Bethel Lodge (standard:travel stories, 2955 words)
Author: Juggernaut	Added: Aug 20 2011	Views/Reads: 3227/2120	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Young Juggernaut experiences while visiting temple town 'Tirupathi' and Meteropolitan City 'Madras' or 'Chennai' with his cousin Laxman.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story


Cousin Laxman was tall, fair skinned man in late thirties with 

wavy black hair covering his large forehead, and with sharp long nose 

and thin lips was handsome.  He looked too urban for his wife from a 

village; she was known in the family for obedience and competent 

domestic duties.  Laxman learned typewriter and shorthand writing 

skills from his father who owned and operated a small school to train 

students in shorthand and type writing to be employed as 

stenographers. 

Laxman was a very lucky to be employed as a stenographer by an 

American oil refinery outside the town.  He was very good in writing 

shorthand; while most Indian stenographers were good in Pitman system 

of shorthand, Laxman was also good in Gregg system of Shorthand 

preferred by the Americans that got him the Job with the American 

refinery.  Laxman lived with his wife and young daughter in the company 

exclusive housing colony. The American housing colony, a gated 

community was clean and well kept; just outside the gates, the place 

was untidy and slum like. Laxman's young daughter was always well 

dressed like an American kid with long socks and boots, perhaps living 

among Americans, Laxman emolliated some of the American ways. 

It took a two-day train trip to reach the temple town 

Tirupathi; hundreds and thousands of pilgrims visit Tirupathi everyday 

to visit Lord Venketeswara, the God known for making the devotes wishes 

come true; then there is this belief among the believers that the Lord 

demands the devotees' to payback in kind whenever their wishes were 

fulfilled. This mutual satisfactory relation between the Devine and 

millions of believers grew into a multi-million dollar enterprises in 

the temple town. On annual basis, the temple takes in over hundred 

million dollars worth of donations from the devotees satisfied with the 

outcome of their wishes. The Temple spends much of it on the 

development projects around the temple for the convenience of the 

millions of devotees visiting each day from all corners of the country. 

The temple authorities were flushed with so much money from 

the devotees, they provide free lodging and meals to all the visitors 

for a day or two.  From several lodges, one can see the surrounding 

hills know to be seven around 3000 feet above sea level; on one of the 

hills was the main temple with the famous deity of Lord Venketeswara or 

called Balaji in short. 

Laxman received a free room for two days in one of the lodges. 

The room has two wooden cots, a small table and two chairs. “Well, I 

forgot to pack a bar soap, Srinivas you go buy one at a nearby shop,” 

said Laxman giving a small change to Srinivas. 

When Juggernaut complained that the cots were too hard to 

sleep without mattress. “Well, remember you were not in your luxurious 

large home, you better used to sleep on these cots you know,” Laxman 

was little harsh. 

Then suddenly, Srinivas came running into the room 

screaming “a monkey jumped on me and stole the soap from my hand.” 

“What happened?” Laxman shouted. 

“While walking back from the store, a large monkey from 

nowhere jumped on me and ran away with the soap.” 

“Don't you know this place was famous for monkeys, stealing 

things” Laxman was mad at Srinivas. As usual Srinivas did not reply, 

only looked dejected. 

“Then why don't you go and get yourself soap?” Juggernaut 

shouted back at Laxman. 

Juggernaut and Srinivas went to bed that night without any 

other incident. Next day morning, the visit to the temple ended with 

long waiting for hours in the queue; the time spent inside the temple 

in front of the deity lasted only few minutes due to pushing and 

shoving of devotees. Any simple complaint of discomfort by Juggernaut 

was met with Laxman giving a long lecture on how his uncle spoiled his 

kids with too much luxury. “Because your father was a big doctor you 

live in luxury you know, many of your relatives do not live like you in 

big house and all that,” Laxman behaved as if he has a gripe against 

his uncle, Juggernaut's father. 

After two day train trip to the Temple town, endless waiting 

to get a free room and more waiting in the queue to get inside the 

temple for worship that lasted less than few minutes, the monkey 

incident reestablished a fact that no pilgrim leaves the temple town 

without being robbed by a temple monkey. Only Srinivas in our family 

had the honor of being robbed by a temple monkey. This could have one 

of the cherished landmarks in his life though he never expressed it 

openly. 

On completing the temple visit, Laxman along with the 

youngsters took a train to Madras, a large city in neighboring state, 

known for big buildings and marvelous ‘Marina Beach'.  All the movies 

produced in South India were shot in Madras and so it was home for all 

the movie stars. 

