*Cultural identity of TTD is on the wane*

Tirupati, April 20: YSRCP has reiterated that the cultural and devotional identity of TTD is waning with the coalition government and Board being steeped in corruption, nepotism and sheer neglect of spiritual activities. 

Speaking to media here on Monday, former TTD Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy said, the TTD has taken a series of decisions that have left a scar on the cultural identity of Tiruamala. 

The Board under the Chairmanship of BR Naidu has made the Nada Niranjana Pranganam, a platform for singers and scholars practicing various art forms to perform in praise of the Lord, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. There is rampant corruption and scholars are being asked bribes to get a chance while during YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s term they were given honorarium besides other facilities like free darshan, stay and boarding. 
 
The cultural ethos has been badly hit and SVBC, the devotional channel of the Board is now being turned into a white elephant. The channel was meant to spread the message of dharma and during our term it was put to maximum use by beaming live programmes of devotional interests including yagas and yagnas. We had conducted charturveda yagnas across the country but the coalition government has stopped such dharmic activities. 

Darshan tickets are being sold at exorbitant rates and the Srivani tickets sale is steeped in corruption, he said. 

The Sri Venkateswara Dance College is losing its vibrancy with Kuchipudi and Harikatha being deleted from the curriculum and the College of Sculpture is fading away due to the negligence of the TDD Board. 

During the Vedic seminar conducted by the Vedic Patasala seers from North were insulted and the toppers were not given gold medal this year which shows their scant respect towards dharmic activities.