On a two decade old scooter mother, son goes on pilgrimage
27,400 km voyage across 7 states: temples, mutts are the shelters
Udupi,Nov.9: In order to fulfill the dream of ageing mother who had spent her life for family, a son decided to go on a pilgrimage along with her. The mother-son duo chose a decade year old scooter to traverse through seven states during their pilgrimage. After travelling through outer states the duo has now returned to the coastal part of Karnataka.
The son who made his mother's dream come true is D. Krishna Kumar (39) of Mysuru and the lucky mother is Choodarathna (70).
A bachelor Krishna Kumar is the only son of Choodarathna. She had lost her husband four years ago. The journey that began on January 16 had crossed Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Goa. After visiting many temples in these states the duo is now travelling across the coastal region of Karnataka. They have already travelled 27,400 km on this old scooter.
The duo has recently reached Udupi Shri Krishna temple and from there they are planning to visit Dharmasthala, Subramanya and other holy places.
Resigned job for pilgrimage
Krishna Kumar was working for a private company since 13 years. He resigned his job to fulfill his mother's dream and chose Bajaj Chetak scooter that was gifted by his father in 2001.
Though it was a two decade old scooter ran smoothly throughout the journey. One tyre was punctured after crossing 16,000 km. But then there was no problem. We have travelled a minimum of 30 km and maximum of 170 kms. Wherever we go we take little rest and then continue our journey. We took the journey with the help of interest that we are getting for our deposits, said Krishna Kumar.
We met Chandramathi in Sagar who was a friend of my mother during Hindi teacher training after SSLC. They met after 47 years and an old friendship found new lease of life. We stayed at her home for a week. Next we are planning to meet Jayalaxmi Kaje, a resident of Vittla.
We had never gone to a hotel in our entire journey. We used to stay in temples and mutts where we used to have our food. We would drink borewell water. We never faced health problems like cold, fever, back pain etc. throughout our journey, said Choodarathna.
Our's was an undivided family and my mother spent her whole life serving our family. She had given 67 years of her life to this home and never visited any holy place once. After the death of my father four years ago my mother told me about her dream to go on a pilgrimage. Then decided to fulfill her dream and for that I resigned my job.
Krishna Kumar Mysuru
I happy with the pilgrimage. My son used to take me on the age old scooter for 40-45 km every day. Hence, it had become a routine for me. These days when most of the children neglect their parents I feel proud of my son.
Choodarathna Mysuru.
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
