GUNTUR: Preserving the Sanatana Dharma in Guntur city, as many as 250 people belonging to different age groups joined hands together to renovate and restore ancient temples.
This initiative has been taken up as part of the ‘Gudi Badi’ programme, which was launched in 2021 by Pranavapeetham established by Brahmasri Vaddiparti Padmakar in 2004. The organisation has been holding several spiritual service works and the founder’s Pravachanam (expositions) have gone viral within a short span gaining thousands of followers.
The ‘Gudi Badi’ programme not only focuses on restoration and cleaning of temples, but also instils spirituality among schoolchildren.
Speaking to TNIE, Vamsi, a 28-year-old chartered accountant and a member of the Gudi Badi team said, “Brahmasri Padmakar’s pravachanams inspired me and made me join the Pranavapeetham in 2019. I have been an active member of the Gudi Badi programme since its inception.”
Every weekend, the members of the team form groups and visit temples and conduct sanitation work in various shifts. “Though the numbers were less in the beginning, the friends and relatives of the team members, who learned about our work, joined us.
Soon, the initiative received an overwhelming response, and over 6,000 people joined the team not only in two Telugu states, but also in other countries including the US, Singapore, Malaysia, UK, Australia and Canada. Till now, sanitation, and renovation works were conducted in over 450 temples across India, including Gujarat, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, and in Guntur, Vijayawada, Tirupati, Nellore, Ongole, Eluru, Rajahmundry, Nandyala and several other places.