Allahabad

We were received at the station by a person who had been updated by the travel agent from Bangalore.We hired four Vikrams to carry all the people as also the luggage to the place which had been booked .We were taken to the Swami Narayan Ashram.They had rooms to let us.We just shifted our luggage into the rooms & hit the bed.We were fast asleep.

The next morning,we were surprised to see the person who had received us at the station at the ashram.He informed us that he is a priest & he will perform the rituals of veni daan.He knew Tamil & spoke it too.This made things very easy for the men in my family as regards communication.We told him that we had already fixed it up with our priest at Allahabad.This made him angry & he refused to budge.This was partly because the travel agent had misinformed him that he should assist in rituals.Another reason,I surmised was veni daan ceremony involves a lot of things being handed over to the purohita who performs it.He also reminded us that he had come to receive us at the station at such a late hour. We somehow managed to convince him that our priest only will officiate at veni daan.There was some cash which was exchanged to cool him down.He in turn,spoke to the ashram attendants to see that we vacated the ashram by that evening itself.

Our priest had called us all at the ghat for veni daan.Veni means hair & daan meaning giving away .So veni daan means giving away hair.In the said ceremony,the husband parts with a small part of the hair of his wife.We enquired from the purohita about the significance of veni daan.He said that sumangali ( a wife ) has no right to a hair cut in her life time.But as per scriptures,all our sins reside in our hair.So by Veni daan,a sumanagali also gets an oppurtunity to get rid of her hair ,in part thereby parting away with her sins.Veni daan has specual significance in Allahabad as there is sanag,m of three rivers-the Ganga,the Yamuna & the Saraswati.I am  someone who likes hair cropped short & have been keeping a short hair style since I joined college.This veni daan just confirmed that I had been right though I had to face stiff opposition from many of near & dear ones !

All the things had bveen kept ready by an assistant of the purohita who hailing from Allahabad spoke in Kannada.He had learnt it so that he could communicate with people from Karnataka.I felt that we could take a lesson from him & learn other languages.After ,our hubbies had cut a few centimetres of our hair,we proceeded to take adip in the sangam.We were all taken in a boat &  reached the sangam in the midst of the rivers.We could make out the Yamuna which has  a darker hue & the Ganga which has a light colour.Saraswati,is invisible & is said to be just joining the two from underground.As we lowered ourselves on the stone platform to take adip,we were surprised by the strong current of the rivers.We just managed to take two or three dips in the water-drowning our heads into the water .We climbed up & the bathing was done.We managed to do all this because of being ably assisted or rather propped up by the boatmen.



In the wet clothes,we reached the purohita's place .We changed into a fresh set of clothes.We then gave away our wet clothes to the purohita's assistant as per the tradition.Then each of us (each  couple ) also gave a set of clothes to the purohita & his wife.This included a dhoti & a nine yard saree.After that,we went to the Mutt for lunch.It is located opposite to the purohita's home.The food was simply superb ! Sambhar had been prepared using karela but it was so yummy that I quite forgot about the bitter taste of karela.Lunch over,we headed back in Vikrams to our rooms at the ashram.

At the ashram,another drama began.The attendents demanded that we vacate the rooms as they had been told about our stay only till that afternoon.We told that even twenty four hours had not passed since we landed at the ashram but they refused to listen.Then my bhabhi called up the travel agent at Bangalore & umpteen calls later ,we were allowed to stay till that night.The Bangalore travel agent aslo transferred money to the ashram account before we were allowed to continue our stay further.

In the evening,five of us went sight seeing.All were unable to accompany us as some were not well & others were too exhausted.We went around in a Vikram & saw Hanuman temple,a Kali mata mandir etc.We also stopped to taste lassi at a namkeen shop.My hubby got some savouries packed for his family so that they could enjoy thenm during their train journey.As some people were not well,they wanted idlis .But we ere unable to get idlis.But nearthe ashram itself,they weree able to buy idlis.

After the sight seeing,we headed to the Mutt to partake of dinner.The purohita's home had Ganpati celeberations going on & they invited us for Bhandara ( grand feast ) at his place.So we cancelled our dinner  at  the Mutt.There was a big crowd for the feast.Ganpati aarti got over & as we were to leave for station,we were served the feast first.There was sabzi,daal,stuffed pooris,chutni etal.Our other family members had also joined us for the bhandara.After we thanked the purohita,we left for our rooms.We packed up our things & left for the statioin in four Vikrams.


