From the Clock Tower to world...
HOW HARE KRISHNA SINGER MINESI IS NOW REACHING OUT TO THOUSANDS, SPREADING ‘MESSAGE OF ELEVATION AND LOVE’
MINESI Gopika has made her mark in Leicester as the woman who chants “Hare Krishna” at the Clock Tower.
Ever since lockdown restrictions have been lifted, she has returned to the streets to chant Hare Krishna in a bid to “elevate the consciousness of residents, purify their mind, body and soul, promoting eternal happiness”.
Minesi subscribes to the Sanatana Dharma, also known as the “eternal” religion, a faith adopted by the likes of Robert Downey Junior and Russell Brand.
The 66-year-old has used her gift of singing during the pandemic to sing songs of praise through daily live streams.
She has built up a worldwide following of 8,000 on Instagram.
She said she is regularly stopped in the supermarket or when out and about – and has spoken to the Mercury about her social impact, life post-pandemic and to give a deeper insight into her upbringing.
She said: “My mother and I relocated to Leicester 48 years ago after the death of my father.
“My parents are originally from Punjab, India, but I was born in Tanzania and raised in the UK so I consider myself a real Brit.”
Only one of her siblings lives in England, the other three remained in India.
Minesi said: “One of the biggest shocks when moving to the UK was seeing trees with leaves of different colours.
“Luckily, we came in the summer so the weather was warm, but the hardest adjustment was during the winter periods.
“I’d describe my migration experience as a very positive one. It has come with many opportunities and
I’ve grown to love Leicester and its people, hence why I sing every day for them.”
She said she had never wanted to get married. “In my culture, parents often worry if their children are going to settle down and find a spouse.
“When I was young, I was proposed to but I told my mum that I didn’t want to get married and I wanted to continue with my career and spiritual life, so my mum never forced me – which was unheard of in Indian culture nearly 50 years ago.”
She had a lengthy career as a computer science lecturer at many schools and colleges in the city, including Soar Valley, Judgemeadow and Leicester College.
She said: “Even during my teaching days, I led a Krishna conscious life, attending the temple, chanting and reading the scriptures.”
During the pandemic, Minesi started her live streaming from home as the city went into lock
I pray that I will be able to do Hare Krishna singing every day until my last breath
down. Her street singing had to come to a halt.
She said: “Before lockdown, I and other devotees from the temple would sing Hare Krishna in town every day, but Covid made it impossible for us.
“Without Hare Krishna singing, my life was basically meaningless, so I had to come up with ways I could keep singing and spreading the message of elevation and peace to people.
“Someone suggested I start live streaming my chants on Instagram, and I started with zero followers, but now I have over 8,000.”
People from all over the world tune in to listen to her meditations. She said: “I’ve asked my followers, including local residents and international fans, how they feel about the work I do, and they’ve all said it makes them happy, relaxed and stress free.
“Despite the lockdown being over, I still continue with the livestream and that gives me the statistics of people’s ages, genders and location of my viewers.
“My fan base has grown to the point that, when I’m late on to a livestream, I have floods of messages of people asking me where I am and when I’m going live.
“People always ask me if I get paid, because I’m there for three hours every day, but this is a voluntary service, something I enjoy doing. Even my paid job didn’t give me the contentment that this does.
“If I take a day off or I’m ill, my heart feels like I’ve missed something, I pray that I will be able to do Hare Krishna singing every day until my last breath.
“One day I was out on my daily jog and a Muslim lady saw me and she said that she was so pleased to see me after a long time. She said she prayed to God that I was okay because she hadn’t seen me singing for a while.
“I always get stopped for selfies and people always shout ‘Hare Krishna’ when they see me. I was in Tesco the other day and someone was actually singing ‘Hare Krishna’ in my usual melody.
“Even school kids and students, have told me that when they sing the Hare Krishna they feel uplifted and peaceful. They’ve told me that in their religious education classes at school, they have learned about Hare Krishna, and they refer to me and my live stream.
“The teachers apparently joined in as well - this signifies the joy that people get from my endeavour.”
Minesi Gopika, pictured