When the saffron swamis are being targeted for their fake promises and prophesies, a person, who neither claims himself a 'swami' nor performs any magic, is gaining the attention of hundreds of devotees.
"We don't know who exactly he is. May be a saint or not. That doesn't matter. We get relaxed when we bring food and sit beside him," says Ramakrishnan, a resident of Chengottukavu, near Koyilandy in the district.
What inspires the people to have faith in a man who sits beside a pile of food articles, fresh and stale, in a shed near railway gate at Chengottukavu, is not known.
Baba, who neither takes bath nor wash his hands, is still a mystery even for the devotees.
Anand Kumar who runs Sai Mandiram in Thiruvananthapuram and his wife had a 10-hour drive to Kozhikode only to get a glimpse of their Chengottukavu Baba.
He neither chants mantras, give Vibhoothi, deliver prophecy nor he claims of any magical powers, but devotees from all walks of life reach to see the man not for achieving anything but to relax their minds.
"Baba who is known as 'Pickle Swami' among locals for his love for pickles was a North Indian who came to Kerala about 30 years ago," recollects Ramesan Mahe, a devotee who stays with Baba.Sukumaran a regular visitor to the place recalls an instance when his son was bedridden with fever.
"Baba visited my son in his dream and consoled him. His gentle words were more than enough for curing my son," he remembers.The residents of Chengottkavu believes that the arrival of an ascetic foreseen by an astrologers during the renovation of Subrahmanya temple became true when the Baba decided to stay in Chengottkavu. The temple was rebuilt after his arrival, they cited.
Meantime, there are a few who term Baba an eccentric and a fake saint. Alleging him of cheating the occupants of Chengottukavu, a group of assailants attacked him and broke his legs.However, the devotees claim that the assailants got their comeuppance for their cruelty.
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