Festive spirit sets in

Rajahmundry: Festive fervour gripped the villages as the family members and kin settled or working elsewhere started arriving home to celebrate the Sankranti festival begi-nning from January 13 in Godavari districts.

Several people gave a fresh coat of paint to the houses while women are busy in preparing traditional sweets to serve to the guests. Children are eagerly waiting for the festive days to wear new clothes and enjoy the fun. Haridasas with decorated bulls are moving on the streets making them to perform feats and accepting alms being offered by the people.

Young women are seen cleaning the front yards of their houses in the early hours and giving a fresh coat of dung diluted in water and decorating it with colourful rangoli of varied patterns to welcome the family members and guests in a traditional manner into their houses.

Confectioners are making special delicacies while shopping malls are giving bumper offers for purchase of clothes, household articles, electronic gadgets, automobiles like bikes and cars to make good money.

Meanwhile, the organisers of cock-fights are making elaborate arrangements by erecting huge pandals, air-conditioned rooms, parking lots and other amenities in the harvested fields located in the outskirts of the villages.

The cockfights will be organised late in the evenings under the flood lights and businessmen go for betting in high stakes involving crores of rupees on winning cocks. The AC rooms are meant for other guests who will be playing cards involving money. A popular organiser of the cockfights is learnt to have extended invites to the prominent personalities from the film industry and businessmen.

Magnates settled elsewhere to attend the cock-fights to be held on the outskirts of Bhimavaram.

All hotels and lodges in and around Bhimavaram are booked and no room is available to the new comers. On the other hand, police maintain firm stand to curb cock-fights and other illegal activities and cautioned the people not to involve in such unlawful activities.

As the Lok Ayuktha justice B. Subhashan Reddy issued directions to the SPs of Godavari and Krishna districts to implement all norms to avoid any acts subjecting the birds to cruelty, one has to see as to how firmly they will comply with the directions.