source: The Hindu July 5, 2007

http://www.hindu.com/2007/07/05/stories/2007070555990300.htm

Staff Reporter

GUNTUR: The Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) will establish spiritual gurukul schools in all the districts with a view to promote ancient Vedas and Hindu culture, T.T.D Chairman B. Karunakara Reddy has said.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of ‘kalyanamasthu’, an awareness programme on mass weddings held here on Wednesday, he said that students irrespective of caste and creed would be admitted in the schools. The TTD would bear all the expenditure incurred towards establishment of the schools and provide the best of facilities on par with the corporate educational institutions.

The schools would promote Vedas, Hindu culture besides general academic education, he said.

The concept of mass marriages has been mooted to save many families of the heavy financial burden of conducting the weddings. Men above 21 years and women above 18 years would be eligible for the weddings and all the weddings should have the written consent of the parents, he said.

So far, 2000 weddings were held during the first phase of ‘kalyanamastu.’

Referring to the spiritual activities taken up by TTD, he said that the TTD had taken up several programmes to restore ancient glory of Vedas and revive the Hindu culture and its spirit of tolerance. District Collector Mohammad Ali Rafath assured that the district administration was geared up for the mega event.

Later, the TTD chairman and other dignitaries blessed five couples in the presence of huge gathering comprising district and TTD officials, public representatives and priests.