The Progress of A Pilgrim- A Journey

Day 5: Chai Sutra: The Tea Trail of Ooty "Not all who wander are lost." - J.R.R. Tolkien My day began with Rosary and a trek through Elk Hill to visit the legendary Murugan temple housing a colossal statue of Murugan Swamy (Kartikeya), the god of war and bravery and the first born son of Shiva. Surrounded by pines and oaks, this trail took me half an hour's trek and Blessed with some beautiful views. Strong winds and showers of monsoon rain had made the trail not only beautiful but also dangerous but for a adventurer, when has a steep dangerous road stopped men from exploring the unexplored? Having explored Elk Hill and its charming views, I walked through another picturesque trail to The Government Rose Garden which is home to more than 500 different species of roses. Washed and purged by the heavy showers,  these roses danced in the wind as if to an unheard hilly folk song.  Next hopping on to an auto, we travelled to Doddabetta Peak,  the highest  point of Tamil N...

 The Divine Destinations: The Gothic Ecclesiastical Marvels “There are memories that time does not erase… Forever does not make loss forgettable, only bearable.” – Cassandra Clare To adhere to these very true lines, my third day in Ooty took me way back down the 1800s, the glorious part of this erstwhile sleepy hamlet. From a walk  into Old Ooty's Ecclesiastical architectural Marvels to a visit to a contemplative work through Ooty's oldest Cemetery to the best hot chocolate, Moody's and poori chutney in Ooty, Ruchika in Davidsdale. I have always pondered on the past, strangely I find myself fascinated by it. While some dread an Era without technology,  I still enjoy a fine book, a cup of chai or wine, I still prefer letters written  in ink with a fountain pen. I still love architectures that takes me back to a bygone Era.  My first stop as is my custom was a visit to The Cathedral for prayer and quiet reflection after which, walking through misty rainy Davidsdal...

 Day 2: Coonoor  A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” – Lao Tzu If you're a traveler, plans hardly have a place in your life.  My trip to this beautiful hamlet was never preplanned and yet was one of the best I've made so far.  From walking on the clouds to making new friends, Day 2 had its own charm. My day began with The Sunday Mass at the majestic Cathedral atop the mountain. The trek felt amazing, especially since it was early morning!  Post- Mass, I joined my group and traversing through meandering roads we reached the ever gorgeous Ooty Lake. Decked with humongous pine and ferns trees on either side the lake gorged gorged through with an astonishing view of the Nilgiris.  Another interesting thing about the trip was the visit to the tribal women's thread garden, created by women over 12 years with minute stitches creating over 150 different species of Nilgiri flowers which if nothing felt not only real but also fresh as ...

  Safarnama Jise safar-e-ishq hua ho use safar se mohabbat kyun hai, yeh puchte ho? Jo manzil bina hi rah chal pada hai, janaab unhe ghar dikha rahe ho? Mohabbat jiski waadiyan, samundar,aasman ho, use chaar diwalon mein kaid kar rahe ho? For those who aren't aware of Urdu,  "for the one who has fallen in love,  why do you ask, 'why did you fall in love'?" He who's love are valleys, hills, the waves and vast blue sky, why do you try and imprison him in 4 walls? Nestled in the Bosom of the Nilgiri Mountain Ranges lie the three neighboring hamlets. The erstwhile summer home of the Madras Regiment of the British Raj, Ootacamund or Ooty is home to some bloodcurdling horror stories of the lady in white, to the delicious homemade chocolates to the famed Nilgiri teas and coffees to epic Neogothic Cathedrals and Churches to cheap yet amazing woollens.  Join me as I explore the history and culture of these three hamlets.  Day 1- My day began with an early morning bus i...

  Talk to Me is a good scary movie.  Good story but it's a reminder that Satan and the Fallen Angels are real. Magick of any kind is of the evil one.  Scripture tells us a thousand times to stay away from mediums and all things that spell magick even astrology for that matter.  Satan can manipulate our greatest weaknesses and our biggest sorrows bringing us to Perdition.  In our pains we must never turn to any other forces than that which God has given us.  Demons are real and they do meddle in human affairs.  But we on our part, can stay away from them by keeping away from the occult and from all things God forbids us to do. The Church has always believed and taught that the dead do not talk with us unless God  commands them to do so, as is the case of The Holy Souls from Purgatory who have been sent to men and women of the Faith strengthening their Faith in the Holy Sacrifice of The Mass, or the damned souls who are sent to warn people of dire c...

  We Catholics should be very grateful especially because it is only in the Catholic Church that God has preserved the Full Deposit of Faith.  But at the same time we ought to be careful that we do not receive the Eternal Rebuke, "they worship Me only with their words but their hearts are far from Me." Every Devotion we perform on a daily basis,  say the Rosary, Confession, daily Mass, Adoration, Scriptureand Spiritual Reading,  Reciting The Offices- everything is aimed towards only one Goal and that is to drive us to become Saints. St. Dominic Savio learnt this so very young and therefore said the Saint, "I would rather die than offend God again".  Unlike the monks, we who live in the world,  we often excuse ourselves by our busy daily lives office work and so on. To us St. Bruno says, “While the world changes, the cross stands firm.” And so must we stand firm.  One could say he has The Faith. But is he/she faithful as a Catholic can only be seen in h...

  Since the Fall of The Angels and The Fall of Man,  the enemity between the Darkness and the Light has become even more evident and has reached its peak today.  We may deny the existence of Personified Evil or even the existence of anything supernatural, but in the times we live in,  it becomes even more evident.   But, to understand what led to this or rather, why the most perfect beings could be overwhelmed with pride and jealousy,  we need to go back.  Back at when God created the Earth,  Heaven and the Heavenly Bodies.   God being All Good,  created all things out of love. God, who is Love Personified never intended to create an evil Personified.  But yet somehow,  His Omnipotence knew what would happen and how He would play His part in the Drama of Salvation.  God Created the lights to distinguish between day and night.  Theologians often suggest that it was on that day and time God created the Angels....

  For what is man but dust and ashes, At eventide he withereth, But 'tis God The Maker,  The Lord Eternal,  Who maketh the soul not carnal, Raise o Christian Soul thy heart  To The Heart who loved thee more, For apart from the Heart of God Thy created heart be sore. O Word Who loved and loves us still, Thy Name Name we sing for aye! Thy Name my parched lips may fill, When my soul to Heaven may fly.  O raise thy voices dawn and even, Raise a Prayerful sigh! Nothing can but capture that Heart, But prayer alone that raises thee, Prayer the greatest art. O Christian soul sing thy cry to Heart of Love. And with that song, like a swallow, fly to Heaven above. #thoughtsongod