Two days before Gaura Purnima, Jayapataka Maharaja staged the nama kirtana competition, which turned out to be the first and last of its kind.

On the main stage, a day of elimination contests were held, and the next day was the grand finale. Kirtana groups from all over Bengal came to exhibit their talents — singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Particularly attractive were the special mrdangas beats the native Bengalis knew how to play. Jayadvaita Swami recalls seeing the kirtana leaders from America hanging around near the stage, picking up on the mrdangas beats that the Bengalis were doing, hoping to take their styles back to the West.

Devotees also formed their own kirtana contingents. The different temples took part, including our bullock-cart traveling sankirtana party. Some kirtana parties took the competition very seriously and spent many days practicing mrdanga beats and choreographed dance steps. Others were spontaneous and did not rehearse.

Guru-krpa’s Nama-hatta party was the most enthusiastic and did the wildest dancing. His men danced with all their strength and passion. Uttamasloka Dasa, the temple president from Chicago, had a polished routine, perfected through hours of practice. His group was favored to win the contest. In the bullock-cart kirtana party, I was the kirtana leader, and Abhayasraya played the mrdanga. Ravi, Atma-tattva, Krsna-nama, and others played kartalas and danced.

The kirtana competition went on all day, for two days. Each group performed for about half an hour, trying to put on the best show. The local Bengali singers were smartly dressed, with bright yellow and blue sashes, and they played great mrdangas beats and even cried and howled during their kirtanas. Perhaps they thought they could easily win by displaying such symptoms. So they put on a whole show, embracing each other in feigned separation from the Lord and rolling on the ground. The Bengalis sang in high-pitched voices, and the devotees responded until their throats were hoarse.

All this was being amplified through the Indian sound system. Unfortunately, the speakers were directed toward the Lotus Building, where Prabhupada was staying, and Prabhupada became disturbed by the excessive noise. He eventually asked what was happening, and the devotees told him in detail about the competition.

He reacted unfavorably: “This is not nama-sankirtana. It is nama-aparadha. They are simply singing for money.”

So the competition was stopped, and Jayapataka Maharaja decided not to hold any more kirtana competitions. The Los Angeles party of Agnideva, Puspadanta, and Ramadasa Abhirama won the competition.

From “Festivals” by Lokanatha Swami