The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) celebrated Deepavali in the midst of disadvantaged children here.
Patients at the TTD-run Balaji Institute of Surgery, Research and Rehabilitation for the Disabled (BIRRD), considered the largest orthopaedic hospital in Asia, celebrated the festival of lights with joy and fanfare. The hospital once formed to treat polio in children has now evolved into a facility handling various forms of physical handicap. Hospital Director G. Jagadish conducted the festivities among children, who had either recently undergone surgery or had been marked for the same, by distributing crackers.
TTD’s Chief Vigilance and Security Officer Ake Ravikrishna observed the day with the inmates of the Sri Venkateswara School for Deaf and Dumb and junior college. He distributed sweets to the children and burst crackers along with them.
NRI coordinator Mahadeva Naidu and TANA representative Sri Hari conveyed their wishes to the children and promised to improve the school infrastructure to provide vocational training to them.
Additional CV&SO Sivakumar Reddy, Educational Officer Rama Chandra, AVSO Ganga Raju and principal Nalina took part.