Tirupati: Bhajan artistes stage dharna in support of demands

Tirupati: Under the banner of Janapadavruthi Kalakarula Sangham (JKVS) a massive dharna was held near TTD Administrative building here on Monday to press the TTD management to implement their seven demands which the TTD agreed three years back.

JKVS gave an ultimatum to the TTD management to solve the demands within a month or else the JKVS will be forced to intensify the stir and besiege the TTD administrative building to paralyse the work. To build pressure on the TTD, the Bhajan artistes set out on a Padayatra (long march) from Srihalahasthi on September 21 which culminated in the dharna here on Monday. All India Folk Artistes Association leader V Sreenivasa Rao and JKVS State president Pulimamidi Yadagiri slammed the TTD management for delaying the implementation of even the demands that were agreed two years back. The artistes are playing a crucial role in promoting Hindu dharma through various art forms but the TTD is meting out a raw deal which in nothing but insulting the Bhajan artistes, the leaders said.

Yadagiri said that after several representations, staging of protests including indefinite fast and organising a long march, the TTD issued orders three years back conceding the demands of Bhajan troupe artistes but so far not implemented it.

The TTD is engaging the Bhajan troupes from various States to stage programmes including traditional Bhajans, Sankirtnas etc. during the religious festivals being conducted daily, weekly, monthly and yearly in Tirumala and also in TTD controlled other temples at various places to promote spiritualism. A separate Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad (HDPP) with sufficient funds was set up to organize the devotional programmes but the Bhajan artistes who are mainly responsible for the programmes were left in lurch, he lamented.

The demands include payment of actual bus fare, providing musical instruments to the temples where the Bhajan troupes are based, permitting enrollment of up to 15 members in each group and also registration of new Bhajan troupes, allotting one hour daily for Bhajan programmes in SVBC, honoring Bhajan troupe Gurus on Gurupurnima day, deputing one board member to look after the Bhajan troupes issues and payment of Rs 300 per day for the artistes participating in the Nagara Sankirtanam organised by TTD.

MLCs V Balasubramanayam, Y Sreenivasulu Reddy, CITU leader K Murali and others also spoke in support of Bhajan artistes. Later in the evening, the Bhajan troupes set out to Tirumala on foot to seek the divine intervention of Lord for fulfillment of their demands.