My first tour.....

Travelling is mere enthusiasm whether it’s about reaching the place of your favorite one or the journey of life. The occasion was my son’s tonsure function at Tiruchendur but I was also interested to visit the nearby places of South, KanyaKumari, and Madurai. The writing on behalf of my 10 months old son was always there in my mind so that he understands what all these meant for as he grows up. The travel story is a fact and the rest everything is always learning.

My first tour after TTT (Tirupati_Thiruvanmiyur_Thiruninravur) to Tiruchendur...

                                                                                                         Cheers, BK(Bhuvan Krishna)

[Character’s in the story. Me: Bhuvan Krishna;  Amma: My mother;  Dad: My father;  Pinnamma: My mother’s sister;  Ammamma: Mother’s Mom;  Mamayya & Attayya: Mother’s Brother and his wife]

Hello viewers,  

My dad was little concerned about a hectic travel from Chennai to Tiruchendur via train as its about more than 12 hrs. Since I was a child and the weather was chill, he booked flight up and down to Madurai, family package with a 25% discount. My tonsure function was to happen at Tiruchendur, the place in between Madurai and Kanya Kumari. So, we planned to visit Madurai temple at first and Kanya kumari at last.

The day before the travel.... (29^th October’2015)

Me: Hurrah.. Hurrah... Am H-A-P-P-Y.. Am H-A-P-P-Y.... lala lalala....Lalalalala.. I love travelling... Am going to travel... 

  

Amma: Hey Bhuvan.. You look so happy... Are you dreaming of the tour? ding....ding... [Bhuvan is knodding the head]... what's your Dad doing?

Me: Amma... Looks like Dad hasn’t even started packing yet. He is always with laptop creating some new activities for children's workshop on "Focus".. Dad, can you tell me one story of what you are making?

           

 Story:  A person asked a saint to give him a stone using which whatever he touches becomes gold. Saint smiled and said, 'you search for a warm stone in the early morning 5 AM and that would fulfill your wish’. The person has started searching and  he has been finding only chill stones for years which he kept on throwing away with irritation. Finally one day he has found the warm stone and threw that also unconsciously with irritation. Do you know why the person has thrown away the warm stone? because, he has been throwing stones regularly since years and it has become a habit.  Ha Ha... So, what you practice that you become.

Wow Dad, from this I understand to practice on filtering non-essentials and focus on what is essential to seek. There are many of such practices I have to focus on learning. Thank you Dad.

Amma: Wow.. Bhuvan! Nice story dear. Good Good.. You please focus.  I shall pack everything that you need.. 

Me: Sure amma,,, Definitely I shall become a pillar in life for others to hold on to Me. Since am only receiver now, please give me something to eat…I feel damn hungry... 

Amma: Tada.. Here your snacks.. Finish off soon.. 

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The day morning....(30^th October’2015)

Amma: Krishnudu... should I pack your toys? What about your flute?

Me: Ha.. Amma.. Please pack my flute alone... That reminds me of why am here... As I grow up, I need to practice on how to become flute in HIS hands (That's really a great thought to insert in his little mind)

Joke: 6 AM..  Amma is busy in kitchen heating milk for me. Dad is also busy in doing Surya Namaskar.. Now no one can stop me to open the refrigerator.. awesome,.. cool... breeze... Oh God.. Its blocking my nose.. Amma... Amma.. Weeee... Weeee.... (Crying)

Amma: Bhuvan... what's this? We got to leave in an hour and you catch cold by keeping your face in the refrigerator? My mistake to leave it unlocked... Now enough dear.. Let’s get ready...

Me: Hmmmm..... Am ready.. Am ready... Oh.. Cow has come... Amma,.. I'll give a banana to it... ding.. ding... (Crawling)... ha ha...

Amma: Hey Bhuvan... wait.. wait.. I'll take you... Auch... kept my leg on cow dung..

Dad: It's getting late.. Cab has arrived.. We need to leave Ya.. What are you guys playing with cow there? 

Me: Hmmm... Dad... Give some space... let amma wash her leg and we are in...

As we left to airport, I was dreaming in the car... (Song:  Am driving my car... Am driving my car... peep peep.. toot..toot.. Am driving my car.. When traffic is high, I go snail-pace. peep peep.. toot..toot... When light is turning red, I must stop my car, when light is turning green, I can go again... Peep peep.. Toot toot... Am driving my car) 

Ah.. We reached airport.. Aii.. Pinnamma …she says.. "Bhuvvu...." and carried me... Lots of love.. Attayya... Just carried me and took a snap right there... Mamayya... Just carried me and ran       towards the entrance as it was already delayed for check in and we are yet to have  breakfast.

Finally, we are done with check in etc, and rushed for breakfast. Dad has bought idly for me.Can you imagine the cost of idly? Its 100 bucks. We should earn only to eat I think in this world. Especially in airport we get either very costly food or scarcity of food.

