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Pujas and other rituals like ‘abhishekam’ and ‘archanas’ are performed daily, beginning with ‘Suprabhatam’
and ending with ‘Ekantaseva’.While daily, monthly or annual prayers are conducted in the names of devotees
from all over the country as per their request, they may also offer ‘bhog’ on any day and partake of the free
‘prasadam’ which is distributed to devotees twice a day. The famous ‘Tirupati Laddu’, prepared by experts
from the South, is available at the Temple.
‘Sahasranama Archana’ is performed every Saturday for Lord Balaji, and ‘Archana’ is performed for Goddess
Durga everyTuesday and Friday.There is a ‘Yagnashala’ within the complex where devotees may have ‘yagnas’
performed.
An auditorium or ‘asthanamandapam’, used primarily for religious and spiritual activities, was built adjacent
to the temple, following the same architectural style. Cultural functions are held there on Sundays and
aspiring artists from the region are allowed to display their work, free of charge, for a fortnight.
The priests are housed in comfortable residences while visiting dignitaries are put up in the guest house.
Mr Khaitan has formed a corpus for the Trust which looks after the temple. The interest from this is used to
maintain the complex, pay wages and cover all other expenses.
Mr Khaitan loves to visit the temple.
“I like the quiet and peaceful atmosphere. I always admired the serenity of
cathedrals and wanted that same atmosphere for this temple, so that people can pray in peace. The paths, the lawns,
shrubs, the music – all create a wonderful ambience.”
The temple is as much a boon for him as for the people of
the region. He says with a smile,
“As I grow older, it becomes harder for me to travel all the way to Tirupathi, so I
come here to pay my respects to Lord Balaji.”
~
Sarita Dasgupta
W
hat distinguishes Mr Khaitan from most others in similar positions of responsibility is his firm
belief in the importance of leisure time. He encourages everyone in the Company to spend after-
work hours and weekends in pursuit of leisure activities.
How much significance he gives to the matter is reflected in the fact that the café at Four Mangoe Lane has
a dartboard and pool table.
He is always ready to upgrade the facilities of all the clubs located on the Company’s properties, so that
planters and their families can relax and enjoy themselves in their free time.The Company has also sponsored
many sporting events upcountry for the benefit of the planters.
Every estate has clubs for the use of the staff and workers respectively, and inter-Line football tournaments
are fixtures on all properties.
As for himself, there are three sports close to Mr Khaitan’s heart – polo, horse racing and golf.
He became involved in the first two because of his love of horses and his interest in riding. Although he
never played polo, he loved the sport, and, along with a few other individuals, was greatly responsible for
making the Calcutta Polo Club the ‘Mecca of Polo’ in the 1960s.
His love of horses and riding led him into horse racing, and the polo grounds being in the middle of the race
course, he naturally spent a lot of time at the Royal Calcutta Turf Club. Over the years, he owned quite a
number of race horses in partnership with his friends and close associates, and won many a prestigious event.
Golf is the sport he loves the most. It has been his ‘panacea for all ills’.Weekends are sacrosanct and spent
exclusively on the greens of the Royal Calcutta Golf Club with his golfing partners of many years. He believes
that the friendships one makes on the golf course are lifelong. He also believes, like Bobby Jones, that “Golf
is the closest game to the game we call life. You get bad breaks from good shots; you get good breaks from
bad shots - but you have to play the ball where it lies.”
In December 2012, for the very first time, the Tour Championship was held at the ‘Royal’, hosted by McLeod
Russel in conjunction with the Professional Golf Tour of India.
~
Sarita Dasgupta