I wonder how many of you have seen the movie “Gandhi”. I have and have always been deeply impressed by it. I particularly liked the scenes in which  Gandhi is on his historic Dandi march to walk some 200 kms to the sea beach to make salt in defiance of British orders. As he walks on relaxed, confident and calm- people keep joining up with him till a mass of humanity congregates on the sea beach and in a symbolic act shakes up an empire.

 In one of the scenes a rookie British reporter is walking next to him trying hard to get his attention- Gandhi asks him his name “Walker” says the reporter- “why were your forefathers called Walker?” asks Gandhi “Maybe because they walked a lot” replies the reporter. Gandhi pauses mid stride - looks at him with an impish look and says “Well then my name should be walker too” and bursts out laughing and strides onn

From the 18^th of September onwards my name is going to be Walker too – Cause I am going to walk a lot from then till the 26th – almost twice the distance Gandhi walked – from my home in Delhi to the balaji temple at Gagwana near Ajmer- a distance of some 400 kms by car and maybe a  little less when I walk – I plan to reach there by the 26^th walking some 45 kms a day on an average to be confirmed as a walker -or maybe land up with a tag of  “Tried to be Walker”.

It is partly in fulfillment of a religious vow . We have been going to this temple at least twice an year – before every auspicious occasion to ask for blessings-after every occasion to thank for blessings given-whenever in trouble to ask for help, and when nothing has happened to merely thank Him for no troubles sent.

When Sarita was unwell last year and I was under terrible stress about her heart condition the thought had flashed through my mind that I would walk to the temple when she would get well. When by his grace she did I thought it was time to pay off the debt.

Maybe it was some adolescent dream dormant in my subconscious of the beloved being mortally sick and the hero swearing to complete some impossible task to get her back and it just flashed across my mind just as Sarry lay sick- but  flash it did and I felt I was morally bound to complete it.

Balaji incidentally is not the same as the Balaji down south where he is Lord Vishnu, In Rajasthan Balaji is the name of Lord Hanuman – and this temple I am talking about is just another nondescript temple by the roadside- one look at it and you will wonder what the hype was about!!!!! I was introduced to it some 25 years ago by a friend when I was working in Jaipur and under some stress –“ just ask here and it will be answered” he said- I did and it was. I tried again after a few months and that was answered too- The only condition there I was told was that to receive you have to give up something you really like- and since then my entire family has been known for giving up things- we give up eating non vegetarian food one year - tea coffee another-sweets a third- rice a fourth- (Of course when we give up one we restart the other –otherwise we would have been eating and drinking nothing by now.)

After those first two times many years ago I have never asked for anything specific-maybe I am afraid the illusion will break- maybe I just don’t want to lose the faith – or maybe he really has been kind to me- I have no idea. He also has not played a major role in my day to day life- I am not the kind of person who would say “Ohh lord please please make sure this order materializes – Lord I hope my daughter gets through in her exams” -or anything like that-and I have also on occasions cheated on the vow made- but I guess He has been forgiving

 and at the back of my mind has been the secure feeling that if all else should fail I have someone to fall back upon .

 the faith defies all logical thinking- it contradicts all that I say about being rational and not getting taken in by superstition- but it is there all the same – and therefore from the 18^th of September I shall walk – and end up either being called “Walker” – or “tried to be walker” .