My Father Gouri Shankar Rajhans Noted My Watching Of Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel Beamed From Tirumala In Andhra Pradesh State In India

My Father Gouri Shankar Rajhans Noted My Watching Of Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel Beamed From Tirumala In Andhra Pradesh State In India

As I watched Sri Kalyana Venkateswara Vari Varshika Brahmotsavams from Srinivasamangapuram in Andhra Pradesh I was reminded of watching Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC) since 2008. That was the time when set box had not made inroads and one could watch umpteen number of channels with cable connection coming handy. My Father Gouri Shankar Rajhans was in the know of my liking for SVBC and equally my desire to visit Tirumala now and then. My Father visited Tirumala for the first time in 1980 or 1981 and after that he would visit Tirumala as and when Lord Venkateswara/Lord Govinda called him. That time there were no sighting of serpentine queues and one could sight Lord Venkateswara with ease. Lord Venkateswara has been kind enough to the entire world and would continue to shower blessings with prayer put by billion devotees now and then.

When cable connection came through set box SVBC channel was there in the beginning and later it was removed. That was a harsh reality we had to face. My Father too was not able to watch SVBC and on occasions I would bring laptop so that he could sight the proceedings from Tirumala.  Now with another set box watching of SVBC has become possible and this is gratifying to say the least. My Father is not amidst us but he would be happy to note that I have got the chance to watch SVBC proceedings from time to time. We are able to watch temple rituals from Tirumala to Tiruchanur to Srinivasamangapuram and hats off to the priests who perform temple proceedings with enough reverence. 

As for 2020 when I visited Tirumala the stay was in Tirupati given the fact that accommodation is not provided to single person. The first day I trekked from Alipiri Gate to Tirumala on foot with 3550 steps to be ascended. It took little under three hours. For foothpath pilgrims after reaching Tirumala the walk to sanctum sanctorum took no time and now there are enough turns and twists before reaching the compartments and henceforth the sanctum sanctorum housing Lord Venkateswara. The stay in Tirumala/Tirupati was for three days with food taken from Matrusri Tarigonda Vengamamba Anna Prasada Centre after having Darshan in Tirumala and in Tirupati in Hotel Vikram and Sarvana Bhavan. 

As for Srinivasam Complex for Darshan Ticket I came across a group from Maharashtra and during the course of interaction I came to know there were two Lord Shiva Jyotirlinga Baidyanath in Aurangabad and Bhimashankar near Mancher near Pune. Notably this discussion cropped up when I mentioned I had visited Srisailam Jyotirlinga (Sri Mallikarjuna Swamy Resides Here)  before coming to Tirumala. Though much has changed in Tirumala with the rush gaining traction and the best part is we are able to sight proceedings thanks to SVBC. 

My Father's blessings are with us and that is precisely the reason we are able to watch SVBC on TV sets and put in a prayer for the entire world. Lord Venkateswara would see us through the challenges confronting the mankind and his larger message is peace is the oath everyone takes while navigating the life journey.   

South Indian Channels we watch are Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel (SVBC TTD), ETV Andhra Pradesh, Gemini, ETV Telugu, Sun Channel, Jaya Channel, DD Podhigai, Surya Channel, News First, Public TV, DD Malayalam, Manorama News, Mazhavil Manorama beamed from States of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.