Excerpts from Padhyatra diary

DAY 1 

9^th April, 2013

DADAR to THANE – 25 kms

Dadar – 11:30 AM

Reached Sai Sevak mandal, waited till our group gathered. I got a sample of the heat, as of today, I am on full energy. My battery is charged. I have my cap and I am wearing loose fitting cotton clothes. We are waiting for the Noon Aarti to commence. The yatra begins after.

A lady standing behind me fell down due to fatigue; she is resting by the wall. It’s the heat. A group of us were waving our caps near her, trying to get her some cool air. We gave her water.

After Aarti, we begin. Nine days of walking. 264 Kms to be covered. God bless us all.

Chunabhatti – 02:43 PM

Walked around 4 Kms and stopped for lunch here. A lot of people distributed water bottles, biscuits, sweets etc. It’s very hot. Feeling a little tired already.

Sat down for lunch. Sandwich. Heavy sandwich though. We will rest here for an hour and continue to walk.

Crowded flyover

Vikhroli – 06:30 PM

Two and a half hours of continuous walk. Drank plenty of water. Did not pee at all. Body is absorbing all the water. The place here is well decorated and huge stages have been set up. It’s like a festival here. Lights, crowd, firecrackers and songs.

Stopped here for Evening Aarti. Massaged a few people’s legs. We will get used to this walking soon.

Drank one bottle of sprite, a litre of water and a bottle of fanta. Thirsty all the time. I think there is another 8 Kms to walk.

Mulund – 09:50 PM

After the evening Aarti, we left Vikhroli by 08:30 PM, walked for an hour to reach Mulund. Stopping here to rest until the Night Aarti gets over. Thane is just 1Km from here. We could have walked and then rested.

My neck hurts. It is because I am carrying my bag, my SLR is heavy. My leg does not ache much though.

Thane – 10:30 PM

Thane will be the halt spot for the day. Mats and pillows are set for us. Dinner is ready too at the camp here. My legs hurt bad now. Got my bag from the truck and searched for my bed sheet. It’s 12:30. Will sleep well I think.

DAY 2 

10^th April, 2013

THANE to PADGHA – 35 Kms

Thane – 06:00 AM

Woke up at 03:00 AM. Two dogs fighting near where we were sleeping woke us up kicking mud on us. Pebbles, sand and dirt came flying. Hardly slept for two hours. I guess today is going to be very difficult. Had tea, ready to leave.

Kasheli – 08:15 AM

Usually everyone wakes up at 03:30 AM to take a dump in the dark in some barren wasteland nearby. This will be the case for the rest of the days. But I am not going to wake up that early. I need my sleep. I will find public toilets, dhabas or restaurants on the way to relieve myself.

Reached the first rest spot for the day. Didn’t have breakfast. Was not hungry. Took a power nap and stretched my legs up on a railing nearby. There is shade under this neem tree and the breeze is perfect. I just want to sleep for the whole day.

Rest for an hour and off again.

Bhivandi – 12:00 PM

Very tiring walk. Muscles are aching a lot. Got a chance to lift the Palki and pull the Rath.

Took forever to reach Bhivandi. Stopped for rest, bath and lunch. We rested in a classroom of a school. All the benches and chairs were shifted aside, so we could lay our mats down. Took bath from a nearby restroom. My pain was unbearable now. Took a painkiller and off to rest. Lunch was hosted by a friend who lives here. Lunch was very good. Will start again at 04:00 PM.

Bhivandi Bypass Road – 06:30 PM

Stopped near the highway. Palki has stopped for Aarti. Our group is resting. The highway is dusty, some construction is going on nearby. I am not lying down as it will hurt when I get up.

A guy is massaging everyone here with his massaging tools. I just heard we have a lot more to walk. We will rest for an hour and leave.

Pagdha – 10:15 PM

Very tiring walk. Our camp for tonight is very dark. The mats have been spread on a weigh bridge. A very good uncle of mine has prepared dinner at home and has bought it all the way here. I haven’t clicked a single photograph.  Not carrying the camera anymore. I am feeling feverish, shivering. Had food, took tablets and am going to sleep. If I am not well tomorrow, I have to give up. I will travel by the car that comes along with us providing water. But I don’t want to give up.

DAY 3 

11^th April, 2013

PAGHDA to KHARDI – 32 Kms

Paghda – 05:30 AM

Lat night, another uncle massaged my legs. Bless him. If not for the massage, I would not be able to walk. By massaging, the muscles loosen and make it easy to walk.

I am very weak. Just mixed a bottle of water with isostar. Started to walk at 06:00 AM.

