Chittoor district, the tri-State junction flanked by Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, always throws an amalgamation of Telugu, Kannada and Tamil cultures during festive occasions. Now, hundreds of villages in the district are fully geared up for the vibrant Bhogi festival.
Though the district administration strictly prohibited the cocks' fight, this country sport is going ahead unabated in the western mandals, with bets running into lakhs of rupees. The Bhogi festival, falling Wednesday, will see hundreds of households in the rural side waking up in the early hours and setting fire to the disbanded articles like broomsticks, waste papers and wooden articles, apart from firewood and dried weeds.
The major towns like Srikalahasti, Chittoor, Madanapalli, Kuppam and others will also witness the festival in its frenzy. Participation of the youth in the rural areas remains the highlight.
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Bhogi, which comes on the eve of Sankranti, is being viewed as an auspicious event, which signifies the burning of all bad and heralding of the new hope for the people.
The meat and poultry industry reap profits during the season. Meanwhile, the traditional ‘Pasuvula Panduga’ (Kanjma festival) will be organised prominently in Pakala, Rangampet and Punganur in the district and other villages also to witness the event in a low key manner till month-end, even after Sankranti. The bull races in the district, known as the inferior form of Jalli Kattu of Tamil Nadu, always give tense moments to the police administration.
During the last several years, injuries to the participants were reported from Rangampeta, Shantipuram and Pakala.
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Though the police take steps to prevent the bull races, they invariably face stiff opposition from the village heads. This wild frenzy will also see huge betting in several villages as against the prevailing prohibitory orders.