At Annavaram

Today was quite a day... I escorted our staff (seven of them) for a picnic to Annavaram. For half of them it was a pilgrimage and for the rest it was a picnic. However, what's important is that they felt happy and nice about the day out. I did what I could, constantly reminding myself that what I think is 'picnic-stuff' is not on their menu of 'picnic-ingredients'. So I let them decide the place, mode, strategy and all things possible. I merely accompanied and financed the trip. At the end of the day, I gather that they were happy about the day out.

A few interesting things that I could not but notice of the place. (Of course, know that I belonged to the latter half of the group). There was more than just the sanctum sanctorum to view. Luckily there wasn't much of a crowd. And added to that the best part of the queue was that it stopped progressing half way through right where we were: it was lunch time. And so we waited for half an hour. That gave me time to view the pooja (ceremonial rite

) being performed by the Hindu Priests in the temple for couples. Sai Ram, tells me that nearly a 1000 Priests earn their livelihood in the temple campus.

The other amusing thing was that there was a longer queue to purchase the prasadam than to visit the inner sanctuary. Later having tasted the prasadam I realised the secret. Perhaps it will take a little longer for people to 'taste' the divine. thing was that there was a bigger queue to purchase the prasadam, than to pay homage to the God, Satyanarayana! Later having tasted the prasadam, I

That Satyanarayana is a god formed out of the merger of the Trimurti - the top is Vishnu, the middle part Shiva and the lower part of the body is that of Brahma. That's the first time I heard that.

(That's our staff: Appa Rao, Sai Ram, Satyam, Annapurnamma, Edulamma, Kasi and Paidamma)