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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Distraught families wait in anguish outside LNJP Hospital after Red Fort blast leaves several dead,
New Delhi (PTI) Hours after a high-intensity car explosion near the Red Fort killed at least eight people and injured 24 others, heart-wrenching scenes unfolded outside the LNJP Hospital on Monday night, as families waited anxiously for word on their loved ones.
Confusion and grief marked the atmosphere, with relatives alleging lack of information and mismanagement. Many said they were not being allowed inside to check on the victims.
Sudheer Sharma, a resident of Rohtas Nagar in Shahdara, said his son Ankush Sharma was critically injured in the explosion, battling for his life in the ICU.
"My son went to visit the Gauri Shankar temple with his friend Rahul Kaushik. While Rahul was sent home after stitches on his head, Ankush is fighting for his life," he said, adding that his son worked at a jewellery shop.
Zeeshan Ansari, brother-in-law of Dawd who sustained injuries in the blast, said, "He called me after the incident. We rushed here immediately, but have not been allowed to see him till now."
Mohammad Danish, cousin of Sameer Khan, an auto-rickshaw driver injured in the blast, said a stranger called him to inform him about the incident.
"Sameer is in the ICU. We still don't know how bad his situation is," Danish said.
Tahir Mohammad, a relative of Sameer, said, "The hospital staff is not allowing us to see him."
At one point, an elderly man was seen pleading with police and hospital guards to let him inside to check on his son.
He was finally allowed after a heated argument.
Some people said there was "complete mismanagement" at the hospital, with no clear communication as to where to go or which gate to enter.
"We just want to know if our family members are alive," one of them said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah also visited the LNJP Hospital to take stock of the situation.
The blast, which occurred at 6.52 pm near the Red Fort traffic signal, gutted several vehicles and left multiple people critically injured.
Authorities said all major agencies -- Delhi Police, NIA, NSG and forensic teams -- are investigating the cause of the explosion.
