I'm back from a trip to tirupathi and no prizes for guessing what this post is about.. but no i'm not going to write about my journey..
The photo is in memory of the helpful bus driver who pointed out picturesque scenery and slowed down the bus so that i can take pictures of the hills. Yet the hairpin bends never fail to push my heartbeat up. Sitting right beside the driver made it all the more worse.
The place is mystic and the journey arduous.. you go all the way up; wait for hours just to get a glimpse of the Lord; brave the crowd and get squeezed;...all aches are forgotten after darshan and you are already planning your next visit.. I don't know what draws me again and again to that place. When I am juggling with my daughter in the crowd and in the queue I vow not to come to this place any time soon and there I go within 6 months.
There is also another thing that people tell me about the darshan. People make a mental note of things that are bothering them and hope to put in an appeal to the Lord. By the time they set their eyes on Lord Balaji everything is forgotten. (standing in queue for hours also helps, I guess).
I've visited the place for umpteen times. Few changes came to my notice.
1. There are many windmills on the surrounding hills and I've heard that lately they have become a major source of power at Tirupati.
2. There are separate dispensing places for organic and inorganic wastes.
3. The place is litter free, no smoking zone and non-alcoholic zone. Many streets are declared 'no footwear' zones as well.
4. There are lot more public toilets and much better maintained than last time.
5. There are rules against any political activity on the sacred hills which are now decalred to be Hindu worship zone.
6. No darshan if u are wearing shorts and poojas only in traditional clothes.
Needless to say that I'm impressed. This is one place whose management never ceases to amaze me. There are lakhs of people visiting the place everyday through out the year. Never has one been turned down free prasadam, free meals, a roof to sleep under, a place to bathe, etc. Now add on free medical and emergency services to that list. If there are any boulders/ accidents on the hill path they are cleared in matter of couple of hours.
Technology is used wherever it can be, though there is scope for improvement. Solar and wind energy is also used. Of course being the richest temple also helps. Most of the hills are protected animal areas.
If all the environment friendly practices are implemented here it'll be a model governing place for all. Probably 'governing' is a wrong word. Will all due respects to Keynes and his theories, not having a government to meddle in your affairs helps sometimes.
Namo venkatesa! Namo tirumalesa!
Interesting! And I always thought I was the only person who forgot to place his demands before the Lord. What is great is that despite all the bottlenecks and bugbears (barbers who don't tonsure well, for one), the place brings serenity and lets one feel at peace. I am not sure though if the stress on form (traditional dress for Puja etc.) over content is in the right direction. Sadly, governments over the years seem to be viewing the Tirumala administration and finance as their personal fiefdoms. Still, things have improved a lot - thanks to the queueing system developed by a then IIMB professor, people can spend the time before Darshan visiting other important places than staying in the queue - the Varahaswamy temple, which people are supposed to visit before seeking Srinivasa's blessings has been seeing increasing number of pilgrims after the implementation of the new (virtual?!) queueing system.
ReplyDeleteIf you are talking about TTD's services then i guess you would agree Lord venkateswara's abode is the richest way ahead of the vatican.. Its not just that they are efficient, even the quality is too good....
ReplyDeleteI knew an ex-director of TTD who used to work for more than 16 hrs a day...and more or less was in office all the time :)
to give you a hint, just how powerful TTD is..There has been an instance where TTD refused to loan to the government and the then CM chandra Babu "Hitech" naidu had to intervene and make a special request :)
All said and done somehow with all the modern facilities that are in place, the temple seems to have lost its true significance.. I am no authority to comment on that.. given that I have been there only twice..The first time I went there were no fans inside the main alayam...it was refreshing cool an d had left a soothing feeling...It really made me feel as if i was in a diff place altogether.... the next time there was this huge fan that was making a lot of noise and police constable pushing off ppl...........