A modern day Shravan Kumar

Kailash Giri Brahamchari has resolved to visit all important religious places in the country to fulfill the vow taken by his mother Kirti Devi. A resident of Wargi village of Madhya Pradesh, Brahamchari has been carrying his blind mother Kirti Devi in her 80s in a makeshift swing suspended from a pole across his shoulder. While the woman sits in one of the baskets, Brahamachari keep his clothes, utensils and some other heavy items in the other to act as counter balance.

“When I was about eight years old, I fell from the treetop and suffered fracture. Expensive treatment was not possible because of financial difficulties. It was then my mother prayed for my recovery. She vowed to undertake a journey to some of the religious places, if I was cured. Her prayer bore the fruit and I recovered quickly and that too without any medicine. She could not perform the thanksgiving trip  for one reason or the other. But when I turned 24, I started taking my mother to the religious places,” recalled Brahamchari.

He has taken his mother to places Ayodhya, Chirtrakut, Kashi, Tarapith, Basukinath Dham (in Jharkhand) and Tarakeshwar in the past 12 years. 

 Kirti Devi had asked Brahmachari a few times to end this religious travel but he is insistent on completing it. Brahmachari faces embarrassing moments at times as people seek his blessings because of his true love for his mother. The new-age Shravan Kumar gets good response from the people and at many places the locals make arrangements for food and shelter for the two.