Dalit Govindam - The Lord At The Doorstep

Anecdotes

oi-Staff

By Super

Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:49

Tirupati, When we bow to God, God stoops to us. They say devotion in any form reaches God immediately. If a devotee, for one reason or another, cannot go to the ever-loving God, then it is He who travels right up to the doorstep of His worshipper.

And inhabitants of Dalit villages in this richest pilgrimage city located at the foothills of Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh will vouch for it. In a virtual 'godsend' for the Dalit villages around, Tirumala's Lord Balaji descends from His abode Tirumala Hills and travel to them to provide a darshan to those ostracized and often banned from entering temples.

This revolutionary social movement by the world's richest God to undertake a journey right up to the doorsteps of Dalits' homes would not only provide a sight for sore eyes but also enable them to worship their God in front of their own homes.

'Dalit Govindam' is a revolutionary initiative that involves Dalits in prayer rituals and ceremonies without prejudice. The Lord and his entourage spend the night with the Dalit residents.

A majority of them cannot afford a pilgrimage to Tirumala and the prevailing caste bias means they are not allowed into many local temples.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Chairman K Karunakara Reddy says the Trust Board has made a substantial contribution to the social and religious uplift of the weaker sections of society.

'Dalit Govindam is yet another revolutionary social movement to root out the evils that beset society. It is a great endeavour to bring Dalits and other underprivileged people into the mainstream of society. The project envisages taking out processional deities to Dalit localities, singing bhajans and arranging spiritual discourses. The Dalit Govindam demonstrates Devasthanam's firm determination to endeavour for the well-being of the Dalits. And It has evoked an overwhelming response from the community wherever it was organised,' he adds.

'God does not discriminate and this is the message we want to convey to them,' says Mr Reddy.

Due to abject poverty, most of them wait endlessly to make a trip for the Lord's darshan.