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Campus singer chants for student purity

by Rivkela Brodsky

Daily Lobo

You may not know his name, but you've probably heard him.

He sits outside Popejoy Hall at the flamenco statues from noon to 2 p.m. almost every day without fail.

He goes by Sankirtan das, although his name is Paul Manning. He sings mantra chants in the hope of connecting to people.

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"I'm hardly a musician," he said. "I only play a couple dozen tunes. I'm trying to share transcendental sound vibration."

Mostly he sings one mantra - the maha mantra, or what many hear as "Hare Krishna."

He said a mantra is a prayer to God.

"The power of the mantra is that it cleans the mind and cleans the heart of this false notion that this world is my home, I am my body," he said. "My happiness can be found in trying to find God."

Sankirtan das doesn't have much of a captive audience since most people are walking to and from class.

"They may not chant with me, but they connect with the sound vibration and become purified," he said. "The more purified we become, the self-centeredness that separates us from God diminishes."

Sankirtan das is not new to the University. He was singing here five years ago. He left Albuquerque for a while and returned to the campus in December.

People tell him every day they like hearing him, he said.

But, not all people want him out there.

At noon Thursday, this dichotomy was apparent.

One student placed some change in his guitar case. Another student joked to his friends, "I'll give you a nickel to shut up."

Mark McKee, a staff member at UNM, wrote a letter to the Daily Lobo complaining about Sankirtan das.

McKee doesn't really have a problem with Sankirtan das sharing his message with UNM, he said, but he does have a problem with the volume and frequency of the chanting.

"I know there's a balance between free speech and invading people's space," McKee said. "It's kind of an intrusion. But I support the guy's right to free speech."

He said it would be unfair for any performer to be in the same spot every day.

"It's kind of like he hijacked that space," he said.

McKee said he has heard other faculty and staff members complain about the chanting.

Trey Smith, Student Activities coordinator, said the Student Activities Office has only received one or two complaints about Sankirtan das.

"They say he's obnoxious," he said. "But it's not like they can't keep walking by."

Smith said Sankirtan das has filled out the appropriate paperwork to be out there. All performers on campus are asked to fill out an activity clearance form with the office.

Sankirtan das said McKee is the only negative feedback he's received.

"You can't please everyone," he said. "I have to walk by things every day I don't like - jack hammers, weather. I walk by McDonald's every day."

Student Andrew Lovato said Sankirtan das being out there every day is OK, but he doesn't understand what he's saying.

When told that Sankirtan das was chanting with the intent of connecting with people, Lovato said, "He's not connecting with me. I just keep going my way."

However, he said he doesn't think badly of Sankirtan das.

"He's just doing what he believes," he said.

TVI student Keith Dowell sat down with Sankirtan das on Thursday and played Sankirtan das's guitar.

Dowell said he is a student of Sankirtan das at the Gauranga Meditation Center, where he teaches a meditation class twice a week.

"I think it's awesome," Dowell said when asked about Sankirtan das playing guitar and singing every day. "It's a way to pray to God."

He said it's ridiculous that people don't like Sankirtan das.

"It's not like they're suppressing anyone's beliefs," he said. "He's just out here. It's just like praying before dinner. They shouldn't be threatened by that."

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