Tirupati, June 23, 2013: The temple city of Tirupati on Saturday paid homage to the departed souls struck by nature’s fury in Uttarakhand, apart from praying for the safe return of the thousands who are missing. The pilgrims visited the sacred ‘Char Dham’ to seek the blessings of the Almighty, but sadly enough, many perished while some remain stranded.

Students of Springdale Public School conducted an all-faith prayer at their campus, praying for peace for the departed souls.

“After man endlessly tampered with nature, the five elements -- air, earth, fire, water and sky chose to hit back at mankind,” said the school correspondent, K.S. Vasu.

“While man can let his fellow men down, the Almighty will not,” hoped Member of Parliament N. Sivaprasad (Chittoor), while stressing the need for such prayers. The prayers will not only reach God, but also give strength to the teams involved in the rescue operations, he reasoned. Inspector of Police (District Crime Records Bureau) Anju Yadav, BJP leader G. Bhanuprakash Reddy and Bhavan’s Director N. Satyanarayana Raju joined in the prayers.

Source: The Hindu, DT. June 23, 2013.