Ode to the sun
The environs of Ghantsala Venkateswara Rao Music and Dance College on Sunday witnessed scores of students and youth enthusiastically taking part in the mass Surya Namaskar (the Sun salutation) organised by the Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam (TTD) and Hindu Dharma Prachara Parishad to mark the Ratha Saptami.
Led by Dharma Prachara Mandali district legal advisor Y Lokanatha Sharma, the students performed the stretching exercises in perfect coordination even while offering prayers to the Sun god to mark the ‘Surya Jayanti’. Besides that Aditya Hrudayam was also recited by students and performed special rituals to Sri Suryanarayana Swamy on his birth day and sought his blessings.
Speaking on the occasion, Lokanatha Sharma said the sun was worshiped as the god of health and explained the significance of Aditya Hridayam. It would do a lot of good to people if Suryanamaskarams were performed in the early hours every day.
He advised parents to inculcate the habit of performing suryanamaskarams among their children for their wellbeing. District Dharma Prachara Mandali executive committee members E Ram Kumar, B Venkata Bala Koteswara Rao and B Sudhakar Reddy were also present on the occasion.