Highway – 08:30 AM

We have stopped in a hotel near the highway. Walked for around two hours. Had idli and mosambi juice. Used the restroom as well. Feel a little better now. Got to walk till afternoon. The sun is starting to burn us all.

Shahapur – 11:30 AM

Highway and more highways, I am surprised I made it this far, drinking lots of water on the way. Basically, a car accompanies us, which stops at certain points to supply us with water, cool drinks, tender coconut or any other supplies like medicines etc.  It also carries essential luggage. Bigger suitcases come in the truck, which halts at the final camp for the day.

We deviated from the highway and took a shorter road until we reached a house with a well. The mats have been spread out under the shade. Will take bath from the well and have lunch. Then rest till 04:00 PM.

The bath from the well was very refreshing. Since it was so hot, the water from the body dried real soon.

Chappathi and rice for lunch, provided by the owner of the house. The curry was very spicy.

Today is a new year for the Marathis., Gudhi Padva. We massaged each other’s legs.

Highway – 06:30 PM

Don’t know the name of this place, stopped for Aarti. Feeling better than yesterday. A little pain still exists. Mats spread by the highway. Vehicles speeding by. Will stop for an hour here.

Khardi – 10:15 PM

Long long walk as usual. Got chance to lift the Palki two times. It is very heavy completely made of silver. I think it weighs over 100 Kilograms.

One thing I have noticed is that, you don’t get tired if you walk at your own pace slowly, if you walk fast, you exhaust yourself. Also your groins hurt bad because of the friction due to constant walking. The skin tears and may cause bleeding. Coconut oil to the rescue!

A lot of mandals were set up, people distributing watermelons, oranges, water bottles.

This place we are stopping today is basically near a flyover. The mats have been laid nearby, right at the doors of a complex parking area. Had noodles for dinner.

DAY 4 

12^th April, 2013

KHARDI to KASARA GHAT – 32 Kms

Khardi – 05:30 AM

Didn’t feel like waking up. I am still getting used to this whole thing. Today is going to be a bit difficult they say. Because we have a steep ghat to climb.

Highway – 08:30 AM

Stopped near a restaurant on the highway. Had a lot of Lassi. Those things are really delicious. Had poha for breakfast. I want to lie down and not walk. I feel so tired. Never imagined it would be this exhausting. The roads keep going up and down because this is basically a ghat area. We will rest here for a while and walk for an hour until we reach our stop for lunch.

Tanaji Nagar – 10:30 AM

This is where we stop to take bath and have lunch. Then we rest till 04:00 PM. We have stopped a t a small house. I take bath from the tank in the house. They ask us to use water wisely as there is drought in this area. Only one bucket of water per person.

Had more Lassi. Could not rest because the room was so hot. There is no breeze, not even in the open. I wonder why I took bath. I am sweating badly now. We will resume walking at 05:00 PM. More like climbing, not walking.

Kasara – 06:00 PM

I walked pretty much alone today and not with the group. Got to sit with the Palki for Aarti. I was waving the 'chamar' (fan) throughout the Aarti.

I have mixed glucose to a bottle of water. Will need it for the climb.

Ghatan Devi Mandir  (Kasara Ghat)– 10:00 PM

I walked real slow. Actually the journey was not that difficult as I had expected it to be. Walked for more than 90 minutes and that too at a stretch. Did not stop walking even for a minute. The Ghatan Devi Temple was at the top of the ghat. I could hear the bells of the temple as we neared. Had Darshan and walked a little farther to reach the camp for the day.

Another dear uncle bought us dinner, home cooked, back in 'Kalyan'. He even massaged my neck and it felt so good. I went to sleep immediately.

DAY 5 

13^th April, 2013

KASARA GHAT to WADIVAHARE – 32 Kms

Ghatan Devi Mandir – 06:30 AM

Woke up late at 06:30. Got an extra hour to sleep, because of the tiredness from yesterday. Had coffee and some biscuits.  Had Palki darshan and lifted it at the start of the journey.

I took out my compact camera and decided to click pictures on the way.

Palki

Igatpur – 08:30 AM

We will be stopping near this small town with a railway station for breakfast. Found a vast ground for breakfast. Got to leave in a bit and walk till after noon I guess.

Miles to go

Ghoti – 11:30 AM

The walk till Ghoti was very frustrating. One because it was very hot and two, we passed a small town again which was heavily polluted and very dusty. I got some fruits to eat on the way.

We reached our halt for lunch. This time under a flyover. There is so much dust everywhere.

