Hyderabad: The city is all set to celebrate the Navaratri and Dasara, with holidays are declared from Wednesday which is also Gandhi Jayanti. Several education institutes celebrated Bathukamma at their premises as also housing colonies.
Sanjana Rao, a resident of Tarnaka, said they conducted the pre-Bathukamma celebration on Saturday and Sunday along with the residents of some apartments. “We are going to celebrate the last three days of Navaratri. There was a good response from everyone. Looking forward to a great participation for the main festival too,” he added.
At Nizam College. Vishnu, a student of BA, said, “Bathukamma festival is encouraged by the Telangana government and enhanced its cultural value. We as Nizamians have been celebrating this festival for ages. Bathukamma is a festival of joy and it is sacred. We make Gouramma, place it on Bathukamma, and sing and dance to our traditional songs.”
D. Kalyani, a student of BSc. said Bathukamma, the festival of flowers, is not only a religious but also a pride of Telangana culture. “This festival is special for our Telangana women. As we all know, Bathukamma is celebrated for nine days and we offer puja to Goddess Durga during Navaratri. This festival is the epitome of Telangana culture and tradition,” she explained.
