SILCHAR, July 28 - From the busy roads of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha to the hilly terrain of the North East, 40-year-old Dakshina Murthy Krishnakumar and his mother Chudarathna, now in her 70s reached the southern part of Assam and plan to travel to Tripura as their next destination on a rather phased out scooter.
Already a massive sensation across the nation as the modern Shravan Kumar, Krishnakumar, a resident of Mysuru along with his mother who was matching him with full vigour and contagious enthusiasm were found interacting with people on the streets of Silchar on Saturday.
Catching up with The Assam Tribune, Krishnakumar said, �we are amazed to see such rich diversity among people of this great country. My mother�s wish to visit religious places like Belur and Halebid was my command and we have now travelled over 40,000 such religious places in India along with Nepal and Bhutan as well on my Bajaj scooter in the past year and a half.�
Narrating his experiences of visiting Kamakhya temple during Ambubachi this year, Krishnakumar who is also in a kind of a pilgrimage with his mother, said that he has had an overwhelming experience to see an assembly of saints and pilgrims at the temple.
�We travelled to Bongaigaon, Nagaon, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh and then attended the Ambubachi festival at Kamakhya. Many parts of the roads in Assam including at Bokakat, Dibrugarh and even at Silchar, we found in under-construction status. It has been a great experience to witness a sea of devotees and saints. We hope that the roads will be excellent in the coming days,� Krishnakumar maintained.
He was quick to add that his mother has been the constant inspiration which helped to extend the travel plan on their scooter beyond south Indian states to other smaller cities and districts across the Indian terrain.
Sharing her thoughts, an emotional Chudarathna said �back in 2015, I had only casually expressed that because of domestic chores, I could not get time to see the rich cultural diversities and religious places, educational institutes of the country. And here is my son who had left his job in the corporate sector only to fulfill my wish. What else can a mother ask for. Thankfully, I am able to adjust to the changing weather conditions and keeping good health. I am enjoying every moment of the sojourn.�
Meanwhile, Nibedita Sengupta and Manna Sengupta, residents of Tarani Road in Silchar were excited to host the mother-son duo at their residence.
�A week ago, we had been to Ramkrishna Mission in Cherrapunji where we came across them amidst media attention. Once we spoke to Krishnakumar and Amma, we felt a divine connect and we are extremely happy to have them amidst us. However, they are quite rigid about accepting gifts. Our son Mayuk is busy quizzing them about their journey,� said Nandita.
On the other hand, Cachar Deputy Commissioner Laya Madduri who had invited Krishnakumar and Chudarathna over tea at her residence expressed her happiness saying, � this is a classic example for those children driven by professional pursuits who plan to leave their elderly parents at old-age homes. People like Krishnakumar have come as a perfect answer to such intentions and hope that his efforts shall set a brilliant example of service to parents which is service to God.�
