Lucknow, Oct 21 (Inditop.com) Balancing his mother and his few worldly possessions, a youth in Uttar Pradesh has set out on a pilgrimage just like Shravan Kumar of Indian epic Ramayana who carried his parents in two baskets slung across his shoulder.
Virendra Kumar Verma, 21, a resident of the Chandpur village in Sitapur district, says he wants to fulfil his mother’s wish by taking her on the pilgrimage to the Hindu holy city of Haridwar in Uttarakhand and is making the journey on foot as he has no money.
He has already travelled 35 km. A large number of people from various villages are flocking to see Verma, who is carrying his widowed mother Savitri Devi in a basket suspended from a bamboo pole.
The bamboo pole has two wicker baskets attached at the two ends. In one sits his frail 58-year-old mother, while the other contains articles of daily use that balance out her weight.
“I am doing nothing extraordinary. It’s my responsibility as my mother wants to visit Haridwar before leaving the world,” Kumar said.
Nearly 10 days ago, Kumar made a firm determination to fulfil his mother’s wishes to perform prayers in Haridwar.
“My mother had plans to visit Haridwar along with my father Jagdeesh Prasad, who died of protracted illness around two months back. He was suffering from renal problems. As I had exhausted all my resources on his treatment, I had no option other than carrying my mother on my shoulders to fulfil her wishes,” added Kumar, who is a farmer.
It has been 10 days since his journey started from Chandrapur, on the outskirts of Sitapur district, some 80 km from Lucknow.
“I had to stop at a number of places as my mother has not been keeping well for the last few days. I put up a tent and stay inside it along with my mother when she complains of weakness and giddiness,” said Kumar.
He has become a centre of attraction in the entire district where residents are not only lauding his efforts but are also helping him achieve his destination.
“We are offering him money, food and other items of daily use so that the young man can meet his objective,” Kalpana Nigam, a teacher at the government-run Parsendi primary school, told Inditop on telephone.
“Just a couple of days ago, he (Virendra Kumar) was in my locality – Roti Godam. When we came to know about the devotion of Kumar, we went to meet him. We offered Kumar and mother fruits and other eatables, which they readily accepted,” she added.
Kumar has not fixed any deadline for reaching Haridwar. “Although I have not fixed any date, I believe with the constant efforts and blessings of my mother, I would definitely reach Haridwar, which is nearly 400 km from Sitapur,” Kumar told Inditop on phone.
According to Ramayana, Shravan Kumar was a devoted son who carried his blind parents on his shoulders. He was killed by the mighty King Dashrath on a dark stormy night – he had gone to fetch water for his thirsty parents and the king shot him with his arrow, mistaking him for a deer.
