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)

To Borra caves

Yesterday after much pleading by Fr C. Thomas, we went for a picnic to Borra Caves. It is a place about 55 kms from here and is famous for its natural cave. I had been to this place about 12 years ago. However, of all days, yesterday was a day of 'hibernation' as per my schedule. The Brothers had a day of outing by themselves and hence I had decided to catch up with my lost sleep. Anyway, I went along but it was tiring and literally sickening. The only good thing was that Fr C. Thomas was happy and so were the Sisters whom he had long ago promised this trip.

On the way I came across the following sign board at a railway crossing and could not resist the temptation of clicking it with my cell-camera.

Searching for faith

As I sat for meditation this morning, half sleeping, half meditating, I asked myself why do crowds come for a feast. Well, the answer is to partake in the feast, obviously. But there is hardly any piety or devotion anywhere or at anytime during the feast! I think most come because they want to keep up a tradition, some come convinced that they can get all that they want, if only they pay a visit to the pilgrim centre that day, others pour in for business, some combine the pilgrimage with an outing, and quite a few come because others are coming!

To sieve faith and devotion amidst all this confusion is really an act of faith. It may be true that it is faith that leads them here, but there is hardly anything that strengthens faith on the day... besides the thousands and thousands of people. (It may be the strengthening of the community dimension of faith but isn't it also a show of number?)

Nevertheless, I suppose God and Mother Mary have their way of seeing things!

Mahabaleshwar reflections...

As for some of my reflections about our trip... (nothing against or for anyone, just random thoughts that still linger in my head):

• All along the way I saw houses/homes of people in such remote, God-forsaken places, with practically no modern facilities that we often think life would be impossible without. Yet people did live and did appear quite contended and happy too. No electricity (that implies no fan, no light after sunset, no a/c... imagine that in the heat of the summer), no phone lines, no supermarket and malls, no grocery stores, no schools,... Having got accustomed to living all the while in an office with light, fan, net, computer I was feeling so jittery without these just for two days. And here were people living blissfully, what if even totally ignorant of the very existence of these things.
• Willy had all along planned the route and the locations for our visit. However, relying only on the internet or tourist map was of no great help. The best I felt was to ask people along the way. That way we got to interact with people and listen to them, mostly in their own language (Kannada or Marathi). Though of course, not all who directed us were right! But it was worth it.
• The hard work of the fellows working at Mahabaleshwar: the various tourist spots we visited, the cottage where we stayed, and especially at the hotel where we had our meals. Very pleasant and at their jobs. Of course, had they been smarter than that they would not have ended up as waiters and house-keepers! But where they were they did their best.
  
• Then there were the tourists and their kids... that was a view in itself! People from all over the country for their own interests and enjoying themselves in so varied a degree. Some kids more worried about the cricket match or the cartooon programme being aired on the hotel TV than the food set before them; parents trying to get their children to stay put in one place while they bargained for a pair of attractive footwear (something totally out of the world for the children!); people looking out for what others are ordering for meals at the restaurants; the elderly keen to be getting in and out of the caves and mountains along with their grandchildren but unable to do so and therefore sitting and keeping guard over their belongings; the confused mother who is pulled in two different directions by her two kids just because each one sees what he wants in two different shops!
  

Council day out!

The past four days have been quite fast moving and touching different activities too. On 9th there was the Provincial council - the last one for Fr Noel as Provincial. By tea time we were already on the road towards Nagarjuna Sagar for a day out as the Provincial community day. We were at Sagar till tea time the next day. It was really good. Fr Noel, through his contacts, made the necessary arrangements and it was very relaxing. For my part, I got to drive!! After my Mangalore trip in 2008, this was the longest I drove in a single day - perhaps some 200 or more kms.

On 11th evening Fr Balaraju decided to go for a movie after supper. The telugu movie, 'Katha' was decided upon. I better not say more than that! It was horrible! Same old theme, retold pathetically!