A giant fish in a lawn chair, a snake charmer and a gypsy bird lady are not typical Plaza of the Americas lawn-dwellers.
The unusual characters were props for the Festival of India, which opened Wednesday and will remain through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Five tents shelter informational panels explaining philosophies of the Bhagavad Gita, one of the central scriptures of Hinduism. Each tent addresses different topics such as vegetarianism, reincarnation and yoga with pictures and outside sources.
"Our mission is to enlighten people about the Vedic culture of India, primarily about the science of the Bhagavad Gita," said Madhuha Dasa, who runs the traveling festival. "We're not here to indoctrinate people."
This year a new presentation called "A Journey of the Soul" was unveiled. Upon entering the enclosed tent, the ching-ching of Krishna music faded away and sunlight was replaced with a dim light bulbs warming the black interior.
During the 10-minute show, a man's voice described reincarnation while a video of changing seasons played on a screen behind 17 small mannequins, each depicting the steps in a man's aging process, transitioning from embryo to a corpse.
Dasa said it was meant to explain the difference between the body, which ages and dies, and the soul, which lives on. The festival has been visiting UF during its cross-continental tour through the U.S. and Canada for nearly a decade, he said. College students are receptive to the exhibits, especially now that vegetarianism and yoga are more popular.
But there were some skeptics.
"It's interesting, but I don't think it's true," said sophomore Blake Tanase of the belief in reincarnation. Tanase stopped by the "Evolution of Consciousness" exhibit during a break in his classes.
"I eat Krishna lunch at least once a week so I thought I should at least see what it's about," he said.
