My parents’ silver jubilee anniversary was round the corner. After weeks of brainstorming for that perfect gift, I closed in on a family trip to Shirdi. After all, what better gift could there be for a set of religious parents than a trip to a holy place with their children?
I quickly looked for a reliable car on Rent in Mumbai to take us to Shirdi, and made the reservations for our commute and accommodation.
Mother’s Wishlist: Journey to Spirituality
Shirdi has always been on my mother’s wish list. After checking all the safety norms as per the covid guidelines, we planned to leave for Shirdi early in the morning. We started at 4 AM.
Shirdi is located 240 km away from Mumbai. We took the Mumbai-Pune expressway till we reached Pune. We then shifted to NH 60. The drive and the sky were as lovely as my mother’s smile.
The rural idyll was evocative, and we stopped for tea and Poha at a roadside dhaba. We came across the beautiful village Asangaon and spent some time looking at the beautiful nature around us.
Divine Destination
We arrived at our destination after nearly five and a half hours. We checked into our hotel to rest and prepare for Darshan. It was spotless, spacious, and reasonably priced! We had all washed and were on our way to the shrine for Darshan.
I booked our Darshan tickets online. The tickets cost Rs 200 per person and included Darshan aarti. I also scheduled our evening aarti. Shirdi was packed as usual, but we showed our ID cards and entered the main temple complex.
We had our darshans and then performed circles around Gurusthan. My parents were amazed and overjoyed to be present there. Holy places provide a sense of calm and mental peace. Our day was made much better by the beautiful weather.
We went to Andhra Brahmin Satram for lunch after sitting and observing the positive aura around us. The food is provided free of charge. It is one of India’s most well-known mega kitchens. Before eating, my father and brother had to remove their shirts. The meal was delicious and palatable.
Sightseeing
We decided to go sightseeing as the weather was extremely pleasant. My father enjoys visiting museums. So we headed towards the Dixit Wada Museum, which included Sai Baba’s personal belongings and some old photographs. We also went to Sai Heritage Village and learned a lot about Sai Baba’s life and work. We came back to the temple to attend our evening aarti. I took a photo of my parents outside the temple. I’d like to retain it as a souvenir of our best-ever family trip.
Blissful Sandhya Aarti
We went to attend an evening bhakti-filled 40-minute aarti. It was a glorious epoch. I was astounded to realize how this place binds all of us together in a single thread. There could be nothing else that would have made my parents happy like this. We had a fantastic road trip.
The outstation cab from Mumbai to Shirdi we had booked, proved to be extremely convenient for local sightseeing in Shirdi. Not only did I manage to plan this fun road trip for my parent’s 25th anniversary, we had the best time in the holy abode of Sai Baba! We created memories of a lifetime.
