YSR Congress Party leader and former Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) Chairman Bhumana Karunakar Reddy has often faced criticism from political rivals, who have questioned his religious credentials and accused him of not being a true believer in Hinduism.
For a long time, allegations have circulated that Bhumana is not a practicing Hindu and that he had conducted his daughter’s marriage according to Christian rituals.
Although Bhumana has made several attempts in the past to project himself as a committed Hindu; including organising a Hindu Dharma Sammelan in Tirumala during his tenure as TTD Chairman; his opponents have continued to target him, accusing him of encouraging non-Hindus within TTD and even allowing Christian preaching in the Tirumala-Tirupati region.
On Wednesday, Bhumana appeared to seize an opportunity to reinforce his Hindu image by organising a religious ceremony in Tirupati, where a couple who had converted to Islam several decades ago formally re-embraced Hinduism.
The ceremony, described as a “Hindu Punah-Sweekarana Mahotsavam” (Hindu reconversion event), was held at Bhumana’s residence in Padmavathipuram and was attended by a select group of invitees.
The couple, who had been known as Abdullah and Ameena, formally returned to Hinduism and resumed their original names; Srinivasulu Reddy and Pushpa.
The reconversion was carried out through traditional Hindu rituals, including a special homam, symbolising spiritual purification and re-entry into the faith.
According to available information, Srinivasulu Reddy and Pushpa, residents of P.K. Layout in Tirupati, had migrated to Kuwait nearly 30 years ago in search of livelihood.
During their stay abroad, they are said to have converted to Islam due to the circumstances prevailing there at the time.
After spending many years overseas, the couple returned to Tirupati around five years ago and resumed life in their hometown.
It was after their return that Srinivasulu Reddy reportedly reconnected with his childhood friend Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, who had been his classmate during their school days.
According to Bhumana, it was during one of these meetings that he came to know that Srinivasulu Reddy had embraced Islam in Kuwait and changed his name to Abdullah.
He said that from then on, he repeatedly encouraged his friend to consider returning to Hinduism.
Speaking after the ceremony, Srinivasulu Reddy said that while the conversion to Islam had taken place due to practical and social circumstances in Kuwait, the decision to return to Hinduism was made voluntarily and wholeheartedly after much thought.
He said he felt happy and emotionally fulfilled to return to the religion of his birth and added that he now wished to visit Tirumala with renewed spiritual pride.
He also said that Bhumana had been consistently encouraging him for the last two years to take this step, and that the family had finally decided to go ahead after careful reflection.
Bhumana recalled that when he was serving as TTD Chairman, a conference of nearly 60 peethadhipathis and religious heads had been organised under the directions of then Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to discuss issues related to the protection and propagation of Hindu dharma.
According to Bhumana, one of the important suggestions that emerged from that meeting was the need to create an institutional mechanism to help people who had left Hinduism and later wished to return.
However, he said that despite the discussion and intent, no formal system was created to facilitate such reconversion efforts.