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Christchurch Centre Star in Christmas Parade

The Christchurch Sri Chinmoy Centre marched, sang and perhaps even floated their way past an audience of over 100,000 yesterday, participating in the annual Christmas parade through the heart of Christchurch city, New Zealand.

With Centre members seated upon and marching behind an exquisitely decorated float, Sri Chinmoy's joyful musical compositions were played in front of an estimated crowd of 106,000 people.

In typical Kiwi can-do fashion, the parade float was put together by a multitude of enthusiastic Christchurch Centre volunteers in a mere 30 hours. With artistic efforts headed by the talented Kuhakini, a literally heavenly abode was fashioned on the back of a humble flatbed truck, pride of place taken by her life-size portrait of the Indian goddess of harmony Lakshmi.

The singers wore colourful bright saris and performed a number of Sri Chinmoy's beautiful songs - including 'Dak eseche: Call has come', a theme song embodying a clarion call to the spiritual life- and played a medley of instruments, charming the roadside crowds lining the parade route.

"It was a joyful experience - we never imagined we would be able to share Sri Chinmoy's songs to a third of Christchurch City," commented float designer Kuhakini.