Sri I Y R Krishna Rao Garu:

Executive Officer, TTD

Tirupathi, AP India

 

“I think when you see so many Hindu temples of the 10th Century or earlier time disfigured, defaced, you know that they were not just defaced for fun: that something terrible happened. I feel that the civilisation of that closed world was mortally wounded by those invasions. And I would like people, as it were, to be more reverential towards the past, to try to understand it; to preserve it; instead of living in its ruins. The old world is destroyed. That has to be understood. The ancient Hindu India was destroyed.”  V S Naipaul      

The question is do we have to through another cycle of destruction, defacing and disfiguring of the Hindu Temples from the state governments in India in 21^st Century?

Dear Sri Krishna Rao Garu:

It was nice talking to over the phone expressing our concerns on a number of issues pertaining to the TTD employee’s attacks on the devotees, the benefits of the employees, the employees’ indiscipline, training of volunteers, allocation of housing sites, and a number of similar matters. I also expressed our appreciation in implementing a number of measures to improve the facilities to meet the needs of the devotees.

Also, last year when you were visiting USA, one of our Board members Mr. briefed you and other Board members about GHHF activities; it’s mission, and the need to repeal the Endowment Act.

NOTE: What we have written is in the best interest of our Hindu religion and Hindu Temples. It is not against any one person or any person in the position. Whenever we refer to EO, we are talking in generic term only. It is not to offend any body. It is only to defend Hinduism from the clutches of government control and selfish individuals irrespective of their religious background. Please also know that no country in the world has taken over the religious institutions of the majority people. Why only in India?  Can we ever reconcile our consciousness with what is happening to our Temples?

Global Hindu Heritage Foundation (GHHF) is formed in USA in 2006 with a mission to regain the freedom of managing Hindu Temples by Hindus themselves; to challenge the illegal enactment of Endowment Act; to preserve the integrity of the wishes of the land donors; to prevent the Hindu Temples across the state to stop the sale /auction of the donated lands; to demand accountability, transparency and verifiability of all assets including the lands and jewelry; to demand that these Temples would not become pawns in the hands of politicians; to insist on the proper role of Acharyas and Swamiji’s in the functioning of the Hindu Temples; to advocate on providing adequate facilities to the devotees; to demand proper treatment of all the devotees by the Temple employees; to prevent the misuse of funds donated by the devotees; to educate the Hindus about the discrimination of the government in managing the Temples; to inform the Hindus as to how the government is denying their freedom to mange their own Temples while the same government is allowing the other religions to mange their institutions without any interference;  to inform Hindus about the use of Hindu and public funds by the government to the promotion of other religions; to take steps to prevent the regularization of encroached Temple lands, and  others.

On behalf of GHHF, we want to address a number of issues either directly or indirectly affecting the functioning of TTD with regard to the following matters:

1) TTD EMPLOYEES ATTACKED DEVOTEES:

As you are aware that D. R. Narendra and Narra Munichandra went to Right To Information Office on February 24, 2011. Mohan Reddy, the TTD Employees Union Leaders along with a number of employees started abusing them, roughed them up and beat them without any provocation. They have used very abusive language as they beat them up. It appears that they were very angry with the High Court’s Stay Order prohibiting the distribution of Housing Sites by TTD. They were asking them to withdraw the case so that they would have their housing sites. If they do not withdraw, TTD employees threatened them by saying that they are going to take care of them. (Newspaper coverage on this incident is printed below for your information).

It is sad, shocking, outrageous and deplorable to know that this kind of attack took place on this sacred place. Is this a place for such disgusting behavior, indiscipline and a gang style attack?  Do these employees possess any ethos and morals to respect the sacredness of this place? Do they know where they are working? Do they believe in Lord Venkateshwara? Do they believe in Hindu Gods? Are they Hindus? Are they practicing Hindus, mafia, atheist, Christians, Muslims, or Marxists who may have infiltrated TTD to defame it, loot it, abuse it and tarnish it’s image?

OUR REQUEST:  a) TTD should investigate the incident and identify all the employees who participated in the attack against Narendra and Munichandra. It is the responsibility of TTD to take appropriate actions against the culprits, which may include suspension, imposition of fines and dismissal.

b) Please know that failure to investigate and take appropriate action by TTD would encourage them to continue to harass the devotees, social activists, the benefactors, donors and well wishers of the Temples. They will continue to do the same thing knowing that TTD cannot take any action against them.  To prevent this climate of attacking and ignoring the directives of TTD, your office and Specified Authority should take immediate steps against the attackers.

c) Failure to investigate and take appropriate action by TTD will be considered as an organization that has no guts, no courage, no guidelines, no moral authority, and no legal authority. TTD will be considered as an ineffective organization yielding to the heavy handedness of the employees.

d) Does TTD has the authority to take appropriate action or not against these abusers? If it has the authority, why it is taking this long to take appropriate action against the attackers.