I & my hubby were to leave for Delhi in Rajdhani.Other family members were travelling to Chennai from Allahabad.My hubby had booked & cancelled our tickets to Delhi.This, I was able to learn after many attempts.So,I tried my luck in booking tickets at the statiuon.I was able to book my tickets in another train which was arriving at three at midnight.The booking clerk made a passing comment about his happiness.I gave him a hundred rupee note as he had made me happy.We bade our family good bye as we left the platform wherein they waited for their train.Their train arrived just some ten minutes before our train.

We climbed into our Rajdhani.This is the original Rajdhani -from Kolkatta to Delhi.The interiors of the train delighted me .The toilets & seats & the whole train was spic spac.We reached Delhi by ten in the morning.We hailed ataxi & reached the airport.There was a lot of time as our plane was scheduled to fly to Mumbai only in the afternoon.We ate some snacks & just lazed around in numerous shops .My hubby brought a spectacle case as he had lost his case.We did try to book an earlier flight but none was available.

We finally boarded our flight & reached home by half past seven.My kid was delighted to see me & her dad.She hugged me tightly to tell me that she had missed me.I was also equally emotional.We had dinner & went to bed.Next day,we had to be on time for my daughter's school at seven in the morning !

Haridwar & Rishikesh

We reached Badrinath on the second day after starting from Haridwar.The route is very scenic as it is through the Shivalik range.Clouds & mist play hide & seek .One can watch beautiful sunrises & sunsets.The Alaknanada seems to be following us all along the route.It also is dangerous as a wrong turn means a  plunge deep down the valley but thankfully ,our journey was safe. Enroute,we had to stop at some places as it was night .It is advisable & safe to break the journey in the Shivaliks after sunset.

The driver who was a young Punjabi lad with a typical Punjabi accent had been instructed to stop at a lodge which served strict vegetarian fare.The lodge did not serve any food but there was a vegetarian dhaba next door.One or two  relatives did not eat for reasons ranging from being unwell to doubts about food handlers.My family, being very orthodox, believes that food must be served by an insider meaning the family.Since this is impossible when one is in  a dhaba ,hotel & the like,they fast.Some do compromise & eat.Anyway,I was instructed in Kannada ( hybrid version -with lots of Tamil) about the food, my family wanted. I, in turn, dutifully translated it into Hindi for the waiters.We ate our food with lots of talk about food only. This was because, I had to keep translating almost minute by minute to my relatives ,then to the waiters ,again to my family & so on & so forth. .Dinner over,we retired for the night. My hubby had taken care that the driver & cleaner also had their fill of food.

Next morning, we took  bath & after tea,we left.By noon,we stopped at a place where there was this restaurant which served idlis & dosas.Orders were placed for one medu vada & two idlis for a majority.A kid had a sada dosa.The idlis were really delicious -even the sambhhar & chutney.But vadas were a disappointment as the oil used is different.We are used to groundnut oil & in the north ,sarson ka tel is the norm.My family made a face & gulped down the vadas. I have never liked vadas -oil or no oil.

We left the place after being surprised by wholesome South Indian fare at the restaurant. All kudos to the Jat driver .We reached Badrinath but insisted on being taken to our Mutt .We were taken there after a lot of explaining to the driver .He was sure, that we will have to carry a lot of our luggage over some distance as no parking was available nearby but thankfully,it was not so.We freshened up after being allotted rooms.All felt at home, as this was our community hostel.It was beginning to get cold.

We left by early evening to visit the temple having worn our sweaters .It was drizzling &It  had become very cold.The temple is a simple structure -wooden & stone.The temple is carpeted as it is quite cold.The guards & attendents wear wooden sandals to keep warm.Badrinath ji is a saligrama which is annointed with chandan .So one  can barely see the features as lots of flowers & jewels adorn the Lord.There is a whole entourage of dieties there alongwith Badrinathji.There is Kubera,Nara-Narayana,Lakshmi,Garuda etal.We learnt that we could be with the Lord for an extended period ,if we chanted the Vishnusahsranamnam in a group for which tickets are avaialble.We did that & had a relaxed view.I noticed that a foreigner ( white woman ) was also in the temple.She also was reciting the Vishnusahsranama but there was a difference.We were reciting from the books but she was doing it on her own. She knew it by heart !

