This year, eight different nations will participate in Telangana’s floral festival Bathukamma thanks to an effort by the non-profit Telangana Jagruthi, which is run by Legislative Council member Kalvakuntla Kavitha.
This year’s celebration, which will be held from September 25 to October 3, honors nature by creating enormous floral stacks known as Bathukamma. It received widespread notice last year after being shown on a screen at Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the highest structure in the world.
The posters for the worldwide Bathukamma festivities were unveiled today by MLC Kavitha, the chief minister’s daughter.
“The festival espouses the philosophy of ‘what comes from nature goes into nature,'” says the organization’s website.
It explains, “Bathukamma — the word is a conjugation of ‘Bathuku’ (life) and ‘Amma’ (mother)… Hence, the protector of life and its journey is personified as the mother,”
The NGO started organizing the festival with groups of women across the Telangana region, it says. “These groups of women would come together and prepare ornate stacks or mounds using flowers… locally grown in the Telangana… During the days of the festival celebrations, people worship various gods and goddesses,” says the NGO on its website, “The first outcome of such a festival is the feeling of unity in womanhood.”
When the harvest season changes during Navratris, which is seen as fortunate in Hindu and other cultures, the celebration is observed for nine days.
“The timing is significant because Telangana’s normally semi-arid area receives rains by this time of year, making the environment lush and verdant. The revitalized scenery, the farmers’ hope for success, and the abundance of food and water all work together to give the populace a positive and joyful attitude, “Telangana Jagruthi states.
