A Family Reunion and a Pilgrimage to Rameswaram

A Family Reunion and a Pilgrimage to Rameswaram

What better gift can we give the departed than prayers for the soul. To pay respects to our Anna Nagar mama’s soul, we all fifteen close family members went to Rameswaram on 21^st December, 2019, on the culmination of  Mama’s first death anniversary, falls on 28^th December 2019.

Our group includes the closest relatives of Mama: His wife (my elder sister), two younger brothers with their spouses, two sons with their spouses and their children, myself and my younger sister. A family reunion is a time to remember, a time to laugh, a time to share old stories and make new memories. In fact this reunion is a coming together that strengthens the bond of our family and reminds us the gift of belonging. A family is like branches on a tree; we all grow in different directions and even with different faiths, yet our roots remain as one.

Mama was the eldest member of our family and with due respects everyone of us voluntarily joined in the pilgrimage to Rameswaram.

To say about the trip, it is a well organized one by Mama’s eldest son and the cooperation was extended by all to him in making the trip a grand success. All of us assembled in Chennai domestic airport on  December 21, 2019, early morning and took the IndiGo flight, an ATR 72 craft, enjoyed by all, the 85 minutes journey to Tuticorin airport.

We were welcomed by nature’s drizzling weather and proceeded to Thangachi Madam, just beyond the Pamban bridge, by a mini A/C bus equipped with TV and Disco lights!  But the joy of singing competition of film songs by two groups of young and old, during the bus journey was enjoyed by all.

A short break we took at a Forest Guest House arranged by our US uncle, a retired IFS gentleman. After lunch, we went to Agni Theertham, the sea shore of Rameswaram, near the famous  Sri Ramanatha Swamy Temple. After the formal rituals, we  all dipped our legs in the sea waves coming to the shore and sprinkled the holy water on our head.

The darshan was so good and we were allowed to have it very close to the presiding deity’s sanctum sanctorum. The deity, Sri Ramanatha Swamy is in the form of a Lingam. We have also seen Sri Parvathavarthini Amman and a unique Vishnu shrine in a Shiva temple, Sri Pallikonda Perumal. But few of us missed the world famous Third Corridor with 1212 pillars and bathing in many thirthams!

To catch up the Rameswram Sethu Express at 8.15 pm, we took dinner in a hotel nearby the railway station and back to Chennai on 22^nd morning at 7.00 am. 

We missed the rail bridge view as we crossed the Pamban bridge in dark night. 

Many of the first timer for Chennai Metro enjoyed the short travel from Egmore to Thirumangalam station and we were back home with lots of memories.

 My sincere thanks to all for making the shortest pilgrimage trip, a memorable one. Let our prayers take Mama’s soul to reach the abode of his favourite God, Lord Muruga.

Wish you all A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year 2020.