An Ayyappa devotee undertaking the pilgrimage to Sabarimala Temple has to observe several austerities for 41 days – a mandatory cleansing of the body and mind. M S Neelakantan writes in expressbuzz about the discipline involved in the pilgrimage, how secularism is not taught but practiced at Sabarimala and why the pilgrimage is tough for women. The pilgrimage to Sabarimala brings home some military management lessons that are taught theoretically for a fee in the B-schools.