Television presenter from India and former participant of Bigg Boss Telugu Season 3, Shiva Jyothi, has been making headlines due to her inappropriate remarks on the revered Annaprasadam (divine food offering) at the renowned Tirumala Venkateswara Temple. This incident started through a video which she or her friend recorded during the very pilgrimage to the holy place recently, and has triggered a major backlash on social media. Read to know more about what has happened here.
About Shiva Jyothi
Shiva Jyothi was in the queue for Srivani trust-linked darshan and was seen receiving the obligatory food offering given by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) to the devotees. And in the video, she could be seen saying, “We are taking costly pasadam in Tirumala…we are the richest beggars.” This statement instantly triggered major criticism from the devotee, who considered this a serious offence to the purity of the Annaprasadam. They argued that a divine blessing from Lord Venkateswara, not a free good, was being insulted.
After this public outrage, Shiva Jyothi quickly took to her social media accounts and apologised to everyone. She admitted that her remarks were inappropriate and that she deeply regretted them. She also made it clear that it was not her aim to offend the religious feelings of the devotees. Jyoti specified that the meaning of ‘rich’ was just because she and her friends were at the very expensive Rs 10,000 Shivani trust queue for an accelerated darshan, connecting the ‘luxurious’ side to the ticket fee rather than the holy meal itself.
She maintained that her devotion to the god, Lord Venkateswara, was unwavering, and that the terrible comment was a mistake, either malicious or innocent. In addition, she apologised on behalf of her accompanying brother, who was with her at the time.
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