“Do all the good you can while you still have the opportunity.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita It was a new dawn, a scenic morning when people welcomed the year, according to the Hindu Calendar. In Maharashtra there were celebrations correlated to Gudi Padwa, while in Andhra Pradesh it was festivities associated with Ugadi. The Konkanis were going to celebrate their new year, while the people of Karnataka too were carousing. Having my roots in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and having lived in Maharashtra for more than two decades, I felt the best way to celebrate was through an early morning visit to the Swami Ayyappa temple at Dehu Road . The temple is amidst the sprawling greenery tucked away in the Sahayadri mountains of the western ghats extending from Lonavala to the cantonment area in Dehu. With the development, we find a few hills, some of them called the Shasta hills that are holy with the Shrine of Swami Ayyappa . The trek on the Sasta ...
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