When the train reached the Central Railway Station in Madras, 

the platform was chaotic with porters carrying baggage on their head 

and some in their hands, It was confusing for Juggernaut and Srinivas 

to see such a large crowd speaking loud in a foreign language, and to 

avoid being lost in the crowd, they kept close to Laxman appeared 

bewildered for the first time.  From the crowd, a silver haired old 

man, small in stature with a friendly face pushed himself towards 

Laxman and started talking in familiar language as if he knows him 

well; “You folks from Andhra Pradesh, welcome to the Big City,  if you 

are looking for a safe and cheap place to stay I will take you there in 

a bus, it takes just over few minutes only,” the old man was very 

friendly and took the bag from Juggernaut's hand in a friendly gesture 

as if helping the young one.  Appeared relieved from moments of 

uncertainty, without asking any questions, Laxman followed the old man 

to the outside the railway station; followed closely by Juggernaut and 

Srinivas. 

The old man was talking as if he knows Laxman for a long time; 

the bus stopped in front of a small hotel on a busy street. A large 

sign board on the hotel building read “Bethel Lodge.”  It was a two 

story building on a busy main road. As quickly as he met at the railway 

station, the old man disappeared after introducing to somebody at the 

front desk. Laxman paid for a single room for two nights stay. 

The room was on the second floor; there was a small courtyard 

in the center of the hotel that opened to the outside into the 

backyard, and the rooms were all around in the rectangle shaped 

building on two floors. The steps to the first floor were steep and 

dark with musty odor.  While walking towards the room, people inside 

the rented rooms with doors open were arguing loud while playing cards 

or some betting game of some sort. 

The designated room for Laxman was small with two narrow beds 

with thin mattress and a wooden table with one chair.  On the table 

were a black telephone and a thick telephone book. Laxman ordered room 

service for lunch from nearby restaurant, while waiting for lunch 

Juggernaut and Srinivas fell asleep and only get up  to see very little 

food Laxman left for them.  The noise from the next room was very loud 

as if some sort of fighting taking place between angry men. Laxman was 

irritated for the nuisance and started cursing the old man for bringing 

to a bad place.  “I am going to talk to them to be quiet otherwise we 

couldn't sleep tonight,” muttered Laxman getting to leave the room.” 

“Are you sure you want to talk to them, they sound pretty 

scary,” Juggernaut expressed fear. 

“I am telling, you both behave like sissies, I blame my uncle 

for this,” Laxman left the room to calm down the rowdy behavior next 

door only to came back running into room to shut the door closed and 

started dialing the front desk for help with no response.  Then, few 

men shouting obscenities started banging the door to open it up to 

confront Laxman physically.  Juggernaut and Srinivas went hiding below 

the cots and Laxman dialing another telephone number and stated talking 

to somebody introducing himself as an old friend begging him to come to 

hotel to rescue.  After brief scary moments, the banging on the door 

stopped though the noise in the next room was still loud and disturbing.


After few anxious hours of waiting, somebody knocked the door 

softly and identified with a name that Laxman identified to open the 

door slowly to let the man enter and closed the door immediately after 

him.  The man was lanky, with brown skin and thick glasses with 

friendly face. The dark thin mustache above his thin lips looked 

artificial and comic like. 

After exchanging pleasantries with his friend whom he met 

after several years, Laxman said “we were duped into renting at this 

unsafe hotel by an unscrupulous broker met at the station talking in 

our native language.” 

“In big cities like Madras you have to be careful with 

strangers otherwise you will get into more serious troubles than 

renting a hotel room in a rundown gambling hotel like this,” said his 

friend in a sympathetic voice. 

“I am wondering if you could accommodate us at your place for 

two nights since we cannot stay at this place any longer and I have 

already paid for the hotel,” Laxman sounded sad. 

“Well, my wife was away for a short visit to her parents and I 

live in a small rented space, a cheap accommodation since I cannot 

afford a better place in this expensive city, but for you, an old 

friend from my native town,  I can share for two nights,” his friend 

was very kind. 

Laxman followed by Juggernaut and Srinivas travelled on a bus 

with his friend to his place.  Juggernaut never saw people living in a 

place like that before; a small part of an open space on a flat roof 

top of a concrete house was converted into living quarters by putting 

up a tin roof. The covered space was divided into a large room, small 

kitchen area and bathroom.  Laxman was very happy to drop the bags on 

the floor and sat on the bed with pure satisfaction of safety under the 

tin roof on top of a building terrace. The tin-roof place was very hot 

for Juggernaut and Srinivas; they wandered around the terrace roof 

looking around several potted plants along the walls of the terrace. At 

least, the place was safe from noisy and violent crowd at ‘Bethel 

Lodge.' 

