Shirdi - thriving economy

Temples are the SEZs in India. They boost the economy in the place they are located. Apart from tirupathi the richest temple another example is Shirdi.

There was a small place called Shirdi with a small Sai Baba temple in the middle, few shops around it and scattered houses. Very few devotees wanted to visit the temple to which there wasnt even a proper road. The nearest railway station is Nagarsol, 40 kms away.

The first time I visited Shirdi, there was a kuchha road from the station to shirdi and there were jeeps for hire. There were small eateries around the temple. Photography was permitted inside - even near the shrine. Very peaceful and empty complex. Few choultries were available for accomodation which charged from 50 to 100 Rs per day.

Next time I visited, few hotels came up. Charged upto 300/- per day. Variety of eateries - north indian and south indian. Queue complex was constructed inside the temple premises.

The latest trip was an eye opener. Four lane high way and a pukka road all the way to shirdi. Apartment complexes, reebok showrooms, five-star hotels all over the place. Queue complex filled to the brim. Restaurants all over - u'll even get a pizza and burger there. Shops upto four streets from the temple. A railway station to come up soon. Trains from all major cities in India to the place. A/c coaches from station to shirdi. Internet cafes. A room in a 'decent' hotel during costs 1500 rs per day. There are engineering and medical colleges in the vicinity. Shirdi trust's corpus exceeds 500 Crores.

All these changes in barely 8 years. Talk about economic growth - India Shines.

The best phrase to capture all this is "Shirdi Economic Zone" coined by Dilip Raote in his article in business world.

Om Sai Ram