It’s rare to see such bonding between parents and children in modern times where the only concern for children is caring for themselves and thinking parents to be a burden. All around us, we see, read and hear stories of children abusing their aged parents, leaving them to fend for themselves, enrolling parents in old age homes and forgetting all about them, etc, etc… Rarely ever do we hear of children actually caring for and loving their parents. But this story will completely stun you. It is not only a child caring for his aged parent but going beyond the call of duty. In these selfish times, there are some gems, like Kailash Giri who is a blessing to his blind mother Kirti Devi.
Kailash Giri is a resident of Hanoi village (Jabalpur district in Madhya Pradesh) and is completely devoted to his mother. So much so that he actually carries her on his shoulders and takes her by foot to all shrines and holy temples across India as that was his mother’s wish! And how long has he been doing this? Since the last 20 years!
How did it all start? It all began when his mother expressed an innocent wish – that of seeing the Char Dham or the most holy Hindu pilgrimage of India. She wanted to visit Char Dham on foot. However, Kailash and his mother were very poor and could not afford the fares to travel and stay. it was then that Kailash decided to carry his mother on his back and fulfil her wish!
He made a contraption, not unlike a weighing scale with a basket balanced on each end (refer main image). In one end of the basket sits his mother while in the other end, he places all of their worldly belongings. This basket is then slung across his shoulders and he carries it wherever they plan to go. While he has definitely covered the destinations his mother wanted to visit, he did not stop there. he decided to take his mother to all the holy shrines across India and they have actually covered a majority of the shrines! He takes care not to over-exert himself and takes adequate rest.
Kailash’s day begins early when he gets up and begins the walk with his mother. He then takes a break early, once the sun begins to rise as it gets too difficult to walk carrying so much weight. He then rests in the afternoon and begins walking again in the evening till nightfall when he retires. As Kailash and his mother are too poor, they survive entirely on donations. They eat whatever others give them and live at night in shelters provided by others.
They have nothing except a few belongings to their name. Kailash Giri is now 48 and started his journey when he was just 28 years old. His mother is now 92! So far, they have already covered temples in Kedarnath, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Kashi, Dwarka, Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Puri, Rameshwaram, Mahabaleshwar and Tirupati! They have even been to Janakpur in Nepal on foot!
But why did Kailash leave his own life to fulfil the wish of his mother? Wouldn’t living together, earning enough and providing her a life of comfort be enough? Not according to Kailash. When he was a little kid, he once fell from the roof and would have died if not for his mother’s constant care and love. She tended to him day and night and prayed all day for his recovery. After his recovery, Kailash feels it is only because of his mother that he is alive. His father passed away when his was barely 10 years old and he lost even his brother at a young age. His mother now did not have anyone but him. Therefore, he made it his life’s mission to keep his mother happy.
He is often compared to the character of Shravan Kumar from Ramayan who carried his blind shoulders on his back and took them around for pilgrimage. His love was selfless and he was his blind parent’s only solace. Kailash is called the modern Shravan Kumar, though he denies being one. For him, he is only doing his duty towards his parents and doing his best to keep them happy. Well, he is truly an inspiration to all the youngsters of today! We wish all modern children are inspired by him and if not such deeds, atleast try and keep their parents happy in small ways!
By Rutu Ladage India.Com
