Call to shun extravagance during temple festival

PANDALAM: Yogakshema Sabha president Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhattathirippad has said that the Hindu community should give up the practice of  spending extravagantly on temple festivals.Inaugurating the three-day Hindu religious meet at Ullannur Sree Bhadra Devi temple near here as part of the annual Pathamudayam festival on Thursday, Akeeramon Kalidasa Bhattathirippad said that the crores of funds collected from the devotees through ‘para’ offerings and other donations were wasted by conducting programmes such as orchestra, mimic parades and star singer musical items, at annual festivals.Religious heads and cultural leaders should take the initiative in enlightening the common people and devotees on the wasteful expenditure, the Yogakshema Sabha leader said.As part of the temple festivals, the organisers should arrange programmes for the creation of awareness among the devotees and temple-goers on the temple customs and practices, Akeeramon said.Instead of spending huge funds on such extravagant programmes, the money should be spend for the social upliftment and cultural awakening of the community members. Brahmachari Bhargavaram of Chenkottukonam Sree Ramadasa Ashram delivered the discourse. NSS karayogam president P R Gopalakrishna Pillai presided over the function.Cultural MeetHindu Aikyavedi general secretary Kummanam Rajasekharan will inaugurate the Hindu cultural meet on the second day on Friday.