VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribag, June 4: Well-known businessman of town, Upendra Kumar is a Lord Shiv devotee who is different from other bhakts of the God. Kumar not only takes Kanwar Yatra in the Savan month every year but he does this padayatra every month offering Gangajal to Shivling in Babadham(Deoghar). 60-year-old Kumar owns Kumar Agency on Guru Gobind Singh Road, a sanitary shop of the widest range.
Kumar told Lagatar24.com that he came to Hazaribag from his native place Biharsharif in Bihar some 30 years ago. Then he started this shop with only Rs 30,000 and it clicked due to the blessings of Bholenath, he added.
But when asked why he started Kanwar Yatra every month, he said his daughter Puja Prakash is an MBBS doctor and now pursuing a postgraduate in Bhopal. Whereas his son Abhinav Prakash and daughter-in-law Monica Kumari are engineers. My all wish has been fulfilled by Shiva so I decided to take up Kanwar Yatra every month during Purnima offering Gangajal to Shivling in Deoghar.
About his yatra, he said he reached Sultanpur last evening and took Gangajal. “Now I am on my way to Deoghar taking a 106km journey on foot. I walk 50 km at a time taking breaks then,” he added. On summer days, it takes 30 hours to reach Deoghar temple on foot and 24 hours in winter, he said.
Kumar said taking out time from his busiest schedule and going to Deoghar on foot to say thank you to God for whatever he provided him, gives him immense pleasure. “Whatever I am and whatever I have is because of Shiva and whatever I am doing is very less,” added Kumar before signing off.
