Solo Journey
It was a long weekend.
I was staying in a flat with my friends in a metropolitan city in India. Initially, I had planned to travel back home for the break.
But while walking from my flat to the bus stop, I suddenly changed my mind.
Instead of going home, I decided to visit the temple of one of the most revered deities in India — “Kaliyuga Srinivaasudu,” Lord Venkateshwara in Tirumala, Tirupati.
Without much planning, I checked train availability and boarded a bus to the nearby railway station.
Since reserved tickets weren’t available, I bought an unreserved ticket to Renigunta Railway Station, which is near Tirupati.
And that spontaneous decision became the beginning of one of the most memorable journeys of my life.
Since I had an unreserved ticket, I needed to reach the railway station around 1–2 hours before the train’s departure time.
I was waiting at the station in the evening when I came across a man who looked around 45 years old. We started talking and eventually became friends. Interestingly, he was also travelling solo to Tirupati.
We waited together for the train.
Finally, the train arrived.
Since it was an unreserved compartment, we had to run to board quickly because seats are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
After a bit of rushing, we finally managed to find seats for both of us.
The train started around 5:30 PM.
As expected in an unreserved compartment, more and more passengers boarded at every station, and the crowd kept increasing throughout the journey.
After a long and tiring journey, I finally reached Renigunta the next day around 3:30 AM.
My journey friend and I got down at the station. At that point, the next step was to reach Tirupati, so we checked if there were any trains available. Luckily, we found one that was leaving in around 20 minutes.
We bought tickets and waited.
By then, my body had started giving up.
I felt tired, slightly nauseous, and drained because I hadn’t slept properly or eaten well since the previous day. For a moment, I genuinely felt like I wouldn’t be able to continue.
My friend noticed and gave me some water and asked me to relax.
That small gesture helped more than I expected.
I sat quietly for a few minutes.
And then one thought came into my mind:
If Lord Venkateshwara has called me, He won’t leave the journey incomplete.
Maybe it sounds emotional, but at that moment, that thought gave me strength.
I got up and boarded the train.
Within 25–30 minutes, we reached Tirupati Railway Station around 4 AM.
From there, I went to Vishnu Complex, where Slotted Sarva Darshan (SSD) tokens are issued.
I asked at the counter, hoping I could get one.
But unfortunately, the tokens for the day had already been completed.
For a second, I felt disappointed.
But I had already come this far.
So I decided to go ahead with Sarva Darshan without a token.
Meanwhile, my journey friend already had a Seva ticket, so he left to freshen up.
I boarded a bus to Tirumala.
The ticket cost around ₹90.
By 6:30 AM, I reached Tirumala and headed to Venkatadri Nilayam, where free accommodation is provided.
Because of the long weekend, there was a huge crowd.
I moved from one counter to another, not really knowing which queue was for what.
After some waiting and a little confusion, I finally got a token for accommodation and locker allocation.
And then something interesting happened again.
While standing in the queue, I met another person who had also come to Tirumala alone.
We started talking.
Within a short time, strangers became companions again.
We got our accommodation, freshened up, and had breakfast before continuing the journey.
By 8 AM, we boarded the free bus from Venkatadri Nilayam and headed towards the Sarva Darshan queue line.
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The queue had already started becoming part of the journey.
As we moved slowly through the lines, we kept chanting:
“GOVINDA GOVINDA”
again and again.
Since we were from different states, we spent hours talking.
We spoke about our cultures, traditions, daily lives, and how differently people live while still carrying similar beliefs.
Some conversations felt so natural that it didn’t feel like we had met only a few hours ago.
After waiting for hours and spending almost an entire day around the temple premises, we finally got the opportunity to have Darshan of Lord Venkateshwara the next day around 3:30 AM.
And honestly —
those few seconds changed everything.
For around 10 seconds, I forgot the crowded trains, the lack of sleep, the long queues, and all the struggles of the journey.
Nothing else existed in that moment.
I just stood there looking at Him.
I felt goosebumps.
A strange sense of peace.
A feeling that is difficult to explain in words.
That moment made me feel that if Lord Venkateshwara calls someone, He will somehow create a path for His devotees to reach Him and receive His Darshan.
After Darshan, we headed to collect Laddu Prasadam.
But because of the heavy crowd, my friend and I got separated.
Since we had deposited our mobiles before Darshan, there was no way to contact each other.
I waited and searched for him for some time.
Then I collected laddus for myself and my family and returned to the same place hoping to find him.
But I couldn’t.
It felt strange.
We had met as strangers, travelled together, and then separated without even saying goodbye.
After that, I returned to Venkatadri Nilayam to take some rest.
While walking back from the temple, many thoughts were running through my mind.
For a moment, I felt —
What if life could always be this simple?
No commitments.
No pressure.
No attachments.
Just peace.
By then, it was almost 5 AM.
I rested for some time and searched for trains to my hometown.
I found one around 10:00 AM and booked a reserved ticket this time.
After experiencing the unreserved journey once, I didn’t want to repeat that adventure immediately.
I freshened up, checked out with my luggage, and went back to the temple.
I sat near Ananda Nilayam for around two hours.
And those two hours felt different from everything else.
I felt calm and peaceful for those 2 hours. I couldn’t come from that place. It feels so divine early in the morning with “GOVINDA GOVINDA” chants.
On the way back to the temple from the accommodation, I did a small amount of shopping for my loved ones. I felt like I didn’t want to move from “ANANDHA NILAYAM”, but I had to. Then around 8 AM I came to the Tirumala bus stop and boarded a bus to Tirupati. I called my friend and told him I was leaving, but to my surprise, he was already in Tirupathi. I had my breakfast in Tirupathi by 9AM and headed towards the railway station. I had to wait for the train, as the train got delayed for almost an hour. My friend called me before he left Tirupathi; we talked for a few minutes about the journey. If possible, we can meet again. Finally, around 11:30AM, I boarded my train to my hometown. I got the side lower berth and slept peacefully, as for the past 2 days I haven’t had proper sleep. I had my lunch and dinner on the train.
I landed in my hometown around 2:30AM. I had to wait almost 1 hour in the railway station, as there was no transportation at that time. I managed to go to the bus stop and boarded the bus to my village.
This is my first solo journey. Although I haven’t explored much in this place on this trip, I still feel like I did; at least I travelled.
By this solo journey I observed we have to interact with others if we need something or want to ask something. It builds your interactive skills.
You need to take your own decisions on where to go and where to stay. Maybe we can make mistakes; we may miss some places due to lack of knowledge, but still it will build confidence.
I’m not saying I achieved something big, but I can — yeah, I made it into action; that thought had been running in my mind for a long time.
Feel free to drop your thoughts on my journey and guess the railway station from where I boarded to Renigunta.