2) UNIONS:

No Hindu Temple should allow the unionization of it’s employees. They need to be told that it is the donor’s money that sustains their livelihood. It is not a commercial, industrial and government operation to allow unionization of the employees. They are working at the most sacred place on the planet earth. They are at the mercy of the devotee’s faith in and donations to the Lord. Working at TTD should be considered a rare privilege and good karma in this life. Any misuse of their responsibility to serve the Lord is against the tenets of Hindu ethos.

a) TTD should ban the unionization forthwith and the continuation of their employment should be based on their performance and devotees input.

b) TTD should develop a scheme to impart and socialize the service-oriented mentality based on our scriptures and the consequences thereof.

c) TTD should find out how many of the employees are Hinds, Christian, Muslims, Atheists, or Marxists. Do they believe in Hindu Gods or they are there only to exploit and defame the Balaji Temple?

3) BLACKMIAILING:

GHHF and other organizations have been looking at the circumstances that have created the unions and their unchecked power over the TTD and similar Hindu Temples. It is known fact that the state government appoints Executive Officer (EO) and Board members for a period of two years. These are the people in many cases with no experience in the management of these Temples. The Board members are totally partisan politicians who have no interest in serving the Temple and have every selfish interest in pleasing the Chief Minister (whether he be Christian or Muslim) and making money through schemes such as ticket scams. It has become on the job training for many appointees. By the time they understand the workings of TTD, they are replaced with another set of Officer and Board members.

Knowing fully well that the EO and Board members will be here for only two years, the UNIONS are taking advantage by blackmailing them demanding unreasonable salary increases, benefits and compensations. The Union will threaten with their perennial, powerful weapon called STRIKE if TTD would not meet their demands. Fresh on the job, no EO would like to see the employees go on strike; consequently he will yield to the demands of employees. The scale is always tilted toward weight of UNIONS year after year with no end in sight and with no fixed salary scales.

a) What plans do you have to counter the blackmail menace? What would be your recommendations to the government as to how the salary issues be handled?

b) What is the role of the devotees and activist organizations in setting the salary scales and other benefits?

4) SALARIES AND BENEFITS.

In addition to the salaries the employees receive along with annual increases, health benefits are paid for the family, education expenses for the children are paid (even if they go to private schools), marriage expenses of the children are paid, and employees are paid for their clothes, shoes, glasses etc.

QUESTIONS:  a) How comparable the salaries and benefits of the TTD employees with other government officials? Do you have any information on this matter?

b) Can you also provide us with all the benefits the TTD employees receive for the perusal of the devotees?

5) ASSETS:

As many devotees know that TTD has properties spanning across different states.

a) A comprehensive list of Temple assets including lands, real estate property, jewelry etc., encroached lands, pending cases in the courts shall be made available every year for the review by the devotees. Immediate steps should be taken vacate lands occupied by employees or third parties.

b) Houses built by the employees on Temple property shall be recovered. These houses may be rented to the eligible employees at market value.

c) Action must be taken against the employees who build or attempted to build houses in spite of the court order prohibiting them.

6) ACHARYAS, SWAMIJI AND PEETADHIPATHIS:

The Gurus, Acharyas, Swamiji’s and Peethadhipatis of various Ashrams and Mattas are essence of Hinduism. They are the upholders of dharmic way of life instilling spirituality in and guiding their devotees to participate in selfless service to the community.

a) TTD invited the Acharyas to Dharmic Sadassu to be held in Tirupathi three times and cancelled all three times. As an Executive Officer, can you explain the circumstances under which you cancelled the Acharya Sabha meetings? What kind of political pressure was put on TTD to cancel it? The EO and the Board should be concerned with the propagation and preservation of Hinduism rather than buckling under pressure. AS Hindus EO and Board members should stand up for righteousness not unrighteousness. You all should not be pawns in the hands of Hindu-biters.

b) Is there a hatred toward our spiritual leaders to the extent you do not even invite them to inaugurate major festivals, to start a new project, to conduct bhumi Pujas, to inaugurate religious buildings etc. The contempt for Hinduism and its spiritual leaders is shocking and mindboggling. TTD is inviting all kind of unscrupulous politicians including Christians and treat them with full religious protocol accorded only to spiritually elevated souls. It is a shame that being a Hindus, EOs and Board members are participating in the adulteration of sacredness of the Temples and mitigating the importance of Hindu religion.

c) Why do these Officials allow the government to impose nonreligious guidelines on the most scared place? Can’t these Officials act as Hindus and challenge the government interference? If Hindus in these positions cannot take a stand against the irreligious policies, who will do it?  Do any of them realize that they are sowing the seeds of destruction of their religion and their Hindu Temples?

d) Is there any reason why our religious leaders are not consulted, invited, and honored on a regular basis?

