VIP Reservations for Darshan

Yesterday being last Sunday in Kartika Masam, went to Vykuntapuram Venkateswara Swamy temple. Few years back when I went, there was no road. Even the steps were all broken up. The road was not even straight. Now, there are proper steps. Devotees have started worshipping them and hence no slippers up the hills. There is a motorable road too now which we didn’t know and walked all the way up, 450 steps. There are no tickets. It is all free darshan. No VIP darshans. All are allowed inside. 

Last time too when we went, it was a Sunday and the crowd all rushed to get inside the tiny space to see Lord Venkateswara. There are limited staffs. Infact, I could not see any staff beyond the priests. The priests found it hard to get the people to come in line resulting in people joining from all sides. In Indian temples, I always find it strange that people come and join in the middle without any regard for those who are standing in lines from long time. They come to temples to seek punyam but enact bad karma to even get darshan. Why is it so hard for our people to self-discipline themselves? The uneducated listen and come in line but the educated push in the middle. Everywhere in Indian temples, this attitude prevails.  In large temples, the temple staff keeps pushing people via the VIP lane stopping the passage of those in line. Thousands of people daily come free via the 300 rs/VIP lanes without taking tickets, huge loss for the temple. 

Who is a VIP? Anyone can be a VIP. The temple staff’s employees are VIPs. Police families are VIPs.  Municipal Corporation, Revenue, Labor, almost all government departments, ministries, their PAs, IASs’s deputies are also VIPs.  From civil court judge to High Court Judge, VIPs. Party functionaries are also VIPs.  Other states bureaucracy is also VIP. In Durga temple during Dusshera, the most we common devotees hate are the VIPs who assume it is their birthright to make genuine ticket holders stand in line till their darshan is complete and they keep coming making us stand for hours. Hence I avoid going to temples on important days.   .  Which law in the constitution has given them immunity from buying tickets in temples? There is only protocol for few posts in the constitution but in Durga temple and many such temples, this new class of VIPs has written birthright laws for themselves. It is an unwritten rule forced literally.  How can anyone be a VIP in a temple? In a temple, only the GOD is VIP but in a temple of GOD, these all people assume they are VIPs. Temples should forever ban this VIP line. Even if protocol people come, they should take 300 rs ticket as in tirupati and also allowed only in certain break timings only.

Anyway, coming back to the Venkateswara Swamy temple crowd, I asked the priest why they could not tie two ropes which would have forced everyone to come one way only. They said that there were no people even on Saturday. Suddenly, there has been huge rush on Sunday, this being last Sunday in Kartikamasam. Everyone has come out to visit atleast few temples on the last day it looks like. The priest said in the past three Sundays, they did not witness this much crowd. Why do we lack the common sense that others are standing in queue. I told the priest that this is the VIP class. They have total disregard for those who are already in queue. They will by hook or crook go & have darshan leaving all others behind.  Recently we were in Varanasi missing darshan of Vaarahi temple by 10 minutes. The next darshan was at 8:30 am. We had to stand 1:30 hr in the line. We stood in the line yet there were some who simply wanted to join in middle. The people standing in the line were so angry that they literally pulled those intruders and forced them to go back. They also started monitoring the line.  This certainly helped since our line was not moving due to these intruders. Now, to teach this VIP class a lesson, the ones in front had to use their hands since the VIPs also we need to use our hands s. Were these intruders too also addicted to the VIP culture since they too had utter disregard for those in line. Temples seem to have created a new class who having enjoyed VIP darshan believe themselves to be VIPs wherever they go. This new class feels they need to have reservations wherever they go. Why cannot they buy ticket and stand in line? It is their fiefdom they believe. It is their birthright not standing in line.  The endowments department should be credited for creating this new class of people who are becoming increasingly a nuisance wherever they go. 

This new class of VIPs is a burden to Hinduism and a drain on the government since they do not buy tickets. They do not stand in lines where there are no lines. They push their way to get darshan first .I hope that in Hindu temples, this VIP culture comes to an end. In tirupati temple, there are VIP break darshans where u can get letter from a public functionary, buy ticket and get VIP Darshan. TTD forces u to buy ticket even if u are VIP.  In Durga temple too, this should happen. Everyone who comes via the VIP lane should buy a ticket. Once a ticket is put, there will be end to this since they will never put money to buy ticket. Only then will the real VIPs get respect. Now the category of VIP has been diluted to so low level that even family of Volunteers during Dusshera are also VIPs. While thousands stand in lines for hrs for darshan, these VIPs walk via the main gate. Noone stops them. Others catch the Devasthanam buses without buying the 300 rs tickets which gives them entry into the bus.