July 31, 2016 – Adasa Temple, Maharashtra, India

This was the second day I was hanging out with my school friends and this time, we selected a nearby famous temple in the city of Adasa as our destination for this trip.

I was always fascinated by this place. I used to wonder why so many people from my village visit this place and what is so special or magical about it. Unfortunately, I never got to visit it until this moment – the last couple weeks that I was going to spend at home before heading to the US.

This place is roughly 30 minutes from my home and we had to drive our bikes here on the potholes filled road. It was not good for my bumps, but didn’t complain as I had my friends with me for the company. We hardly realized the time we spent on the bikes as most of the time we were talking to each other.

I still remember the first scene that I saw when I entered this village. It was like any other village and I was surprised to find that out. This made me realize what a small bubble I lived in. It was a small village just like mine, but has become more famous over the years because of the temple. I remember chucking at myself at this sweet realization.

As we drew closer to the temple, we parked our bikes in the temple parking lot, which had ample space. And, to our relief, there was no rush at all or long queues to get a glimpse of the deity. Being an atheist person, I would have hated to stand in line for that, but was soothed to know that was not the case. As always, we were invited by many vendors who had shops just outside the temple. My friends know how irritating I find when people start calling you to come to their store to buy some stuff for the deity from them instead of the adjacent store. Fortunately, my friends intervened and I didn’t have to deal with them. They all got something to give the deity too, and I, being the atheist, didn’t feel the need to do that. Gosh, the weird and strange looks that I got from people around me were fun to watch!

Anyway, we started taking steps to the temple and on the entrance, I was pleasantly surprised to find out a cool breeze hitting my face. I was so engrossed in noticing the architecture and structure of the temple that I forgot to notice there was a river right next to the temple and wondered how I missed that.

If you see the picture below, you will notice how dark/brownish the water is in that river. It was no big deal for me back then, but having seen a few countries and roamed around a lot, you realize how important it is to preserve our rivers. If people back home, don’t take care of this river, they will be deprived of this privilege in a few years and they will have no one to blame for that but themselves.

Okay! Going tangent again!
Focus, Milind, Focus!

After clicking, I don’t know how many, pictures, we ate some prashad at the temple. Sat around for a few minutes and once it started getting boring, headed home. But the drive back was incomplete without stopping at random spots and click more pictures.

As you can see in the above picture, we stopped at some place, which is very hard right now to point on a Google Map, to click a few pictures. This spot reminded me of my Goa memories that I had been to just a few days ago.
You see my school friends in the picture above.
Shital – she had always been a calm and sharp girl throughout the school days.
Neha – even though we were competitors throughout high school, we always had that special bond, which was really hard to break, that’s why, we’re still very good friends and still in touch.
Sarang – we have spent countless hours with each other. when I moved into my current house, that’s when our friendship grew even stronger, as we became neighbors. Our day used to start early in the morning, going to coaching classes together, followed by school, and then evening cricket practice. We did that for almost 4 years, so Sarang has grown to be the closest friend I have back home and I really cherish this friendship.
Pushpa – she is one of the most sincere and well-behaved girl I have come across. I haven’t seen anyone that well-behaved so far!
Priyanka – she was the bubbly girl in our class, always smiling and making other people smile.
Ashish – he has been a kind friend that I needed in life. Ashish has taught me how to be cool, calm, and composed. No matter what the situation is, you will always find him calm, and that is something really special about him.
Pankaj – he is one of the most down to earth person you will come across. Even after climbing a ladder of success, he has remained true to his ground and has helped numerous people with both time and money. I learnt the art of giving away and it is really important to live your life peacefully.

Well, I spoke more than I thought, so, I will stop here.
This is one of the last trips that I vividly remember, so, I really appreciate the love my school friends showered on me, before I carry on with my life, without them! 😭