The Telangana streets are resplendent with the decorated Bathukamma is no secret, but thousands of miles away parks and convention halls in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and the Gulf reflected a similar scenario and sentiment.
The festival of flowers that was just being confined to villages and quite fast disappearing from the cities all these years now also caught on with the Telugus in the foreign land thanks to the separate State agitation that also triggered the mass cultural revival. In fact, the Telangana families abroad are far more enthusiastic given their time and space constraints.
Various organisations working for revival and sustenance of Telangana culture and festivals in different parts of the world are competing with each other to celebrate the festival inviting Ministers and politicians of various parties and also adding glamour to it ensuring the participation of film and television stars.
Religious fervour and gaiety marked the Bathukamma Sambaralu, organised by the Telangana Development Forum (TDF), Atlanta Chapter, at Piney Grove Middle School recently. Similar programmes were organised at Houston, Washington DC, Raleigh in North Carolina, Los Angeles, Dubai, Sydney, Melbourne and other places.
All these places saw droves of young and middle-aged women, decked up traditionally arriving with their flamboyant flower stacks that embodied Goddess Maha Gowri, who is revered as life-giver and symbolise the womanhood going by Telangana folklore.
“It has become a part of our life here and the effort is to revive, retain and pass on our culture to the next generation,” said Vishweshwar Kalavala, president, Telangana Development Forum (TDF), the most active Telangana group abroad.
“More than 1,600 people joined in Atlanta and they played and danced for over eight hours.”
Actor and mimicry artist Lohith Kumar, Telangana singers Swarnakka, Swaroopa and Tirupathi along with local artists Srinivas Durgham and Janardhan Pannala entertained the audience with unique programmes.
The flower festival brought back the childhood memories for thousands of people in the desserts of Gulf too. Yelishetty Srinivas, one of the founder members of Gulf Telangana said that the Telangana agitation helped the spread of the festival in Gulf too.
“Earlier, individual groups used to celebrate but now its on a bigger platform and the enthusiasm is unbelievable,” he said.
Families that fail to participate in such events don’t forget to celebrate at nearby lakes in small groups singing Bathukamma songs, they learnt as children back home. “I haven’t missed the festival since the last six years. I make Bathukamma at home and immerse it in the nearby lake along with a few friends,” says Manikeshwari Bethi, a resident of Sydney in Australia.
Vinod Elete, who is active in Australia Telangana Forum in Sydney has been organising the festival and he says interest is immense and the numbers have been swelling.
