Tirupati: Good response to agarbattis made from used flowers, says JEO

Tirupati: TTD Joint Executive Officer (Education & Health) Sada Bhargavi said that the women trainees were blessed to learn the making of products from used flowers at TTD sub-temples.

She was addressing the women undergoing training on making portraits of Gods and Goddesses and also various decorative and other items based on dry flower technology at the Citrus Research Center of Dr YSR Horticultural University, near here on Tuesday. The TTD has signed an MoU with the university last month for the training of women on the technology to make a wide range of items making use of the dry (used) flowers from its temples.

The TTD JEO said there was a spontaneous and good response for the Agarbattis made from used flowers of the TTD temples and was confident that the production of portraits and other products from used flowers will also become popular. She said local women were selected for the training programme and the production would start after the completion of the training.

She made it clear that the new venture taken up by the TTD is not for earning revenue but only with the sacred vision to present Swami Pushpa Prasadam to devotees in various forms including the images of Gods, Goddesses, paperweights, key chains and decorative items, thanks to TTD EO Dr KS Jawahar Reddy who conceived the programme for benefit of devotees. Dr Janakiraman, Vice-Chancellor of Dr YSR Horticultural University, who participated in the programme via virtual link, said the MoU was aimed at taking the endeavours of TTD to another level of a devotee-friendly environment. He said the enterprise of making useful goods from used flowers has the potential of becoming an industry soon.

SV Veterinary University Vice-Chancellor Dr V Padmanabha Reddy, Horticultural University Registrar Dr K Gopal. Director of Research Dr R V S K Reddy, Zonal Research Head Dr K T V Venkataramana, Principal Scientist Dr E Karunasri, Director of Extension Dr B Srinivasulu, scientist Dr M Vidya Rani, Citrus Research Centre in-charge Dr Nagraj and TTD Dy EO Ramana Prasad were also present.