WALK OF FAITH

So this year also I had my tryst with destiny on 5th November. I made the 8 km walk from Secunderabad church to the Hyderabad church where the relic of Parumala Thirumeni is interned.

As in the last year I had the company of 83-year-old Mammen Abraham uncle and 73-year-old Itoop. Some more of our known people also joined us. May be we motivated them.

The confidence level of completing the walk like last year was there; but for safety we had my car and driver following us.

There were over 1000 people in the group, some carrying their small chidren and many of them having started the walk from Ramachandrapuram church,almost 25 km away. This I should say is an ultimate expression of faith.

A walk like this through the busy and congested streets of Hyderabad with several busy road crossings during the peak evening traffic time is a test of patience for the others with blocked traffic etc; for the walkers it is test of their faith. It also means a test of stamina and the ability to ignore the stares and sometimes angry reactions of the other road users. It is only the tactical intervention of some of the seniors, which prevented some ugly confrontations. In a democracy everybody has the right to practice his or her religion; but I do not know how long this public expression of faith will be tolerated by the unfaithful. But I am sure if our faith is strong, it will continue to be accepted.

Most of the people walk to express their faith for the favours received. I had asked for nothing before I made the walk. But I had in my heart wanted my walk to bring a doctor for the Balagram Eye Hospital. We had been looking for a doctor for the last one year and the hospital was without a doctor for the past 6 months. After my walk it seems that our search will be over soon and we will have a doctor. A miracle or a coincidence?? I do not know. I leave it you to decide. For me it looks like a miracle after knowing the efforts we had put in and the heartbreaks we had.

So will I make the walk next year? My heart tells me that I will do it. But my body is not so sure. Let us see. I take things as they come. I am sure I will not have to walk for a doctor next year. May be for the Old People’s Home at Yacharam; who knows????????