In a bid to promote organic farming, the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) has initiated a “Sampradaya Bhojanam” (traditional meal) for devotees. In this 14-dish meal, the food will be made with ingredients produced through organic farming. Presently, this programme is under an eight-day trial (until September 2) at the Annamaiah Bhavan in Tirumala. For this purpose, the TTD Board has decided to enter into a contract with the farmers engaged in natural and organic farming. The Board said that along with lunch, Sampradaya Bhojanam will be extended to breakfast and dinner as well.
Additional Executive Director of TTD, AV Dharma Reddy told the media that the initiative was designed to promote Desi cow products and organic farming. Reddy said that the idea for Sampradayaa Bhojanam came from its previous initiative of preparing Naivedyam for the deity with the ingredients of Desi cow. “The Prasadams prepared out of the rice, jaggery, cereals, ghee etc. that were produced through natural farming turned out to be delicious and received a huge response from the pilgrims as well,” TTD said in its press release.
Vijayram, a natural farming expert who has been engaged by the TTD for the initiative said, “The intention is to bring back the heydays of our Desi cows and natural farming techniques which flourished across India some centuries ago. After many decades of waiting, we are very happy that a world-renowned religious organization like TTD has come forward to encourage the mission. We are confident that this will bring a revolution in the natural farming technique with Desi cow products.”
Rambabu, another food expert hired by TTD said, “For lunch, 14 delicacies including Purnalu, Coconut Rice, Pulihora etc have been made from millets.”
Confident about the initiative becoming a success, he said, “Sampradaya Bhojanam will definitely yield fruitful results which include both physical and mental fitness.” He said that on the first day of the programme’s launch, idlis and upma made out of kullakar (a variety of red rice) and kala bath (black rice) were served to the devotees for breakfast.