Bathukamma, the unique and auspicious spring festival of Telangana and Telugu people, was celebrated in a big way in the tri-cites of Raleigh, Durham and Cary at Crabtree Lake Park in Raleigh, North Carolina on Sunday the October 5th 2008.
Women and children gathered in few hundreds, around 550 in numbers along with their batukammas placed them in the middle and danced around them, synchronizing steps and claps in unison, and singing soul stirring bathukamma folk songs. After the singing and dancing, batukammalu are set afloat in a lake or river.
It’s really rejoicing to participate in this festival forgetting all the nonsense that is going on in the world, away from the busy routine, forgetting all our sorrows for a moment.
People came from far off places to have a feel and be a part of the experience. People, in hundreds were so drawn by this that not only were they actively involved in this lavish setting but also were so oblivious of the time that it was well past sunset by the time they returned home.
Seeing such big women participation in their traditional attire (pattu cheeralu), many women commented that they are very happy to see such big gathering and said that the cascading effect is such that whenever Bathukamma festivities draw near, they go down memory lane, recalling, with a twinkle in our eyes, those cherished days as a toddler and growing up years, during which they had a lively time. The best phase of my life, I must say. We want this heritage to be continued to next generations and so we brought our children and encouraged her to make her own bathukamma.
Mrs Manchikanti Roopa said, this is the second consecutive year I am participating in this event at this place and I look forward to celebrate bathukamma in the coming years in big like those of my childhood days in India .
Jalagam Latha Nithin said, In our childhood, a festive atmosphere prevailed in our ancestral house in Warangal , on the eve of Bathukamma. And it was not just in our house. Every home I visited in our neighborhood wore a decorative appearance, which in itself was all inviting and exciting a prospect.
Nallavelli Rama and Kadari Laxmi said my sisters, like all other children, longed for the speedy arrival of Bathukamma every year. Not merely because of the good tidings that it brought but, more importantly, at least in my case, because it promised to bring plenty of goodies. Our ever-doting grandmother played Santa Claus, to near perfection, come Bathukamma. She would send new clothes. We would get mouth-watering sweets and an enticing variety of dishes. The visual delight the nine-days provided came as a bonus. What more could one ask for? Hence, if it was looked forward to, the reasons were pretty obvious.
Bompalli Divya joyful of seeing so many NRI’s gathering and celebrating Bathukamma in USA in recent times, recollecting her childhood day told, it is believed that this belief gained prominence, I can conclude that the Bathukamma celebrations were, inarguably, the finest in Warangal .
The organizers of bathukamma and the families graced the festival with their bathukkamas are:
Mr &Mrs Sreedhar Nelavelli&Ramadevi, Mr &Mrs Vindo and Manchikanti Roopa, Mr &Mrs Kadari Ramprasad&SriLaxmi, Mr &Mrs Narender&Vissu, Meghanadh Kodem, SandhyaPunnam, Nithin Jalagam&Latha, Gopal Reddy& Sudha, Someswar Bompalli&Divya, SRI&SMT Nandeswar, Mr&Mrs Renuka Chandra, Mr&Mrs Kavitha Jagadish Kasuganti, Narayana, Sunil Ravulapally&SirishaRoopa Gupta, Sampath, NerallaPraveen, Narayana Chinthapatla& Kala,Podila LaxmiNarayana, Srinivas Gurrala, Gadde Srininvas, and Vemuri Ranganadh , with their children and friends greeted the occasion with fun filled activities.
The organizers thanked all the families’ friends for their huge participation and said this was much bigger than the last year’s bathukamma which was conducted at the same place and same venue.
Podila Laxminarayana on behalf of RTP Bathukamma and Telangana NRI association, Telugu association, thanked the attendees for their active participation for making this event a grand success.
The event concluded with vote of thanks by Podila Laxminarayana Podila thanking each and every telugu NRI family not only from Telangana but also from Rayaleesma, costal Andhra, participating this happiest occasion of the bathukamma and making it a big success and requested to encourage these kind of our cultural festivals carry forward the culture and legacy with wide participation of people.
http://picasaweb.google.com/rtpbathukamma2008/Sreedhar_Bathukamma2008
