Long march draws to end, Kanwarias tired & happy, commuters relieved

GURGAON: Every year, hundreds of people from the state go for the Kanwar yatra to pay homage to Lord Shiva. Some of these devotees have undertaken this journey for several consecutive years. Mahinder Saini, for instance, has gone on this trek eight times now. This time, he trekked till Rishikesh. Forty-eight years old, he works as security guard in Sector 31 in Gurgaon.He claims that the authorities are very flexible and liberal regarding such religious expeditions. “I am married with a child and next year, we are hoping that all of us embark upon the journey together,” Saini said.
He added that unlike earlier, he needs to be better prepared when he takes on these arduous journeys as he is becoming old. “This time, I carried a first aid box that contained all essential medicines, crepe bandages, antiseptics and disinfectants. Apart from that, I took a pair of shoes, two pair of clothings and a rain coat,” Saini added. Next year, he hopes to fetch holy water right from the Glacier, with his family.For 42 -year-old Ashok Shama, this was his third year of journey and each time he went to Gomukh, covering 452km from Silokra village. He took 15 days leave from his job to complete the journey. “I carried a waterproof backpack with two pair of shoes, mosquito repellents, rain coat and some warm clothing. I fed on fruits all throughout the journey,” said Ashok.Vinod Sharma, 35, went all the way to Gomukh second time now.
Cousin of Ashok, he is also a resident of Silokra village. A property dealer by profession, he is a devout follower of Shiva. Even though he reached Rishikesh on a truck carrying Kanwars, he completed the rest of the journey to Gomukh on foot. “I carried three dozens of bananas with me in my backpack as they provide energy. I also took a photo of my wife on the journey but left the mobile phone back home,” said Vinod, adding that he plans to go for the kanwar yatra for next five years at least.While most of the devotees are experienced kanwarias, there were some who undertook the journey the first time. Neeraj Sharma, a B-Tech student embarked on this holy journey for the very first time. “My holidays are on and my uncle was going for the yatra. It was then that I thought of exploring my spiritual self. Staying at the shelters with people from varied backgrounds from all over the country was the best part of this experience,” said Neeraj. Even though he has developed severe blisters on his feet, Neeraj said that he plans to undergo this experience again next year.A Delhi-Gurgaon commuter, Shashank Ghosh, said that the past few days have been horrible on the expressway and that he is happy that the ordeal is about to be over.