Service to man is service to God

I only wish that G.J.Reddy, Karnataka’s tourism minister could discern the depth of the above words. If only he could understand that a diamond-studded gold crown worth Rs 42 crore offered to Lord Venkateswara at Tirumala does not in itself qualify to serve as profound devotion to the almighty. I’m sure his piety would have been much highly appreciated by the deity had he made a more meaningful donation.A Rs.42 crore would have been well-spent in the glory of God had it given shelter to the homeless, food to the starving, medicines to the ailing, reparation to the disabled or tragedy-stricken or a better life to the impoverished. One can only hope that the Tirumala Temple trust acts in the interest of god’s will and ensures that such donations find their proper place in the homes of the less fortunate and underprivileged by way of charity trusts and NGOs. After all, God cannot be thanked for all his graciousness by adorning his idols by gold and emeralds, but by noble deeds done for allah ke bande.