Divine trip

Well, as promised in my previous blog, I will dedicate this blog to what have I been doing ever since I reached this place - Pittsburgh. Actually not.. I will just blog the one which is worth a blog :)

What is there in starting a new program/study in life without paying a visit to almighty. To top it all, am in pittsburgh known for the SV (Sree venkateshwara/ Sree vishnu/ Sree Balaji) temple. It was last sunday when me and my room mates along with a couple of buddies had decided to visit the temple. We couldnt make it on that day thanks to the infrequent bus service by PAT.

So we did our home work, figured how to reach the place and then set out on our voyage on Tuesday. Within the first hour we knew it wasnt easy reaching there. We were lost and have changed 3 buses. Fortunately or Unforunately hit upon 9 other class mates in the third bus. They were also heading towards the temple. Our hopes brimmed up. According to what we had planned we were supposed to get down in Morovellie mall and take another bus towards the temple. But a few who joined us were informed that we could actually go upto Lewis (further up in the wrong directon!) and take a cab from there. As all others were heading there, we also decided to join them. Once we were in Lewis, the worst thing stuck us. No cab company/driver offered to come there to pick us and drop in the temple. We almost waited 3 hrs and were all set to head back home without paying the visit. It was just then we saw a cab coming in. The cab driver had promised us to make 3-4 trips to drop us all. In the midst of 2nd trip came the confusion. The driver acted cranky and said he would not be able to transport all of us. It is when we got a bit too anxious and decided that we leave the place (we were 4 of us who joined the other 9). The journey back home was filled with sad faces. We had done all the home work to reach the place but ended up not visiting the place. Thoughts like, would we have made it if we hadnt met up with the other 9 crept up. But then, there can be always if and buts... U never would have known what would have happened if we were going as planned.

On the journey back we decided that we will plan it exceedingly well the next day and come. The next day we left home at 8:00am. We were to reach the campus to get the bus. The bus which we were to take to campus didnt stop. We feared that it is going to be a repeat of the prev day. We hurriedly walked to campus, got the bus at 8:40 got down at Morovellie mall (not lewis this time :) ) got a connecting bus towards temple. The place the connecting bus had dropped us was abt a quarter mile or so from the temple. We started walking towards the temple. We were gleefully watching which diversion to take. It so happened that there was a private property and we thought that was the road to the temple. We stood there for sometime and later confirmed that it isnt and started moving ahead. The worst thing wa the owner of that private property had informed the police and the police came in within few minutes before we reached the temple. We had to explain to him that we were heading towards the temple and were lost and hence we were looking at that place etc..

After so much of drama we reached the temple, had a nice dharshan, (it felt like I was in India), a couple of plates full of prashadam (which served as b/f). Then we got the tamarind rice and yogurt rice and headed our way back towards the stop where we got down from the bus. On the way, we were lucky to meet a gentlemen in car (he was from India and studied in coimbatore, the place i live) offered us to give a lift to downtown. We gleefully accepted the offer, reahced downtown and then from there headed back home. We were @ home by 12:30. It was amazing that we made the whole trip in less than 4 hrs (including a 1.5 hr stay in temple).

On the hindsight, there were innumerable hurdles before we reached the temple. But we were rewarded for all those by Sree Balaji by sending a gentleman to give us a lift to get back home :)