March 4, Ikundi, Papua New Guinea Eastern Highlands
The second leg of Br. Shantamrita Chaitanya’s Melanesian tour was deep in the eastern highlands of Papua New Guinea. In a historic visit to the remote village of Ikundi, Shantamrita’s plane was the second ever to land on an airstrip that locals have been building by hand since 1984.

Dressed in full ritual regale, the people of Ikundi welcomed the visitors in celebratory style. According to their tradition, young men carried Shantamrita and guests into the village, as this was the first formal visit from people from the outside world.

In a symbolic gesture, one of the elder Ikundi men was uncovered from a pile of leaves and brush, representing their being revealed to the outside world. He explained to the gathered crowd that they have seen the planes flying overhead in all directions but did not know until now that there are people in those planes. In an emotional outpouring, the elder expressed that his village has been forgotten and that their population is dwindling due to wild animals in the forest that prey on them, diseases like malaria, and famine.

After Shantamirta talked about Amma, her Love and that how she asked him to visit them, they performed songs, dances and a demonstration of how they make fire from rubbing bamboo together. Then the elders offered several gifts including: bow and arrows, fire-starting implements and a tapa cloth which is made from tree bark and used as a blanket, umbrella and sun shade. This particular tapa cloth was inscribed with the following note: “To the people of India with gratitude from the people of Ikundi PNG (Papua New Guinea).”

Shantamrita was then taken on a tour of the village to see homes which are constructed entirely from fallen wood as they have no tools to cut trees. The village recently sustained a nine month drought in which at least twenty children and ten adults had died.  Shantamrita and party bid farewell to the people of Ikundi who said they are grateful to be bonded with them now and always.

-Sarba