Sri Sree Iyer of PGURUS interviews Dr Prakasarao Velagapudi on Christian aggressiveness and non-Hindus in TTD
An interview was conducted by Sree Iyer of PGURUS. The letter I had written to Sri Anila Kumar Shingal, E O of TTD about various issues related TTD promptedthis interview.
We talked about the presence of Christians in TTD in general and BRRD hospital in particular and how they insult Hindu nurses and employees, how they denigrate Lord Venkateswara as a stone (shila) , and how they defame the prasadam as Seitan food. They insult Hindus as being foolish to practice Hinduism and how they slander the application of Tilak on their forehead.
We mentioned based on our sources of information that there are 15-20 percent employees are practicing Christians and no body in TTD wants to bell the cat. Sri Shingalji never contested our figure and never even disagreed with us. They put the whole issue under the carpet.
After 44 employees were identified as non-Hindus, the TTD wanted to transfer them to other government offices. But they went to High Court and got stay order and they have been working still in the same offices doing their business of missionary activities in a subtle way. We have requested EO to ask for review of the stay order and see that the High Court lifts the stay order. So far nothing happened.
TTD developed dress code for pilgrims and put the posters of properly dressed pilgrims of the walls in prominent places for pilgrims to follow. Unfortunately, very few TTD employees follow the dress code although they have one developed for the to follow. When we visited the Balaji Temple in December, we have seen many employees without Tilak on their forehead. In fact, I asked one of them why they do not wear Tilak. One employee said no body enforces the dress code; hence they do not put it. We even mentioned to EO that additional EO Sri Dharma Reddy does not apply Tilak on his forehead. EO laughed and said that he forgets.
As many of you may know that Right to Information Act (RTI) does not apply to TTD. That means you cannot get any kind of information from TTD. How they spend money and for what purpose cannot be shared. The question why they do not want to share that information to the devotees. Why so much secrecy.? One can only conjecture that there is a lot corruption, misuse of funds, squeezing of TTD funds by the government, and wastage of funds. In short TTD officials are not accountable to anybody, they can use the funds at their will and keep charging more and more money for tickets, room rentals and laddus.
We also discussed about the misuse of funds by Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad, need for the resumption of building Hindu Temples in poor Hindu population villages, need to start Sunday schools to educate our children by all Hindu Temples, and such other issues.
A saga that has been going unchecked for long, that of non-Hindus working in TTD-run institutions claims Dr. Prakasarao Velagapudi. In the current dispensation, they have got emboldened and are poking fun of Hindus, and actively proselytizing, leading to a disruptive environment. When will the government act?
