Mega rally with 125-metre Buddhist flag organised

Tirupati: On the eve of the 8th mega conclave of Buddhist Society of India (BSI) which will be held on 10 and 11 February in Tirupati, a huge procession was organised on Friday evening in which Buddhist saints and monks, scholars and others participated from various parts of the country.

The procession began at Jyothirao Phule Statue in Balaji Colony and passed through important streets and concluded at Dr Ambedkar statue opposite RTC Central bus station. The 125-metre Buddhist flag was the special attraction in the procession. This is the first time that such a mega rally took place in temple city.

Volunteers of Samatha Sainik Dal and Ambedkar army in their uniforms led the rally with their march fast followed by monks and followers of Buddhism, who carried flags in their hands. They chanted ‘Buddham saranam gachami, Sangham saranam gachami and Dharmam saranam gachami’ to convey the principle of Lord Buddha.

Addressing the procession, the national President of Buddhist Society of India Chandrababu Haridas Patil said that Buddhism will help in bringing world peace and it is essential for today’s society. “Buddhism is a special way of life and everyone should practice it.

To propagate the ancient Indian culture which was imbibed in Buddhism, every year Buddhist Conclaves were being held at various parts of the country,” he maintained.

BSI state leaders SSR Bhupati, B Kattaiah, Chinta Ramamurthy, P Rambabu, Conclave organising committee convener G Govinda Swamy, advisors P Gurrappa, K Balakrishna Reddy, Co-convenors M Nagaraju and Dinakara Murthy, CPI leaders K Kumar Reddy, Nagaraju and others took part.