A sea of flowers

In Telangana, Navratri is a time for women to celebrate the state’s flagship floral festival Bathukamma. And this year, Telangana Tourism, under the leadership of its Principal Secretary Burra Venkatesham, had a spectacular celebration planned for the public.

One of the many events held this week was Bathukamma on the Water, which had young sailors from the Yacht Club of Hyderabad performing traditional Bathukamma dances on coracles decorated with multi-coloured flowers in the Hussain Sagar on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Over a period of three days, 100 floating Bathukammas were set up, and in the evenings, the Bathukammas were lit from within, creating a beautiful spectacle of light and colour. The festivities also included a unique coracle racing event for fishermen, for which the floating Bathukammas were used as race tracks. The racers were so excited to be participating in the event, that even heavy rains couldn’t put a damper on their spirits. Being expert oarsmen, they didn’t face any challenges because of the weather.

Celebrations galore: (Clockwise) Young girls ready to perform traditional Bathukamma dances on coracles; sailors during the race; Fishermen who participated in Bathukamma on the Water race

When we spoke to one of the fishermen after the event, he said, “It was a great experience. I have never done like this before. I would like to come here every year and participate in this race.”

The races were conducted in two rounds one for groups of three, and the other for singles. The winner in the singles category was Gopal Malli, and the winning group consisted of Jani S.K., Raju D., and Mallesh S. They took home a cup as a token of their victory.

Speaking about the successful event, Venkatesham, the man behind the concept of Bathukamma on the Water, said, “When it comes to festivals be it the Sweet Festival or Bathukamma  we can keep making them better and ensure that all residents and tourists enjoy themselves thoroughly. This year’s Bathukammas on water, air and land will be the beginning of a whole new dimension to the festival of flowers.