Man walks 1,600 km to Tirupati to pray for people

Visakhapatnam: It is a prayer of sorts when 40-year-old A Srinivas decided to create awareness about coronavirus trekking all the way from his hometown Kharagpur, West Bengal to Tirupati.

Stopping only to rest in temples during nights, Srinivas says he is on a 1600-km trek. "The trek is a prayer for me as I intend to pray to save people from the dreadful coronavirus," says the trekker, who reached Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. The trekker is pleasantly surprised to receive an encouraging response from people of all quarters for his initiative that began on November 10.

Sharing details of his endeavour, Srinivas told The Hans India that he can able to cover a distance of 20-30 kms a day. When the day progresses into evening, the trekker brings his journey to a halt. "Many ask me where I am heading to and when they discover what I am up to, they appreciate and also felicitate me as a token of encouragement," elaborates the trekker. Reaching Visakhapatnam, Srinivas says that he is fond of Lord Venkateswara and he feels it is a blessing in disguise to trek all the way to Tirumala to have a darshan of the Lord of Seven Hills.

In 2015, Srinivas, who runs a pan shop in his hometown, went on a bicycle trip from Kharagpur to Hyderabad, creating awareness on pollution and conserving environment. When the trekker reached Gajuwaka, he was welcomed by Telugu Samakhya president R Sundar Rao and its member Rambabu.