Yup, Cups and saucers on a push cart!

Took bath from a nearby well. It was a good experience to fetch water from the well with a pail.

It is a headache to get in the cargo of the truck, find my suitcase among others, there are twenty people in our group. Then to take my clothes out is another task.

Under the flyover

Had curd rice for lunch. It was delicious. Then we took rest. People were resting on mats laid on both sides of the area under the flyover and there was this place to walk in between. Then suddenly, goats, bulls and cows decided to cross creating havoc and chaos. We will leave at 04:00 PM as usual.

Suddenly bulls!

Highway – 06:30 PM

This is the Mumbai – Nashik highway. I sat down for rest. Had some biscuits and nuts. Will leave once Aarti is over. Roughly one hour. I can rest till then.

Resting near the highway

Wadivahare – 10:00 PM

The camp for today is near some electricity board by the highway. It’s so nice to sleep under the stars. It is very dark here and I can see them clearly. I had plain bread for dinner. Did not feel like eating.

At night, while walking, the car, which accompanies us, stops at various places ahead of us, in our path with a red lantern so we can find them easily in the dark.

DAY 6 

14^th April, 2013

WADIVAHARE to SHINDEGAON – 28 Kms

Wadivahare – 05:30 AM

Today is the Malayalam/Tamil New year. I woke up to see beautiful stars in the sky. Had coffee and left.

On our way, people were selling idli for breakfast. Many poor children stand on the way begging for money and chocolates.

Dad and I, being new year, fed four poor kids on the way. We bought for them four plates of idli and chutney.

Nashik Outer – 08:00 AM

Stopped under another flyover for breakfast. I took some pictures.

Breakfast

Nashik – 10:30 AM

Reached Nashik city faster than expected. Today, we will take bath in a friend’s guesthouse. I can actually shower and scrub the dirt off me. After sleeping under the open sky for days now, this is the first time we get to take rest in a guesthouse. I shower for almost 30 minutes. We order lunch from a nearby hotel.

I actually prefer the roadside to this guesthouse. We will rest and leave at 4 again.

Nashik – 06:30 PM

Nashik is quite a big city and we have almost reached the outer I guess. Stopped for evening Aarti. Will leave once over. On our way, we purchased grapes and oranges. I had tender coconut from a stall. The kid there was staring at me for long.

I hate to walk in the city. So much pollution and because of traffic, the pace slows down as well. The highways and the villages are better. This rest spot now is so crowded, so many people. So much congestion.

Shindegaon – 10:00 PM

Today, being Dr. Ambedkar’s Birthday, there was celebration in the city. People were dancing to funky Marathi songs and green disco lights attached to moving vehicles. We passed and walked atop a series of flyovers.

Our stop for today is a village. The owner of  a house here has been very kind to offer his terrace for rest. There is just one incandescent bulb here. We had dinner near the bulb and slept. It is quite cold. I am very sleepy and I know I am going to sleep immediately the minute I lie down.

DAY 7 

15^th April, 2013

SHINDEGAON to KHOPADI – 32 Kms

Shindegaon – 06:00 AM

Woke up to a cold morning. Went down to piss and brush my teeth. Had coffee. Mentally prepared for the long distance I had to walk today.

Highway – 08:00 AM

Stopped ahead of a small ghat that we have to climb. Today we will be bathing early; usually it is in the afternoon. But there is a tank nearby filled with water. It was a very hasty bath. Two people poured a bucket of water on me, quick soap, one more bucket of water and that’s it.

Bath time!

Had ‘semiya’ for breakfast. It was awesomely delicious. Packed the bags, put them in the truck and began to walk.

Sinnar – 11:00 AM

Scorching hot. I was dead tired. Kept walking alone most of the time. I would have passed the spot for lunch, if I had not looked right to see our truck parked aside near a restaurant. The driver was waiting, but he hadn’t seen me.

Our truck with luggages

The mats were spread inside a family hall of a restaurant. The tables and chairs put aside. As I had already taken my bath, I decided I’d sleep for a few hours. Woke up at 03:00 PM and went to have lunch from the restaurant. Ordered lassi first. Had butter naan and vegetable curry.

The restrooms available in such places are a boon for people like me. Otherwise I will have to look for barren open fields to do my business.

Soon after lunch, got ready to walk.

Highway – 06:00 PM

We stopped near a field, on our way here from Sinnar, we walked through a crowded market.

I gulped down a bottle of sprite quickly. Our group members are making bhel puri from puffed rice. I clicked some pictures and decided to go and sit for the Aarti.