7) VOLUNTEER BRIGADE.

There will be thousands and thousands of bhaktas across the globe, who would be delighted to do volunteer services at TTD and other Temples. This would be an enormous savings to the Temples treasury. Further more they will do their job with full faith with no expectations. They will be looking forward to this rare privilege to serve their beloved Gods and Goddesses. Many Ashram across India operate their functions and activities with volunteers expecting no salaries.

a) TTD should initiate a Volunteer Brigade, invite them and train them so that they can be placed in different departments. In fact you should have a continuous flow of these brigade members trained to take up the seva as and when needed.

b) TTD should place a minimum number of these Brigade members in different departments so that they can take over the responsibilities when needed. They will also serve as a check for any corrupt practices and inefficiency.

c) Whenever the Union threatens to strike, TTD authority should deploy the Volunteer brigade immediately with minimum disruption. With this force behind him, the EO’s hands will be strengthened and he would not be a target of blackmail if he knows that he has the back up to replace the striking employees.

8) Hospitals

TTD is donating large sums of money to four hospitals that serve the greater Tirupathi metropolitan area such as SVIMS, SVRR Government Hospital, BIRRD Hospital, and TTD Central Hospital.  TTD appears to have no control over the use of these funds. These funds are not designated for any specific task. Consequently, these funds are used for general purpose.

First of all, the hospitals are not religious organizations. But for serving the public, we should not be too much concerned or critical about donating these funds. However, it would be prudent to donate these funds for specific purposes such as latest equipment for testing purposes.

OUR CONCERN:  GHHF, Hindu Devalaya Parirakshana Samiti and Tirumala Tirupathi Samrakshana Samithi came to know through our own friends and family members, whenever a patient due to accident goes to one these for hospitals for treatment, they are invariably asked to go to the nearby Christian Hospital. These Hindu patients are charged more money than the Christian patients and on top of it these patients unwillingly become victims of proselytization about their God.

1)  TTD should look into donating to one hospital to make it a full pledged hospital with all the required latest equipment so that no patient will be turned away because of inadequate facilities. TTD should not be a party to push Hindu patients to the claws of Christians.

2) TTD should investigate as to the needs of the latest equipment with nearby Christian Hospital and equip one of the hospital with all the facilities.

3) TTD should appoint a committee to find out how many patients were turned away from these four hospitals  and the reasons for their referral.

Donations

We need your assistance to continue our mission of preserving our heritage and abolishing Endowment Act and free Temples from the government control. If we have to make an impact on our movement to bring changes to preserve our culture, we need you financial support. Your generous donations to continue our efforts to free Hindu Temples from government control, awaken the Hindus about the plight of Hindu Temples and the impending danger of illegal conversion techniques are essential. We are requesting all the individuals and organizations to support financially to continue our movement to free Hindu Temples from the government control and stop these conversions.

            Please DONATE. Your donations are appreciated to continue the work.

NOTE: GHHF is exempt from federal income tax under section 501 ( c ) 3 of the Internal Revenue code.

Our tax ID # 41-2258630

Please send your tax-deductible donations to:

Global Hindu Heritage Foundation,

You can go to www.savetemples.org and pay by PAYPAL

 For more information

Please visit our website: www.savetemples.org

Global Hindu Heritage Foundation USA

V. V. Parkas Rao PhD; President

Steering Committee

 

TTD staff ‘attack' social activists

The Hindu, February 25, 2011; Special Correspondent

TIRUPATI: Hindu Devalayala Parirakshana Samithi and its president, Kamala Kumara Swamy, have strongly condemned the alleged attack by the TTD staff union functionaries on the president of the Tirumala-Tirupati Samrakshana Samithi, D.R. Narendra, and a local social activist and former TUDA member Narra Munichandra.

They were said to have been roughed up on Thursday even as they were in the TTD Office to collect some information under the Right to Information Act.

The union members were reportedly furious over the duo's writ petition based on which the High Court had restrained the TTD management from using the lands donated to it by philanthropists for purposes other than meeting the requirements of its temples and the visiting pilgrims.

This eventually forced the TTD from dropping its proposal to use the said lands for allocation of house plots to its staff.

Mr. Swamy has in a statement said that the attack on persons who were selflessly working for the cause of the TTD, its properties and the multitudes of the pilgrims visiting the TTD temples would send wrong signals about the organisation as a whole.

 

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