The prasad is chana dal & sugar & murmura.,After partaking prasad,we went back to the Mutt. We were served upma which was truly lip smacking. so much so that we actually were left with just enjoying the upma mentally as there was no second helping.The cooks again made it as they realised that some had not not had it even once.Upma is an option for night as my hubby & brothers were to perform shradha the next day of their late father at Badri.So,,the night before they cannot have dinner but can eat upma,poha,fruits,etc. So, we all had decided to partake of upma.

The next day dawned & we were ready to go out. We had decidecd to take bath in the hot water springs ,next door to the temple.We had a refreshing bath in the ladies section as the men went in search of purohita for the shradha .The hot water springs are really amazing.The water temperature was just right  for the cold there.But people seem to think that this bounty of nature can be abused.So,some people were shampooing,using soaps & detergents etc thereby polluting the hot water springs.Perhaps the abusers wanted to cleanse themselves of all their sins & hence used soaps,shampoos & detergents.But in the process,they dirtied the place & polluted the water .We are trying to get rid of our sins but by using chemicals we are sinning against nature.How do we absolve ourselves from this greater sin ? Moreover, where will the hot water springs turn to to get rid of all our sins which have been transferred from us to them?  I felt, that prayers were needed more for cleaning up the hot water springs rather than anything else !

Men also had thei baths & they started the rituals of shradha -all bare bodies except for a dhoti & a shawl which would keep slipping from the shoulders.The drizzle was continuing.It was chilly & windy. .After the ceremony was over,we had prasad at the Mutt. In the afternoon,we went around to Vyas gufa,Ganesh Gufa at Mana village.Nights were terrible because the temperatiure would dip further & my family was shivering .Getting used to the extreme cold was impossible for them as they have been in Chennai till now.

In the night,dinner was again a nashta item as on the day the shreaddha is performed,the sons are to have only phalhaar ( no rice,dal,etc ).So,the mutt cook prepared avalakki pongal ( avalakki is poha ).The pepper in the dish was so much that whoever had got a cold got rid of it. It also served another purpose.We all ate a little less than we would have had it been less pungent.

We had been told to have a darshan at four -early in the morning when the saligrama of Badrinathji is bereft of all shringar .But the bitter cold prevented us from  venturing out so early.My jeth had told us that the saligrama is in padmasana & one can also recognise facial features.

The next day,we left for Haridwar from Badrinath.En route,we stopped at Debvprayag to have a hand dip but only the men ventured to step  out of the bus.On some hillocks ,we noticed that many kadipatta bushes were growing.How we wihed to collect them but they would have dried on our return journey home & so we just let the curry leaves. We halted at Rishikesh & went around Laxman Jhoola & Ram jhoola,We then resumed our journey.We reached Haridwar before the Ganga aarti was to begin in the evening.Rishikesh is also highly commercialised with many foreigners thronging the place.

Haridwar ghats where bathing is done are all filthy with rubbish heaps lying all around.Moreover it was rainy season & so everywhere there was muck & wetness which made our walking a really perilous affair.I felt that perhaps these Holy places need more miracles than we need in our lives to set things clean & bright.

Some pandas caught hold of us & looted us by making us promise  daan- dharm  as  they pretended to make us perform some rituals.We managed to free ourselves before they could leave us penniless.But this bitter experience apart,the Ganhga aarti was a sight to behold as the whole banks of the river were lit up by numerous aartis .We watched spell bound.

We left for our Mutt in Haridwar where dinner was getting ready.The  priest in charge seemed to be very relaxed.He sang many hymns,bhajans & even asked us to sing some.Our tummies had also begun singing for food but before this got vocal,we were served dinner. After  dinner,the Punjabi lad & cleaner bade us goodbye at Haridwar station .We handed him some parting cash for having done an exemplary job in taking us to Badrinath & back safe & sound.