Pittsburgh - My Path to Salvation

We, my wife and I, went to graduate school at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and after my wife got done with her doctorate, we moved to the suburbs. My sister-in-law and her family on the other lived in Maryland. Every other year we would drive late Friday evening and either travel non-stop to Maryland or take a break somewhere in the middle. That place was the Steel City, Pittsburgh.

For Indians and more specifically, Hindus, this city is quite important. The best known Venkateswara temple out side of Tirupati is in Pittsburgh. We have seen this temple grow from a small temple to one where it is now hard to find admission for aarti.

A decade ago we moved to the Maryland area, but we still have friends in Michigan. One such couple is Pria and Ravi. Along with Jeshmi/Krishna and Jyothi/Ram, they are so important in our lives that we talk to them 2-3 times a week and try to meet them at least 2 times a year. Think about the magnitude of this commitment; we talk to them more often than with our parents; we see them more often than we see our parents or my sister and her family. Let us just say, Ravi and Pria are family.

When we were newly married we traveled light and had little to worry. With two kids it is no longer easy to travel long distance. So now Pittsburgh has assumed an even greater importance in our lives. From being a pit stop in our travels, Pittsburgh is the place each family now drives to. It is 5 hours by road for Ravi/Pria and a mere 4 hours for us. We start early Saturday and drive to Pittsburgh, check in to a motel by afternoon. We then go to the temple and here is the best part. The temple serves some of the best food at amazingly low prices. We spend 4 hours in the temple and the kids have a blast since there is a lot of space outside where they can play. We check out Sunday morning go back to the temple and after an early lunch drive back to our respective cities. Now here is the interesting thing; none of us are very religious and we do not particularly care whether we go to temples or not.

My parents on the other hand are staunch Vaishnavites and a trip to the US is not complete without a trip to Pittsburgh. Although they also know my opinions well, they have not given up hope. Even if I keep going to the temple not to worship the Lord but for secular reasons, it is OK. In their minds his blessings are still with me whatever my motivations and one day I will understand the Lord's eminence and grace.

They hope that my travels to Pittsburgh will somehow put me on the road to salvation!