A corporate executive with a promising career ahead of him has chosen to hang up his boots in order to fulfil his mother’s wish of touring major temples across the country.
Dakshinamurthy Krishna Kumar of Mysuru, who used to travel across south India on work assignments, was taken aback when his mother Chudaratnamma, 72, ruefully told him that she had not even visited the famed Halebidu temple in Karnataka, which was not far from where they lived.
“Discontent was writ large on her face. That made me rethink about the purpose of my life. After a lot of thought, I decided that I wanted to take my mother to all major temples in the country, that too on my dad’s scooter. Having made enough money to lead a decent life, I quit my job on January 14, 2018, a day before the Sankranti festival, and together we embarked on our pilgrimage on January 16,” Mr. Krishna Kumar told The Hindu.
Mr. Krishna Kumar has more than lived up to his promise to his mother. As of now, the mother-son duo has travelled a distance of 56,522 km visiting temples not just in India but also in neighbouring countries like Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar in the past two years.
“The pandemic put a spanner in the works, forcing us to take a break from our journeys,” Mr. Krishna Kumar said.
“I rode up all the way to the last village near the Indo-China border on my scooter. Wherever we go, we stay at temples, mutts or monasteries and make it a point to interact with the locals and get to know them personally,” Mr. Krishna Kumar said, adding that the duo never faced any problem in getting food and shelter wherever they went. “We never had to worry about where our next meal was coming from,” he said.
Staying at home during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure that his mother remained safe, Mr. Krishna Kumar has now decided to restart his temple tour by visiting the abode of Sri Venkateswara who is his ‘Mane Devaru’ (family deity). The duo is now in Tirupati.
Driving force
The mother-son duo’s mode of transportation is a 2000-model Bajaj Chetak, which was gifted to Mr. Krishna Kumar by his father. The vehicle has proven to be a trusty steed, taking them across the length and breadth of the country.
“It is our driving force,” he said with a smile. “I feel very attached to this vehicle as it is a gift from my dad. We feel his presence wherever we travel. Our scooter has never let us down, even in hilly terrain,” he said.
Mr. Krishna Kumar decided at the age of 21 that he would remain a lifelong bachelor. “I want to help my mother travel for as long as her health cooperates. Then, I will lead a life free of materialistic pressures,” he said.
