YSRCP MLC Duvvada Srinivas’s photoshoot near Tirumala temple triggers debate

As people question appropriateness of photography events near temples, TTD officials are yet to take a call on issue

In the midst of the buzz surrounding the ongoing Brahmotsavams in Tirumala, YSRCP MLC Duvvada Srinivas allegedly organising photo shoots near the famed Venkateswara temple along with his friend D. Madhuri and sharing them on social media platforms as short videos has created an uproar.

The duo went on a clicking spree in the vicinity of the temple and the sacred tank (Srivari Pushkarini) on Monday (October 7, 2024), which apparently ‘distracted’ pilgrims on their way to the temple. 

Having applied for divorce, the MLC had publicly announced he was in a live-in relationship with his girlfriend. It was in this backdrop that the duo had visited Tirumala for darshan and stirred a controversy by clicking videos in the temple’s vicinity.

After their videos went viral on social media, a debate erupted in media as well as official circles as to whether such events could be allowed on TTD-owned premises.

Just recently, a leading film actor courted a similar controversy when she arrived with a team of photographers to click her walk down the Mada streets. After the incident led to a furore, she tendered an apology.

However, since the person involved in this latest incident is an MLC holding public office, the TTD’s senior officials went into a huddle and contacted the staff on the field as to how to deal with the situation. The TTD’s security apparatus as well as the district police department appeared clueless on dealing with the situation, as shooting videos, per se, does not come under any form of violation of the existing set of rules.

Photography is explicitly banned inside the precincts of Tirumala and other shrines functioning under the TTD umbrella, but it has never been discouraged outside the temples. 

As such, thousands of devotees armed with mobile phones go on a clicking spree every day at temples.

“It is impossible to observe everyone taking pictures in the public space as the photos serve as a memento of their pilgrimage. It is also indispensable in this age of social media explosion, as the photos are meant to be shared on various platforms”, opined an official, requesting anonymity.

The seemingly insignificant development assumed serious proportions after certain social organisations suggested a total ban on photography, and some even demanding the removal of the media point in Tirumala.

Amid the fear of treading the ‘moral policing’ line, the TTD officials are learnt to be toeing a guarded approach on this issue.

Published - October 09, 2024 11:24 am IST