Is chanting ' Hari-Krishna ' in the street to the accompaniment of jeers from passing motorists or snatching an hour's meditation in a crowded railway carriage, just part of the ' spiritual ' rigmarole left in the wake of the hippies who proffered ' peace and love ' with drooping daffodils to every passing stranger? The converts to movements like ' Krishna Consciousness ' and ' Divine Light ' don't think so. Thev believe they have found an important alternative to a selfish and materialistic way of life and to a church out of tune with their needs and fears. Linda Blandford finds out from some converts about their beliefs and aspirations; hears from some who claim to bridge the gap between the Christian church and the 'Alternative Religions'; and from a member of the Christian church dedicated to widening the gap into a chasm and so protecting impressionable young people from what he sees not as ' alternative ' but as ' counterfeit ' religion. Producer JENNY DE YONG BBC Birmingham Preview: page 15