REACH IN VAK September 2010

VAK which is also known as VOICE OF TEMPLES, a magazine run by the renowned Visa Balaji @ Chilkur Balaji temple trustee Soundarajan and his illustrious son Shri. Rengan fights for the upliftment of lives of temple priests as well as reports on any heritage conservation efforts.

They are a powerful media as far as Andhra is concerned and it was a pleasant surprise when Shri.Renganji contacted REACH to allow them to publish our Uttaramerur temple story published in THE HINDU dated 27.08.2010 again in VAK. Happily we agreed. This caught the attention of the young and energitic HR&CE commissioner of Andhra Pradesh Government and our founder Dr. T.Satyamurthy was invited to Hyderabad for discussing and taking his advice on renovation of dilapidated temples in Andhra and avoid another Kalahasti like catastrophe. The engineers and executive officers of all districts were called for in the meeting and our power point presentation on heritage conservation was well received.

The next move by the Commissioner was to request REACH to prepare a conservation manual which explains all types of conservation practices, to be followed by the engineers henceforth.

We are in the process of preparing the manual and this will become the rule book for the HR&CE engineers in A.P to follow. Indeed a positive step by any Government and proactive too. While blaming many a governments for negligence of heritage temples, we should give credits to the incumbent commissioner for his fast action and decision.

Hope other governments also take a leaf out of this move.. and tha

nks to Chilkur Rengaji for his help and now the Andhra chapter of REACH will also be started soon, with Rengaji and Vizag Dhivakar taking cue from the commissioner's positive move. Let REACH reach places!! Here is the view of the magazines cover page and inner liner page...