A day in the life of an everyday hero
It was Maha Shivaratri, the sacred night that commemorates the divine union of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. A day celebrated enthusiastically throughout the country when devotees, early in the morning, bathe and visit Shiva temples to serve Shiva’s favorites and obtain his blessings. It was a quite sunny and cheerful Sunday morning on 15th February 2026. The same essence of festivity had enveloped our campus. Enthusiastic devotees, all bathed and loaded with offerings for Shiva, were seen traversing the roads. The temples, too, were significantly livelier and much more surrounded than usual. A Sunday morning like this would otherwise have felt unbelievable. We too had gone to a nearby temple and offered our routine prayers. After which we returned home to briefly start preparing for another sacred sojourn. This was to an ancient temple, located inside a prohibited area, where entry of visitors is allowed only once a year on this venerated festival. Much like the previous year,...