The Monk Visits the Monk!!!!

I wanted to write something on my shirdi trip from the moment the trip was finalised, me going to a teertha sthal is a news, people who know me will agree to this statement.

First of all, tons of thanks to SV & RT for dragging me for the holy trip, believe me if not for there consistency I would have chickened out any moment.... We were supposed to start at 9 pm on a volvo, reach by 2am; complete the pooja by 5am types, take some rest and come back. But plans are plan and reality is reality:-), around 8 it starts raining heavily, SV ,RT & SB get stuck with packing and other things (this was not unexpected), I loose a pearl from the ring I was wearing from the last 3 yrs...all this chaotic things happen between 7pm to 9pm.. I know am not a good person but Sai baba doing all this to stop me from coming close to him , not fair; even the news of some Sai baba pic shedding tears for last three days makes complete sense now...

Anyways 3 good devotees weigh more than a bad one (not kidding , they actually do in reality also-sorry SV), so the bus left finally at 12, my co companions have come all prepared, I pods, mineral water, ready for the battle but oops they forgot to carry sweat shirts, so with rains outside , AC spitting chilling cold air (I just hoped for once for them to be Indian made-itne thande to nahin hote) it became a cold storage.-The bus stopped midway at a food joint around 2am and I and RT the two hungry souls decided to grab a bite but guess what the food joint was modeled on a Greek theme , Good God a real shocker.You have models (both sexes-at least the owners are fair) hanging from every corner in all possible forms of embraces dressed in just the essentials and seeing my jaw drop reaction RT informs me that the last time Even that was not there, poor me unlucky again. The best part was that between all these Greek display we have Sai babas pic hanging at one corner , I wanted to click pictures but don't have the shradha to go back and bring the camera:-(


So when we finally reached Shirdi at 6 am in the morning our immense devotion has been a bit dented by the Japanese cold chilling air (hmmm these Japanese will go to any extent ) so we decide to give ourselves a 3 -4 hr rest to rekindle the devotion...
We find ourselves in front of the temple around 11am and we were finally in the snake line..moving like a auto stuck in Andheri on a rainy day. The nature of the line again defied all logical concepts, because if I remember correctly the Sai baba statue is in the base ment but the line started on the ground floor went up two floors and then it came down again...only God Knows why?? So to kill time we started the normal chit chat like office stuff and discussing all movies made on Godly creations (namely Tarzan, veergati, Rang, LaL Duppata malmal ka types) , I was just trying to show off my good knowledge of the bollywood which is all courtesy the long long hours I spent preparing for the day when they introduce Bollywood in civil services but here come" Mr Bhakht- the perfect disciple" (I am sure someone will make a movie by this name) and first he gives a look which has the same love wrapped around like my father after seeing my progress report and then asks SV -"aap log yahan kyon aayen hain" - I wanted to say for buying monthly grocery but he continues - we all come here for worshipping and bla bla and you people, the moorkh people are discussing every thing other than Sai baba , he has the glow of person who has just found out the road route to moon, and then he apologises "mind mat kijiyega", the people around him give us the pyar bhara looks.... The line has stopped moving as the darshan has been closed for an hour, in this era of commercialisation even the Gods take break (or the custodians). Finally after two three hours we are near the sanctum sanctorum, pressure has started from all sides rather the usual push from behind, every one is pushing and pushing more and alas I reach in front of thy holi Sai baba and take out my list of wishes; a good (ok hot) wife, a fat salary, a sports car....eeks I feel a hand pulling me out his face similar to the dacoits of the 70's movie, he shouts again get out,I pray pls let me ask for the sea view flat also but even before I can think I am out , I blame every one for not letting me pray for my small things , population explosion, absence of birth control measures the lustful husbands and the yielding wives, short office hours, small double beds, winter season , internet, western influence, Bush, ISI( sorry for the last two but you generally blame them for every thing) and come out.


All said and done, I had the sai baba darshan , which was worth every pain, thanks again to SV and RT......., return trip via trayambekeshwar was also interesting, will write about in Part II