Hmmm.. I was at Tirumala – Tirupati last week. Had taken a couple of days off from work and was there to attend some puja ‘Vasanthotsavam’ my parents and relatives had booked for us. We were some 11 people who arrived in 3 groups at Tirupati and got together there before again splitting into 3 groups on our way up the hill.
Let me explain.. I and my cousins had initially planned to walk the stairs up the hill. It’s a 3hr climb and I have done that some 4 -5 times in my life. (I must’ve visited Tirumala some 10 -15 times.. earlier, we used to visit the temple almost every year.) But this time, just a couple of days before the ascent, my left knee was paining a bit.. I’d probably hurt myself in the gym.. and hence, I decided to take the bus uphill. Thus got the 3-way split - there was one group that visiting some temples in Tirupati (downhill).. and me going up by bus and my cousins walking up.
Anyways.. now I am at the richest temple in India and probably the world too. And what do I see? Money.. commercialism.. Indians are very creative when it comes to making small-time money. There were soooooo many jeeps manning the roads and offering rides across the hill-station to the pilgrims. Tirumala has some ‘free’ buses but I’m sure these guys have some kinda deal with the bus drivers.. and I guess Murphy’s law will also aid the jeepers.
There’s a facility to transport the luggage for the pilgrims walking up the hill. Though this facility is supposed to be “free”, again the operators and enablers request you for ‘something’.
The accommodation on the hill is at very nominal rates… very good cottages for just Rs.100 per day. But the caretaker requests you for money supposedly for cleaning the room after you vacate.
And so on…
Even, Cool drinks are at a premium – Rs.7 Coke is available for Rs. 9
Somehow, the whole trip for me was a reminder of the state of India… diversities and contrasts. For example, they give anyone free food at the temple. Still there are beggers around..
Note: Tirupati ‘laddus’ are world-famous - atleast among the Indian diaspora. But they are also in short-supply. Its so difficult to buy them at the designated counters these days..
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7 comments:
hey bhaskar!
i havent ever been to tirupati, but have heard a lot about it.. will definitely visit it whenever i plan a trip to the south..hvnt ever been there.. i really want to though :)
Neha: you mean you have never come to this part of the world ?!
Welcome! ;)
Bhaskar
Bhasky,
There are also certain good things to be noticed in tirupathi. Look at how clean the place has been maintained despite the traffic flowing across the place.
The rules that keep on getting adapted to regulate the traffic is also a lesson for managers ;)
I think u would have got free laddus for vasanthotsovam. Where is my share? :(
Jammy..
sure there are quite a lot of good things.. but for me, the contrast is striking.
For example, they have one of the best logistics systems in the bar-coded wrist bands used to schedule pilgrims entry into the temple. Its great to see the use of technology to make things better for everyone.
But then, they have left it to the system and combined various queues together at various points. We who were to go for the utsav were joined with the Rs.50 wala queue at some point. And we had to find our way out later into the utsav mandapam.
free Laddu vaa.. No daa.. Dosa, Puliyansaadham, Thayirsaadham ellam dhaan kuduthaanga.. we had to buy 10 laddus.. You can come home and pick it up.. :P offer valid only till stocks last ;)
Bhaskar
I hope the stocks last till August. Even then, they will become "needle gone" (oosi poidum :D )
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