Karkala: Ravishankar Jayadratha Shastri could be a fairly longer name to remember. But Ravi Shastri is certainly a household name.
As he keeps doing every year, the amiable former test cricketer – a much-in-demand cricket commentator – visited Yarlappadi-Karvalu village in Karkala taluk of Udupi district on Wednesday, Feb 17. His father Dr Jayadratha Shastri had a medical practice in Mumbai and lived in Mahim.
He had married Ritu Singh in 1990. The couple did not have a child for 18 years. On the advice of the family elders, they visited the ancestral Nagabana in Karvalu. Soon thereafter, they were blessed with a child. Ever since, Ravi has been visiting the place to express his gratitude.
For the eighth time in a row, he visited the Vishnumoorty temple in Karvalu. Family sources said that during the Nag Darshan ritual, he was given a message that he would have further success in his career and life.
He was accompanied by his close relatives – Lions Dr Santosh Kumar Shastri and Kavita Shastri and journalist Manohar Prasad from Mangaluru – Udupi SP Annamalai and a few other well-wishers.
Although he declined to speak on the subject of cricket for want of time, he did not forget to declare that he was always proud to call himself a Mangalurean.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ravi paid a visit to Shri Mookambika temple in Kollur. In Udupi, he called on Shri Laxmivara Tirtha Swamiji of Shiroor Math and sought his blessings.
