The Link to Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra:
It all started with the Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. I also knew the Pada Yatras of the famous leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Y S Rajasekhar Reddy etc. I was curious on how they are able to go on such long walks and what is involved in it. The only way I can find out is to walk one full day. That’s how the concept of Dawn to Dusk Walking has arisen.
Walk and Help Physically Handicapped People to Walk:
After lot of dilly dally, I decided to do this long walk on 25th December. I was encouraged by my friends who are willing to join me. As part of prior preparations, I browsed the Internet for Dawn to Dusk walking tips. I was attracted by a post of a charity organisation in Ireland. They organise the Dawn to Dusk walking for Charity purpose and encourage everyone to walk a minimum of 7 kilometers. That’s how I got the idea of linking our walking to charity. It was then decided that we will contribute ₹100 per kilometre to a charity organisation that supplies artificial limbs to physically handicapped persons free of cost. “Don’t Just Walk – Help Others to Walk by Your Walking” is the new slogan going forward. 😀
From Temple to Temple – A Pilgrimage:
This long walk is also a kind of pilgrimage. We have decided to walk from Cheeryal Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple and end our walk at Keesaragutta Lord Shiva temple.
That’s How Our Journey Started:
Mohanraj and Veerabhadra Rao joined me in our first of a kind experience. Mallik and Krishnaiah have decided to walk on their own. We went by car to our starting point of Cheeryal Temple. After having darshan at the temple we started our walk at 8.40 am.
Walking Along Cheeryal Lake Bund:
Cheeryal Lake is a beautiful site and we enjoyed watching it while walking. I have given some pictures below of the lake. The first challenge is the weight of our backpack since we were carrying many items to eat. But we had two bags and three shoulders to carry. We were able to manage that way.
The Meeting with Cricket Team:
One the way we saw a beautiful cricket ground where a match was in progress. The team was enjoying their break and when requested by us they walked along with us for some distance.
Our Meeting with Basavayya:
On the way we met Basavayya who stopped on seeing us. He was curious to know what we are doing and where we are headed to. He told his personal story and he is proud father of budding lady engineer. He gave us the direction on how to reach Keesaragutta temple. Maybe God has come in his form to guide us.
All Religions Temple and Jain GOWSHALA:
On our way we found this temple and Gowshala and had darshan of various deities of the temple. It was nice to see so many cows at one place. We have also interacted with the priest and he said that he is from Uttar Pradesh and he stays alone in the temple leaving his family in his home town.
A Scenic Road That Connects to the Keesaragutta:
You can find this road besides the State Bank of India and this path is recommended if you are walking and will be able to climb two steep hills. But the effort is worth it since you will enjoy the scenery while you walk along the road.
Climbing The Two Hills:
This was the most toughest part for us considering our age and we had to stop multiple times. The rocky terrain is so beautiful. We had to be careful not to slip while climbing the rock. A lady has asked us to climb the hill with bare feet since their belief is that the hill itself is God. We obliged her duly.
Hurrah We Reached Our Destination:
After walking for four hours and ten minutes we reached the Keesaragutta Lord Shiva temple at 12.50 pm. We were lucky to have darshan of Lord Shiva since the temple was closing shortly. We thanked Lord Shiva for helping us in completing the trip successfully.
The Conclusion:
The total distance covered by us was 11 Kilometers and we enjoyed it thoroughly. So, we will be contributing ₹3300/- towards charity. My other friends Mallik and Krishnaiah has walked for 10 and 6 kilometres respectively and they are accordingly contributing a total sum of ₹1600/- . That’s not all. One more Samaritan Mrs. Padma Mattipalli who lives in Atlanta has contributed ₹1000/- by walking in her city. Inspired by all these, Miss Sai Sahitya also walked for 3 Kilometers in her hospital and contributed ₹300/- . Hence a total sum of ₹6200/- will be contributed to Bharat Vikas Parishad. But this is not the main point.
The main point or take away is the concept of walking for charity purposes and this model can be repeated multiple times.
I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog. Bye for now. Before you go, enjoy some more glimpses of our walking.
vsrsastry 