Small Story 395.

Small Story 395 A Long-Pending Trip Fulfilled After returning from his morning walk, Seshan received good news from his wife, Lakshmi. Their apartment neighbor, Padmanabhan, had invited them to attend his 70th birthday celebration at the Guruvayur temple with his family. Coincidentally, Seshan and Lakshmi had been planning a trip to Guruvayur and Trivandrum to visit Seshan’s old UAE friend, Ramachandran. Hearing this invitation, Seshan was delighted—two long-awaited wishes could now be fulfilled in one journey. Two days later, the group set off in a comfortable luxury van. After a smooth ten-hour journey, they reached Guruvayur. They spent a full day participating in the birthday celebration and seeking blessings from the deity. From there, they proceeded to Trivandrum. During their two-day stay, Seshan finally met his old friend Ramachandran in person for the first time, despite years of correspondence from their Middle East days. Both of them often contributed letters to the same newspaper column, and interestingly, their letters would frequently be published on the same day. After five eventful days, Seshan, Lakshmi, and the birthday-celebrating family returned safely to Bengaluru. The next morning, during his regular group meeting, Seshan shared halwa and banana chips from his trip. A friend whispered to him, “You’re lucky, Seshan. You got to travel comfortably and visit the two important places you had long planned for.” Seshan smiled and replied, “Yes, it was unexpected and amazing—meeting my old friend for the first time, joining a celebration, and visiting sacred places. I truly feel blessed to be part of this group and for the way everything worked out. It all happened in the right time.” K.Ragavan 11-10-25