Laxman took Juggernaut and Srinivas on a bus to see the 

tallest building in the City “Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) building 

on Mount Road, one of the main thoroughfares.  The building was so 

tall, Juggernaut and Srinivas has to walk across the street to get a 

good look at the top floor. After counting the total number of floors 

several times, they could not agree on the exact number of total 

floors. Then, they saw a postcard with ‘LIC' building at a street 

vendor.  Juggernaut begged Laxman to buy the card so they can count the 

floors on the post card picture.  After counting carefully the number 

of floors in the building on the postcard and again the real building, 

they came to a conclusion the building has 14 or 17 stories, the 

tallest building they ever say in their life.  The next stop 

was ‘Parrys' Corner' a busy intersection of several cross roads with 

huge building that housed the High Court.  Lastly, in the evening they 

visited the ‘Marina Beach.'  “The beach in our town is better than 

this,” said Juggernaut. “This is the world famous ‘Marina Beach,' “you 

cannot compare beach in our town;” Laxman dismissed Juggernaut's 

comments and walked up and down on the beach though it was hot followed 

by Juggernaut and Srinivas. 

On the last day in Madras, Laxman went on shopping spree 

buying all kinds of gifts to his wife and young daughter. This became a 

tiring chore for Juggernaut and Srinivas, as the bags and the small 

boxes piled upon them to carry as Laxman visiting shop after shop. Then 

it started raining; when it rains, it pours in Madras; the rain was 

intense downpour turning the streets into streams with water standing 

two-feet high on the street.  With bags and boxes piled high in both 

hands, Juggernaut couldn't take anymore, so he dropped a box in the 

water to get Laxman's attention. Laxman noticing one of the gift boxes 

dropped into the water, jumped forward to pick it up and screamed at 

Juggernaut to be careful with his gift boxes. Again, he blamed his 

uncle; Juggernaut's father for poor upbringing of Juggernaut and 

Srinivas. 

Laxman expressed his gratitude to his friend from his 

childhood for giving shelter for two days in difficult situation before 

leaving for home. 

“You both don't mention to your father about ‘Bethel Lodge' 

incident,” “if my uncle knows that I foolishly put you both at danger, 

he will kill me, you hear,” Laxman begged Juggernaut and Srinivas. 

“How about monkey incident in ‘Tirupathi?” inquired Juggernaut. 

“You can tell monkey story, your father likes animal stories,” 

Laxman was more comfortable with the monkey story. 

Laxman continued his good relation with his uncle, visiting 

often more so for free medical care than anything else.  Either 

Juggernaut or Srinivas never mentioned their father what happened in 

Madras at ‘Bethel Lodge.'. They did tell him about monkey stealing soap 

from Srinivas hand, which he asked to repeat several times to his 

amusement. 

Several decades after ‘Bethel Lodge' experience, in his rare 

trips to his native land, Juggernaut met his cousin Laxman, now retired 

from operating his own stenographer training school inherited from his 

father. Totally bald with hearing totally shot and vision declining, 

Laxman appeared like a ghost of himself. 

“Do you remember ‘Bethel Lodge' shouted Juggernaut into 

Laxman's ear since he was totally deaf now.  He didn't get it at the 

first instance.  Juggernaut shouted again with his mouth close to his 

ear ‘Bethel Lodge in Madras.'  Laxman smiled with his mouth wide opened 

with several teeth missing and shook his head.  “Have you met your old 

friend from Madras again? Juggernaut was curious.  Laxman shook his 

head sideways and made a hand signal to say no.  “I am sorry I dropped 

your gifts in the rainwater on the street in Madras,” Juggernaut 

expressed sorrow belatedly after over 4 decades.  Laxman waived his 

hand dismissing it as a minor event and gave a big affectionate hug to 

Juggernaut. “I have an axe to grind against your father then but could 

never confront him directly, foolishly I took it upon you and Srinivas, 

I am sorry,” he murmured into Juggernaut's ears. 

Some years ago, on checking into a room with family on a 

vacation to New York City, a hotel  near ‘Times Square' with daily rate 

above $350 with view from single window was concrete buildings only few 

inches away brought back memories of ‘Bethel Lodge' in Madras with 

window  so close to the neighboring building. At least, for the price 

paid for the hotel in New York, the hotel was safe. 


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