I wanted to visit Guruvayoor since January 2009.
Unni's vacation is going on. Beena and Unni decided to go to Pune and then to Hyderabad on June 12th. I thought June 2nd week end was perfect and suddenly decided to go to Palakkad to have darshan of Guruvayoorappan and also visit other temples. I got rail ticket through Tatkal scheme; to and fro as wait list 1. All my friends told me it will get confirmed. Jai Ho!!
Chennai to Palakkad journey was quite fine. I met an entrepreneur from Calicut who is into supplying Printers and also running a sophisticated printing unit there.
I decided to take Kerala State Transport (KSRTC) Bus from Palakkad to Guruvayoor. Since child hood I am fascinated about KSRTC Bus and the ride. The schedule was to start at 6 pm but it started almost half an hour late and then itself I lost the hope of late evening darshan.
I reached Guruvayoor around 9pm and started searching for accommodation. All Hotels in and around KSRTC Bus Stand displayed a board "House Full". I saw one decent Hotel and thought to check what is the deal. When I reached the Reception, one guy ..may be Manager... watching quietly Television without even minding any one entering the area. I took courage and asked him ..Is there any room available?...he replied sarcastically........."Cant you see the Board"........that is typical Kerala attitude and style. I disappointed and started checking with Auto Drivers. This is a trick I played long time back as the Auto Drivers will have tie ups with Hotels and they get us a room. To my surprise, no Auto Driver is ready to speak with me........then I checked with one senior Driver.....do you know any place where I can stay a night......he replied "Saaar dont try here because no one will give room to a single person due to security issues" . I was taken aback. How can Guruvayoor hotel owners stamp every one visiting there in single as Terrorists OR to suicide. I again tried with couple of others and every one of the same opinion. I was having only one option and that is to try at Krishna Inn, one of the high end Hotels in Guruvayoor. I reached Krishna Inn in an Auto. The Lobby Manager confirmed that there is room available at Rs. 1660 plus tax. I had no option but to spent money. Normal charges at Guruvayoor is Rs. 350/- per day to Rs. 850/-. He diplomatically checks with me when will I vacate, whether I will see the early darshans, is this my first visit to the Hotel etc to make sure I am not a Terrorist OR going to suicide there. Not only that, he took complete charge from me in advance..........to ensure there will be no outstanding even if something fishy happens. I felt pity for the Manager as the Hotel management would have trained him to ask diplomatic questions to the customers who reach there alone after 10 pm. I also felt funny. Krishna Inn, if you know, is a beautiful place to stay and I was very thrilled to get a room. But this was till entered the room. I have a habit of checking "news" before I go to bed. I switched on the Television. First, the TV remote wont work. The Electrician comes and advised me not to touch the TV or the remote. The service was pathetic as I could not get a mineral water bottle for an hour. Then the Room Service guy knocks at mid night to get signature on the bill. Phew....This disturbed my sleep and I could get up only at 5 am.
I reached Temple premises around 5.30am and as usual there was long queue. Slowly slowly I reached inside and had a brief darshan.
I was to travel back to Chennai on the same day. As mentioned, my ticket was WL 1. Unfortunately, it remained as WL 1. I visited Palakkad station and met all the Ticket Examiners on duty for help. I could not get any help and then decided to fly from Coimbatore. I had to make 100 calls to different people to ultimately know that there is a Spice Jet flight from Coimbatore to Chennai at 10.40am and I can book the ticket over telephone. It was a good experience as within five minutes I could get a confirmed ticket through Spice Jet toll free line. I booked a cab from Palakkad to Coimbatore. The early morning drive was fantastic.
I felt helpless and sad end of this visit and cemented my belief that Kerala will never improve and God cannot change arrogance of Keralites.
I had to shell out huge money for this two days visit and the challenges faced by me driving me to go to Guruvayoor once again.
