When the Queue Becomes the Teacher: Reflections from Sabarimala
Whenever I have to start my day in the wee hours, I become an alarm for the alarm. This time was different since there was no dependency on public transport, and any delay would only affect the departure and return journey, leading to lack of sleep. Since there was no dependency on public transport, I slept well but remained conscious that I needed to get up at 3 am. After getting sound sleep initially, I started awakening intermittently. When I pressed the button on my watch to check the time, it was 1:40 am on November 18th, 2025. Thereafter, I waited for it to become 3:00 amvthe time we had planned to get up, take a quick bath, and depart for Sabarimala . Just before the alarm, I fell into a good sleep and woke up on the stroke of 3 am. I got ready, and by 3:45 we started our journey to Sabarimala. Akamala Temple Like every year, we stopped at Akamala Temple for our Kettu Nirakkal: the process of preparing and filling the Irumudi, called "kettu nirakkal" or "palli ket...
