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On Monday, the 12th of July, my family and I had the unfortunate experience of being in
Tirumala. A pilgrimage to the temple nowadays is fraught with humiliation and torture
and I find it appalling that no measures are being taken to alleviate the distress of
the millions of pilgrims that throng the temple daily. Access to the idol of the deity
is now beyond the reach of the common man. There is a notional ticket scheme but its
implementation has been short-sighted and heavy-handed. Pilgrims from outside Tirupati
must now perforce have to wait for a day or two before they are guaranteed
darshan. While this is understandable given the sheer volume of pilgrims that
visit the temple every day, what begs questioning is why there has not been adequate
dissemination of tickets at centres outside Tirupati. Currently, only Chennai and
Hyderabad have this facility but given TTD's rationing one has to wait for at least a
fortnight before making the trip. Even this may be overlooked keeping in mind once again
Tirupati's immense popularity. However, over the past year the T.T.D has been demanding
that tickets may not be bought by proxy and individuals are expected to appear at the
ticketing centre and be subjected to fingerprinting much like the "indignities" we are
so often found complaining about in U.S airports. I wonder how the T.T.D intends to
address the issue of those who may find it difficult to make a trip to Chennai solely to
be fingerprinted and purchase tickets or even stay in Tirupati for a day or two before
any possibility of darshan is afforded to them. This brings me now to the
shameful chasm the T.T.D drives in the way it prices its tickets.
On the day we were in Tirumala without a darshan ticket owing to unavoidable
circumstances, the only option open to us was a "V.I.P" ticket priced at Rs. 2,500 for
two. We were told that the usual darshan tickets were also being hoarded at the
local bank and sold in black for upto five times the price. Not being in a position to
afford the costlier option and not wanting to compromise on principles, we gambled on
the only other alternative -- the sarvadarshan which was free of charge. Our
family of four was herded along with hundreds of other pilgrims from the poorest that
could not afford their daily meals much less T.T.D's ransom to the civil-minded middle
class that balked at this state of affairs. For nearly nine hours, we were cruelly
locked in a huge room that redeemed itself above the state prison only by virtue of
its clean sanitary facilities, a meaningless closed-circuit television showing the
effortless progress into the temple of pilgrims that could afford their position in
the queue and regular hawkers peddling spurious bottled water and exorbitantly priced
newspapers. Every time someone passed outside our gilded cage, or if there was
movement in the "bay" adjacent to ours the entire mass of humanity rushed towards the
single point of exit. It would need little more provocation to make matters even worse
leading to stampeding and we counted our blessings every time this was averted. There
were false assurances from contemptuous T.T.D "volunteers" from outside that we would
be let out within the next two hours, the next thirty minutes, the next two minutes
but no respite came. As night approached, the recedes further away were largely
abandoned for proximity to the entrance into the temple. Amongst us were old men and
women who could hardly walk a step without having to lean on their escorts as well as
mothers nursing and cradling little infants. As the front rows were being successively
filled, some of us had to resort to perch on precarious ledges and climbing over rails
barefoot. It was admirable to see that spirits never seemed to flag as some sang hymns
while others sang film tunes in their mother tongues.
Our optimism finally gave out and at half past midnight, some of the pilgrims
stationed closer to the way out of the temple started clanking at the doors. It was
shocking at first and increasingly distressing subsequently to find that our appeals
went out to empty abandoned spaces. There was not a single "volunteer" to attend to
any potential medical emergency where a minute's delay might be all the difference
between life and death and given the number of senior citizens amongst us, an
emergency was not all that unlikely. The drafts of cold winds from the rainy outside
only exacerbated the situation with many coming down with draughts and colds. The
elderly lady's attempts at the door finally were heeded by a local sweeper who
retreated promising to bring back the keys. Thankfully unlike her senior counterparts,
she made good on her promise and at a quarter to one, with nothing to show for our
long arrest and nothing to hope for, we meekly opted out of the deceptively enticing
sarvadarshan. I have heard tell from my parents of episodes where thousands
have been unquestioningly held captive for as long as three to four days whilst they
had nothing but their sweat, fatigue and nausea for companions but I lived it
first-hand that night and found it unbearable after nine hours. It intrigues me if I
should think my fellow sojourners forbearing for, or intimidated into subjecting
themselves to such harsh treatment.
For all the money that swells the coffers at the temple, such callousness can have no
alibi. I am sure the T.T.D considers the upkeep of the temple premises and well-being
of its own to be of paramount importance but it needs to be reminded immediately that
ultimately to attend to its patronage should be its foremost duty. There is massive
misuse of resources which comes as no surprise but should still be looked into by the
temple authorities. To start with, the T.T.D should look into whether any
blackmarketing malpractices are being indulged in at its ticket counters at various
banks. Secondly, the T.T.D should guard against overselling its priced darshan
tickets so that people with no means or opportunity to afford them are not too
inconvenienced by opting for the sarvadarshan. Thirdly, the moneyed
darshan tickets entitle the pilgrim to three laddoos and many purchase
the tickets solely for the laddoos while securing darshan by other
means. This means that there is a falsely inflated demand for tickets thereby
disadvantaging those that seek them for genuine reasons. If the T.T.D were to consider
decoupling the sale of laddoos or at least to ensure that the laddoos
are not granted without having demonstrated the use of tickets for their originally
intended purpose, those that can afford them should be in a better position to
purchase tickets in advance. If the temple authorities can afford electronic
fingerprinting and ubiquitous baggage scanners, I am quite sure they are equal to such
a task as well. Finally, some of us were prevented from entering the temple because of
our attire. Apparently, the temple administration in its infinite wisdom forbids
entrance to those in half-pants while trousers and dhotis are acceptable. The
Guruvayoor temple administration's well-advertised policy that prevents trousers and
half-pants altogether makes for better comprehension. Nonetheless, while one ignorant
of the significance behind such a restrictive policy is in no position to question or
complain, it is not beyond reason to hope that the administration voices its rules
loud and clear at all points of entry to the temple. We were informed of this only
when one of the security guards found frisking my brother and me decidedly easy for
lack of trousers worn. His refusal to allow us in cost us a good four hundred
positions in the queue.
It is a matter of concern that while the majority of the pilgrims are required to
account for their darshan either monetarily or by effort and time, the temple
authorities still find it expedient to grant free "special" access into the sanctum
sanctorum to individuals parading as "V.I.Ps" by claiming nexus to those in elevated
positions in government, bureaucracy or industry. It must be said though that the
Tirumala temple is not unique in such extraordinary dispensations and this is probably
true of all places of worship in India.
It is hoped that this plaintive is viewed objectively and understood that our
experience is representative of the scores of pilgrims that the temple plays host to
every day. I am sure the administration has attended to a number of policies that have
easened up the hassles each of us is subjected to over the years but this little
episode that I lived through only goes to show how much more is needed of the T.T.D.
The faith and conviction that so many of us have in the deity at the Tirumala temple
and the numerous pains and complications we suffer through to partake of a few seconds
of darshan deserves at least a little more respect than is accorded to us now.
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