Hussainsagar waters sizzle to Bathukamma songs

Foreigners performing during the Bathukamma festival at Tank Band on Sunday.

The otherwise still waters of Hussainsagar reflected life and colour, as it played a perfect venue to the floral festival, Bathukamma. On Sunday, the peripheral road along the banks of Hussainsagar witnessed huge crowds of beautifully decked women swaying to traditional Telangana songs reverberating.

Braving rains, the women devotees and revellers started assembling at the Bathukamma ghat and other enclosures at Tank Bund and NTR Marg right from evening. On the final day of the festival, one got to to see the ‘Bathukammas’ of various sizes and shapes making their way into the lake.

“I celebrated the festival outside my house and also a tank in my colony, but dancing around Bathukamma on Tank Bund has its own charm. This is like a custom for most women in the city, as it is now more like a social event where we meet acquaintances or learn new steps from strangers,” said D. Shravani, a 28-year-old homemaker from Safilguda.

The State administration, which made all the necessary arrangements, also won praise from the public for the way the festival was conducted. From volunteers who would place the flower decorations into the water, ‘She teams’ keeping an eye on eve-teasers, to kiosks supplying drinking water, it was all meticulously planned.

As foreigners and even women from other faith danced around Bathukammas in circles at various places, the illuminated boats in Hussainsagar and decorated streets provided the festive ambience. The firecracker show, which began at around 7.30 p.m., was one of the highlights of the day. A number of cultural programmes organised by the State government also kept the crowds in good spirits.

“I offered to come along with my mother, wife and other relatives. I wanted to experience the festival this way and also see the firecracker show,” said A. Madhusudhan, a bank employee and a resident of RTC ‘X’ roads, who was one among the many men at the venue.

Throughout the day, gated communities, apartments and colonies saw women of all ages and background gathering outside their homes to decorate and dance. In the IT corridor, actress-turned-politician Jayasudha participated in the Bathukamma event organised by the Telangana IT Association.