Sai Ram.
Today I had the opportunity to come to Shirdi after a couple of years. The moment I landed, one thing hit me immediately: the heat. Bangalore has been all rain and cloudy skies lately, but Shirdi was blazing at around 43 degrees. Proper peak summer.
I had also barely eaten all morning. Just coffee. That’s it.
At Bangalore airport, I thought, “No point eating now, I’ll have something properly in Shirdi.” I wasn’t too hungry then anyway. But once I reached, checked into the hotel, and settled down a bit, hunger suddenly entered like a full cinema villain entry.
Now, I have a few favourite food spots in Shirdi.
First, I went to Sai Sagar. I really like that place. Their misal pav is excellent, tiffin items are solid, uthappams are good, vadas are crunchy, pongal is comforting, and even their North Indian and Indo-Chinese food is decent. But somehow, when I looked at the lunch meals section, nothing called out to me.
So I walked to another favourite of mine: Swami Madras.
Again, lovely place. One of the older restaurants in Shirdi. Their upma, uthappam, coffee… all consistently good. But there too, I looked at the lunch menu and felt… no. Not this.
At this point I just wanted one deeply satisfying meal. Something that makes you sit back afterward and think, “Yes. Life is okay.”
So I started walking around thinking maybe Andhra meals somewhere, maybe some proper thali somewhere else.
And then suddenly the thought came:
“Why not just go to the Prasadalaya?”
I thought okay, let’s walk. What’s another 10 minutes in 43-degree heat anyway? At that point the sun was roasting everybody equally like a universal air fryer.
I started walking from Pimpalwadi Road toward the main gate. Then I saw a board:
Prasadalaya – 500 meters
That’s when my confidence started negotiating terms and conditions.
I looked around and saw all these nice restaurants nearby. Sai Nivedyam, Sai International and others. I almost gave up and thought, “Forget it. Let me just go eat comfortably somewhere.”
Exactly at that moment, while I was crossing the road, one gentleman suddenly came from behind and tapped me.
“Are you going to the Prasadalaya?” he asked.
I said yes.
He immediately said, “Come, let’s go.”
No introduction. No context. Just straight guidance delivery.
We took an auto together. ₹20 per head. Within a few minutes we reached.
He then told me, “Sir, I already have a chit, so I’ll go ahead.”
At that point I still had no idea what chit he was talking about.
Inside, I saw two lines. One was for the free prasadam section, and another where you pay ₹50 and go upstairs for meals. I thought the paid section would be quicker, so I joined that line.
Then I noticed everybody there had receipts in hand.
That’s when I realized the “chit” mystery had returned for Season 2.
Someone explained to me that I first needed to stand in another queue, buy the coupon, and then come back to this queue.
I looked at the counter.
Absolute crowd.
That’s when I internally looked upward and said:
“Baba… I’m hungry. What exactly is this game plan?”
Then suddenly I thought maybe Baba was redirecting me toward the free prasadam line instead.
So I walked there.
I asked one staff member, “Sir, will this take a long time?”
He casually replied, “No sir, line is moving fast. Just go.”
So I entered.
Now this queue was like a spiritual labyrinth. Zigzag barricades everywhere. You keep walking and walking and slowly lose all sense of geometry.
Then suddenly, once again, I noticed everybody had receipts.
Again.
At this point Baba was basically running a full suspense thriller.
I asked the man in front of me, “Sir… even here we need a receipt?”
He said yes.
Apparently, people who had Baba darshan were given some receipt while exiting, and that was needed for prasadam.
My heart dropped slightly because by then I was already deep inside the queue maze.
Then, before I even asked him anything further, he looked at me and asked:
“You don’t have a receipt?”
I said no.
Immediately, without hesitation, he pulled out a bunch of extra slips from his pocket, took one, handed it to me, and simply said:
“Go.”
That moment hit deeply.
It genuinely felt like Baba was saying:
“Just keep moving. Don’t overcalculate every turn. Don’t assume you know the destination. I’ll redirect you when needed. I’ll send people when needed. Just flow.”
That was the real prasadam even before the food.
And then finally, I sat down and ate.
Simple food. Beautiful food.
Rotis. Two dals. One worked perfectly with rice, the other with roti. A nice aloo-based subji. Sweet sheera at the end. Everything unlimited. Everything served with care.
Not restaurant luxury.
Something better.
That feeling of being fed.
Properly fed.
I came back to the hotel afterward just smiling to myself.
What a way for Baba to begin this trip.
Absolute banger of a leela.
Sai Ram.