Never before has water seemed so precious to me

Received ‘prasad’ after Aarti, got dark real soon. Got ready to continue.

Palki puja

Khopadi – 10:30 PM

The walk till Khopadi was really bad and the most frustrating till date. The jouney never seemed to end. I was desperate to reach the halt. My legs very hurting bad and I was dying of fatigue.

I kept asking how far was the camp, someone told me we had to walk 1 Km more and after a kilometer, someone said, there is one more kilometer. This made me angry and I walked in full frustration, pushing my limit. I walked very fast.

Reached the camp quite late. It was spread across a field and had to walk deep inside to find our mats spread in the middle of nowhere. My legs were about to break. To make matters worse, it was way too windy. Had quick dinner and slept covered with three bed sheets.

DAY 8 

16^th April, 2013

KHOPADI to POHEGAON – 30 Kms

Khopadi – 06:00 AM

It was all wet when I woke up in the morning. The dampness. My bedsheets were wet. My legs hurt real bad and I was shivering.

With a lot of effort, I woke up, brushed my teeth and had coffee without sugar because we were out of sugar.

Getting ready to leave at dawn

Highway – 08:00 AM

Stopped by a well for bath. Early bath again. The well is crowded with people and I can’t find a place to bath. Luckily, a friend fills two buckets of water and quickly pours them on me. The weather was not helping and it was burning hot already.

Refreshing bath

Had vermicelli for breakfast. We had breakfast in what was actually a cowshed.

Got ready real quick, had a bottle of sprite and prepared myself for the journey ahead.

Vavi – 10:30 AM

This will be the second last day of the journey. One more day to go. Got to eat watermelons on the way.

Yum

The Sanasthan has set up a huge tent here. A big puja, Rudra Abhisekam will be performed today. I took as many pictures possible. The puja lasted around 3 hours. I took a nap and then had lunch. Had time to spare, so just rested under the shade of the tent.

Rudra Abisekam puja

Tomorrow this time, we would be in Shirdi. Rested till 4PM

Narrow Road – 06:00 PM

Stopped for Aarti, I was the first among the group to reach the spot, spread on a muddy farm.

Muddy field

 The road was very narrow and passing vehicles were making it even difficult to walk. I attended the Aarti, the last evening Aarti of this padhyatra.

Pohegaon – 10:00 PM

The walk till Pohegaon was terrible. Absolutely terrible. Basically, I it was dark, I had to walk with my group, but got lost, then had to race forward to find them, then walked slowly with the help of little light leaking out on the road from battery torches people were carrying. Got lost again. This time, the construction of the narrow road were on and huge pebbles were laid down. It made my walking more difficult. No light, stumbling on the road for almost one kilometer, I made it. It was hell. My feet were crying. But this will be the last halt for the journey. 

They call it the acupuncture road.

Had coffee in a nearby shop. The mats were spread in a cowshed. We slept with cows and goats.

I did not have dinner. I had a bottle of sprite instead. I took a paracetamol as well. Then my head started to spin. So I went to sleep, covered with three bed sheets.

DAY 9

17^th April, 2013

POHEGAON to SHIRDI – 14 KMS

Pohegaon – 08:00 AM

Woke up late because there is very little distance to cover. Took a lot of group photos, as this is the last day. Played with the lambs and goats. Had tea and biscuits.

Nighoj – 10:00 AM

We reached Nighoj quite soon. I was feeling a bit feverish. The palki went ahead, we diverted to a small house. The small road was dusty and I had to walk the road wearing a surgical mask.

Last few Kilometers

My throat was hurting now and I was not feeling too good. Reached the house, put my camera battery on charge and got ready to take a bath. Water was filled in huge drums. After bath had ‘poha’ for breakfast.

I also took an antibiotic as I was feeling sick. Just a few more kilometers and then I could rest. I wanted to walk and finish.

Lunch was served, I was barely able to eat. But had glasses of ‘chaas’ with mint. It felt good for my throat. Took rest, but could not sleep because the air was too hot.

We finally departed at 03:30 PM, no more stops. The long rest was actually a pain.

Nostalgia hit me on the way. I had vague memories of the place. Only that the last time I was here, the canal was full of water. Draught had affected this place. Finally, saw the highway ahead of the small village road.

Shirdi was some 2 Kms from here.

Shirdi – 04:30 PM

Finally.

Zero Km

We reached Shirdi.

Nine days. There was celebration all the way from outer Shirdi till the temple. I stood in line for Darshan. I could not believe that I had made it. When I stood in the temple before the deity, I felt so happy. Another priceless moment to cherish my life.