|
 It was a red-letter day in the history of Andhra Pradesh as TTD priests performed Srinivasa Kalyanam, the traditional kalyana seva, in a Dalit colony, Vemuru village, in Chittoor district of the state, 13 km from Tirupati, watched by a huge gathering of Dalits and upper caste Hindus of the village.
The sleepy village was the centre of caste tensions a few years ago when Dalits were barred entry into the temple in their village due to resistance from upper caste Hindus, essentially the powerful Reddy community.
 The present TTD chairman, B Karunakara Reddy, was among those who took steps to bring about amity in the village. After convincing the village elders and the upper caste Hindus, Karunakara Reddy has now taken the concept of social and caste equality further by getting the TTD priests to perform the kalyana seva at the village in the Dalit Wada, watched by elders of the village.
 Over 125 priests travelled with the utsava
murthy from Tirupati. The idols of Lord Venkateswara and Padmavathy
were greeted with fanfare and devotion as devotees thronged both
sides of the road en route to Vemuru village. It was as if the Gods
were saying that if all Hindus cannot enter my temple, then I will
go to them, said a priest at Vemuru.
 Dalits, in particular, came rushing out of their
houses, with plates in hand, offering coconuts, camphor and flowers
to the deities. Men, women and children were on the streets, and
chanted 'Govinda, Govinda' in response to the slokas of the
priests.
Karunakara Reddy said the TTD programme had been
concived with a view to send out the clear message that there
should be no casteism in Hinduism. The Vedas and the Sanatana
Dharma had clearly mentioned that there were no divisions on the
basis of caste and that casteism surfaced much later due to certain
vested interests. The time had now come for all sections of Hindus
to rally around and ensure that all of them stayed within the fold
of Hinduism, giving no room for conversions.
 The TTD chairman said the TTD wanted to take
certain steps to promote all sections within the religion and make
them feel at home. There should be no discrimination on the ground
of caste, he said, adding that he was pained when some Dalits
raised the question about the lack of respect or status in society
merely because they were Dalits. Questions were also raised about
why they should continue to be Hindus if their religion and
cultural affinity did not help them. The TTD wanted an end to such
a situation, and that was why the special steps had been planned
today at Vemuru.
 The devasthanam officers, staff and priests
received a massive welcome throughout their 13-km-long trip
including at Vemuru village.
Red and green carpets were rolled out
for over two kms and the path was strewn with flowers. People lined
both sides of the roads and cheered the priests.
 On a given day, more than 50,000 devotees
thronged the Tirumala temple, the TTD chairman said, adding that
special steps were being taken to increase the facilities,
particularly for the poor and underprivileged sections of society.
The TTD had an annual budget of over Rs 1,000 crore of which more
than 95 per cent was spent on facilities and subsidies for the
devotees, Reddy said.
The message from Vemuru village was loud and
clear. Reddy said the TTD would take up such programmes in other
parts of Andhra Pradesh too and wherever warranted, in the interest
of promoting well-being among all sections of Hindus.
R Rangaraj
|
