreaded John Vorster Square in Johannesburg.
"The security forces told him that they objected that he was mixing with Indian people.
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"Kshudy das told the officers that we are all eternal spiritual beings and that the bodies we have are mere vehicles which we discard in another life," said Bhakti Caitanya Swami.
He said that the more the teenager told them about the Society and its work, the more the security forces were upset.
"Eventually they told him that his philosophy was a danger to state security and they deported him.
"But today he is here with us," said Bhakti Caitanya Swami.
There was rapturous applause from hundreds of people who attended the 30th anniversary of the founder of the movement's coming to South Africa.
However, Kshudy das, who was described as "quiet" and "unassuming", did not lift his head to look at the audience as he sat among the dignitaries on the stage.
A shy, boyish smile was all that the crowds got from a man they hailed as a hero.
From Laguna Beach, Los Angeles, Kshudy das was a special guest at the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Temple of Understanding.
Dressed in a cotton kurta and dhoti (a traditional Indian shirt and skirt), he remained silent.
Among the dignitaries who attended the event were Inkhatha Freedom Party leader Dr Mangosuthu Buthelezi, Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi, and Arts, Culture and Tourism Minister Narend Singh.
- This article was originally published on page 3 of Daily News on October 17, 2005
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