Hmmm.... Happy to see the flight for first time and started singing again... Oh.. Its fun flying up in the skies... Amma was worried for takeoff since its first time for me. She kept cotton in my ears and hugged me tightly keeping milk bottle in my mouth. Whats the use.. I refused to have and wanted to look around whats happening.. Ding.. Ding... (Raising up the head and looking around)... Pinnamma is trying to control me.. Shh.. Shh,,, take off and I slept off...  

Reached Madurai at 11 AM and I woke up. 

At Madurai...

Immediately we had to rush to the temple as the closing time was 12PM. We had serene Dharshan of GODDESS Meenakshi Amma and LORD Chandrasekhara Swamy.. The temple is awesome... The history is even beautiful......https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meenakshi_Amman_Temple

Had prasadam at temple and left to Tiruchendur.. Driver took a very long route and however we could not visit on the way the Nellayyappa(Lord Shiva) temple, the second largest temple in the world. We could see a small path going to Bharatiyar house (A social reformer). The historical story would be interesting if you can search and read on Bhartiyar. My Dad had organized a theatrical drama on his inspiring life and am yet to watch the same. 

Reached hotel and the day went along where amma is busy with food arrangements for me etc..

Saturday morning (31^st October’2015)..

It was raining heavily, however dad got milk for me and I was caught up with cold, played well and slept off after breakfast. At 11 AM woke up for a light meal before lunch. Then we left to the temple yard with few relatives. I began to cry when they started my tonsure.. weee.. wee.. weeee... finally my mother had to take me on her lap and however I couldn't control the curiosity of what's happening on my head, I continued crying. Someone brought a book to cheer me up and Lord Mahadev was on the page, only HE could feel my pain of any sort and I was fine.  [Deep thought: Whenever one has a pain on the body, it’s just a temporary and HE feels the pain and we would be absolutely fine. Remembered Mom saying always “Pain is temporary”] 

Then we went to the sea and sprinkled water on head [chanting.. Gangecha, Yamunecha Godavari Krishna, Narmada Prayaga, Saraswathi, Sindhu, Kaveri.. Jaleshmidham Sannidham].. As it was mid afternoon, we could not have sacred bath in the Indian ocean.

Back to the room to freshen up, had lunch and I slept off. But they took me for piercing my ears. I could dream off what's happening and my mother kept saying I have to bear the pain temporarily. They just pierced in my deep sleep and I woke up crying again. That's fine. Amma was carrying me and I was okay with the pain although it was insufferable. [Piercing the ears is something like purifying them which gives a good hearing power and improves the memory power. Especially listening to scriptures and remembering them is very essential after born as a human]

I was ready for Darshan of Lord Murugan...[Lord Karthikeya with Mata Devesena and Valli devi]. For me, HE represents courage. Amma was praying to Murugan to give enough courage at all times to me. HE defeats all Asuras[Demons] and HE was born for the cause of defeating Tarakasura [Deep thought: Can we just think a moment who is this Tarakasura? If we go in deep, we understand these demons are nothing but our own egos. Contemplating on Lord Murugan, we can defeat intolerable Tarakasura’s[egos] within us. ]

Then we took a snap nearby the sea, left to the room. Since it was already 4pm, we had to rush up immediately to Kanya kumari.

As usual the driver took a long route. Amma gave me a biscuit and milk, I slept off till we reach the destination at 8:30 PM. It was terrible rain and they had to stop on the high way, as Amma said that they were worried to reach. But the faith never dies right. We are there to visit Sw. Vivekananda rock mount, His meditated place and only HE could favour us to reach finally.

We had dinner and slept early to wake up early to visit the morning sun rise as we missed out the sun set. However, it was cloudy and the sun was hiding behind the clouds so rising wasn't seen. My pinnamma is too clever.. she went on terrace and watched the sun rising video on YouTube and felt the reality.

Then we had breakfast and rushed to the boat. The queue was like it never ends that day. My dad went and joined somewhere in the middle saying we have permission for the kid. See how good am to all. It took an hour to reach and I was sleeping while going on the boat. Only swami temple was allowed to see. I was carried by dad. Mom and pinnamma went around, took pictures etc. There is a hall for meditation. There is a book stall and Kumari Amma feet, padam, where she kept meditating upon Lord Shiva to get married to HIM. We couldn't visit HER temple as it was raining heavily. And we rushed to the boat and I woke up singing.. ‘Row row row a boat.... gently down the stream.. lalala lalala lalala lalala.. Life is but a dream..’

  

Finally we left to Madurai and caught 6 PM flight and reached Chennai, back to home by 9 PM. I was dreaming of the story told by my Dad.... 

The journey goes on as of now with my parents... Enjoying and having fun...