Sometimes a very casual decision can change your life completely. And it just did to me. Not that it was a life altering moment but yes, I am happy that what I said casually as a “Yes” made me feel good today. The year is ending or shall I say we are already looking into the following year to come, I am greatly pleased that it ended on a more spiritual note.

They say when you plan a trip to Thirumala, it’s only upon Lord Balaji’s wish whether or not you can make it to His seven hills… And He did accept my casual yes with a great spirit. It was my wife’s wish to go walking uphill from the foot of the Thirumala mountains. I was more than happy to be beside her and support her cause. And it paid well and how!

The weather was in our favor and so was our health. I just had recovered from a bad cough and cold and the air I breathed more than flushed out the sick toxins out of my system.

It’s not that easy to take off to the steps until the end of the hill and let me seriously tell you it’s not that tough either. Actually when I was getting various tips on how to manage your state while waling on the blessed steps, my mind was running elsewhere… The animals greeting us (Deer, birds, monkeys et all) and the nature at its most beautiful and how I will not ignore them while I set my eyes on the wonderful journey. And yes it indeed was the most bright day and cheerful night… The chill breeze kept on blowing so as to take off our stress and calm us down.

The first 1200 steps are the most rigorous. You almost feel that your body and the steps are projected at almost 30 degrees so you can Imagine walking against your body’s centre of gravity (And seriously it is not that tough as I have put it here). Once you reach the end of these steps which is Kaligopuram, You will be given a receipt with your face scanned at the same time. This is your token for free Divya darshan which is valid for the next 24 hours. Here on the steps are pretty straight and very casual as if your are walking in a park. Yes, it’s that normal. You pass through a deer park. You pass through the road almost two times. You end up seeing a huge statue of Hanumanji welcoming you which intimidates you immediately. It’s a welcome blessing at a time when you are having mixed feelings and a a heart that’s pumping tons of blood into your system. Wait. Chill. Relax and look up to him and admire the way the lord stands tall in front of you. It’s that magical!

After another thousand steps or so you are sure to find people going amazing lengths to pay their respects to the lord. The next 486 steps are quite steep I must say! You basically take a short break break between each 5-10 steps. The 30 degree is probably lowered to almost 15-20 and that’s where your body wants to give up but your heart and mind keeps you charged up… There are people who walk with their knees bent across each of these steps. I then wondered why am I cribbing walking on my feet. It actually lifts your spirits higher. As they say “Faith moves mountains” and I felt it today.

There are another set of people who apply the traditional haldi (Turmeric) and kumkum (a red powder which most Indian women apply on their forehead) paste on each and every step. I mean each and every step. Right from the first one until the 3840th step. It’s not easy to bend each step and apply these as you walk. Try for 10 steps and your back will not listen to you anymore! And on your way you will find people who walk all the way from as far as Chennai upto the lords entrance just to see a glimpse of HIM! Faith. Keep yours. It really keeps you grounded and sane!

So many things came flashing down my mind as I was looking up to the finishing point. How my life was last year, the early 2011, how things spiralled suddenly out of control, back home to India for good. My friends, my ex colleagues, my school and college mates. The people I knew. The people I would never want to meet. The people I would love to meet. The things that I want to do. The things my heart would yearn…

Give yourself a good five hours to complete this magical journey. Introspect. Speak to Gods. Pray a lot. Go with full faith.

I went to sleep that night at full peace with myself inspite of the ache my body was trying to tell me. I dreamt that I had the most up close darshan of the lord himself. As if some one arranged a personal service for my whole family. And a big smile flashed across my wife and kids face. Something which I would always love to see (Well, who doesn’t?)

The crowd and the line was large and only growing in large numbers. Literally unstoppable. But once we entered the line, we managed to be out well within two hours which is very short considering our past experiences. But yes, here I must say… everytime one goes to Tirupati, he has a different experience each time. It goes beyond words and expressions. And today was another day, another time, same place and a whole new meaning to spirituality.

You know once you have done with this and once you are in the queue to get your special darshan from the Lord… It’s another easy four to five hours (This is a most common time you need to allocate to get your turn) Sometimes you get really lucky and get reduced hours like how we had got which lasted a mere two hours.

And once you are inside the temple and a glance for just about 2-5 secs max is all you get. You will know the worth of all that you had been through only to get those special 2-5 secs to see HIM and seek HIS blessings.

And after the whole episode was over, done with our short and quick darshan of the great Lord… I was thinking would I still go there barefoot, tired and literally on my knees to get that special glimpse?

My heart says, Yes… please do… That 3,840th step is worth the first one you take towards HIM.

Govinda… Govinda!

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