By 2008, we owned a car, and the temple authorities had introduced special darshan arrangements for senior citizens and differently-abled individuals—both categories I happened to fit into. This was a thoughtful initiative, offering two slots per day. We waited in a closed hall where light snacks and milk were provided.

The process was smooth—we only needed to cross the road and enter a covered passage to access the temple. The regular crowd was held back, making it easy to move through the passages for darshan. While exiting the temple posed some challenges due to the released crowd, it was manageable. Each person received a free laddu upon exit.

Our next two trips were by car, accompanied by a reliable driver we frequently hired. Given my health issues, we stayed overnight at Bhima’s Residency. The next morning, we went uphill for darshan. Waiting gave us the chance to meet other devotees, including a couple from Pondicherry with a son living in the same U.S. town as ours. We also met a remarkable elderly woman from Mysore who regularly stayed in a guesthouse and arranged multiple darshans for senior citizens.

On what became our final trip, my wife, my elder sister, her husband, and I followed our usual routine—staying at Bhima’s, having darshan, and enjoying lunch. However, we were caught off-guard by a new rule: we needed tickets to enter the waiting room, and the crowd was heavy.

We anxiously watched the board displaying the number of tickets issued. Fortunately, we secured tickets for the first darshan slot, and the rest of the visit went smoothly.

I haven’t been back to Tirupati since, but I believe these trips aren’t planned—they happen when the Lord calls.

Contd. 370. The Green Light