Port of Spain, Aug 11 (IANS) More than 300,000 Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago celebrated Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, at temples and homes by hosting special prayers and meditation sessions.

Special prayers were recited for the continued peace, progress and stability of the Caribbean nation ahead of its 50th Independence Day Aug 31. Hindus fasted and abstained from meat or alcoholic beverages as they made their way to the more than 300 temples.

Several families and community groups held Lord Krishna Bhagwat. Lord Krishna, who blew the flute to catch the ears of all mankind, is known as the principal author of the Hindu religious text, the Bhagavad Gita.

Recently, the International Gita Society of the US embarked on a programme to distribute copies of the Gita here and worldwide so that the recipients would read, examine, analyse, spread and practise its message with the hope that mankind would redeem itself from the social, moral, ethical spiritual morass.

It is argued that the philosophy of the Gita influenced luminaries like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Aldous Huxley and Albert Schweitzer among others. Huxley called it the 'perennial philosophy.

(Paras Ramoutar can be contacted at paras_ramoutar@yahoo.com)