Tirumala
Tirupathi Devasthanam Vaikuntam Complex
It was sometime in
early Nineteen Seventies that Professor K. N. Narendra visited The University
of Newcastle, Australia and we had the pleasure of inviting him for dinner at
our home along with a couple of other friends. During the after dinner
conversation, Professor Narendra mentioned that the miles long waiting lines of
pilgrims had been leading to sanitation and other problems. I said that we
should be able to suggest a solution.
A few weeks or so
later, I sketched a solution and mailed it to Chairman, TTD. I copied it to
Professor Narendra. I am posting that document and other related items at the
end of this write-up. The Professor responded that the suggested solution looks
good but the execution is important. I never received a response from TTD. I
sent a copy of the suggested scheme to a family friend, Dr. GVR Murty, then a resident
of Calcutta. He knew the Chairman, TTD and sent the papers describing the
scheme along with a transmittal letter.
Many years later, a
friend of mine mentioned about the Vaikuntam Complex and I described to him how
it would look and he said my description was exact. I wrote a letter to TTD requesting
them to acknowledge my suggestion. I copied Dr. Murty and he wrote to TTD
again. I was very happy that Lord Venkateswara arranged for a complex that
would help His devotees that came to visit Him.
Years and decades rolled
on. Again, a close relative of mine gave me a book titled, ‘Na Hum Kartha,
Harih Kartha,’ authored by Shri PVRK Prasad, IAS, Executive Officer, TTD at one
time. I took my time but, when I started to read, the content on pages 37-41
got my attention. Shri Prasad wrote that the idea of a queue complex occurred
to him while he was walking along a particular stretch in front of the Temple. Under
Shri Prasad’s leadership, the Vaikuntam Complex was constructed. Should I have
felt that my idea was realized or should I thank Lord Venkateswara for causing
the same idea to occur in most details to the appropriate person? I wrote an
email and also sent a letter requesting Shri Prasad to arrange for a letter
acknowledging my original suggestion. Of course, I have been waiting for an acknowledgement of my communication.
While Shri Prasad’s book’s title means, “Sri Hari does things and we do not really do them,” I am still saying that I made the suggestion. Sri Hari has peculiar ways to get people to do things. He commissions small birds to carry seeds and drop them; and huge tress may grow and the birds do not ask for credit. On occasion, He gets one person to put the idea to paper; over time, clerks in offices throw them in flames, but the Lord in the form of Agni saves them and converts them into thoughts in the minds of the right people who can execute them. In the West, they say, “Ideas are dime a dozen,” and “Execution is more important than the idea.” Sri Harih Kartha.
Shri Prasad stated in his Post, MANOEUVRING THROUGH MASTER PLAN MAZE – Part 2, "... the TTD Board had cleared several development projects like the construction of a modern queue complex." My suggestion must have been one of those that got consumed in the flames of a "burning desire."
I am pasting some documents below here to show what role Sri Hari assigned to me and my friends.
Here is a copy of my suggestion.
Here is a copy of my suggestion.
Larger Sized Schematic Diagram is attached.
An earlier letter from Professor Narendra is attached below here.
Transmittal Letter from Dr. Murty is attached below here.
My letter to TTD after I learned about the implementation of the Vaikuntam Complex similar to that in my suggestion.
My letter to Dr. Murty with a request that he write to TTD again to acknowledge my suggestion.
Dr. Murty's letter saying that he had sent a note to Mr. Subbarami Reddy requesting that my suggestion be acknowledged by TTD.
Page 37 from Shri PVRK Prasad's book.
Page 41 from Shri PVRK Prasad's book.
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