Hyderabad, March 31 (IANS) Telugu-speaking people of Telangana and Seemandhra Monday ushered in Telugu New Year 'Ugadi' in a traditional manner and with gaiety, but the election model code of conduct dampened the festive spirit.
Telugus in both the regions decorated their houses and shops with mango leaves, tasted the traditional 'Ugadi pacchadi' and heard 'panchangnam' or the forecast of the coming year by 'agma' pundits.
This is the first Telugu New Year after parliament last month passed a legislation to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. Telangana and residuary Andhra Pradesh (Seemandhra) will formally come into being as separate states June 2.
As the state is under President's rule, it was Chief Secretary P. K. Mohanty who was the chief guest at the main official function held here.
People in the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad thronged the temples since early morning to pray for happiness and prosperity in the coming year.
However, the model code of conduct which is in force for assembly and Lok Sabha elections April 30 and May 7, dampened the 'Ugadi' spirit as the political parties and their leaders were barred from organizing the festivities.
The election authorities have warned that the political leaders organizing feast and distributing clothes or other gifts to public would face action. The state chief electoral officer constituted special teams to check the violations.
The sale of electronic goods, clothes and other items has also come down drastically due to the restrictions imposed by the election authorities. According to traders, people this time did not make bulk purchase as carrying huge amount of cash has become risky in view of the searches being conducted by the police. Even the banks have been asked to monitor transactions of above Rs.1 lakh.
Police have seized more than Rs.65 crore unaccounted cash across the state since the poll schedule was announced early this month. Police officials believe a part of the money was being carried to bribe the voters.
Women prepared 'Ugadi pacchadi', a mixture of neem buds, raw mango, tamarind juice, pepper, jaggery and salt - a must for the celebrations. The mixture symbolizes that life is a mixture of different experiences like happiness and sadness, which should be accepted together and with equanimity.
Thousands of devotees thronged the temples in both the regions. Special prayers were held at Tirumala, Srisailam and Vijayawada temples. People also attend special functions where the pundits read out 'panchangnam' or religious almanac of the coming year. Literary discussions, poetry recitations, recognition of authors through award and cultural programmes marked the day.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Andhra Pradesh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan and leaders of various political parties greeted people on the occasion of 'Ugadi' and hoped that the New Year would bring happiness and prosperity for Telugus around the world.
Intense cold kills 15 in Bihar, Schools Closed
Pat Jan 19 (IANS) Intense cold in Bihar has claimed 15 more lives, pushing the total number of casualties due to inclement weather to 42, officials said Monday."The inclement weather claimed 15
Lenovo: The company released the teaser of Legion Y70, which will get 50 megapixel camera
Lenovo Legion Y70 Teaser: Lenovo has released the online teaser of its new phone Lenovo Legion Y70, in which it has been told about the design of the phone and some specifications of the handset.
Russia sent a warship equipped with hypersonic missiles: that will also pass through the Indian Ocean, Putin said - powerful weapons will protect from external threats
Russia on Wednesday sent a hypersonic cruise missile-equipped fighter ship 'Gorshkov' to the Atlantic Ocean. This is being seen as Putin's message to America and Western countries.
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan: Title track of Akshay-Tiger's BMCM released, can it spread the magic of Amitabh-Govinda?
Bade Miyan Chote Miyan Title Track Released: Akshay Kumar and Tiger Shroff's film 'Bade Miyan Chote Miyan' is not going away from the discussion. First, the teaser of the film and now the title track
Repo Rate: 68,625 crore burden on MSME and retail customers due to increase in repo rate by 2.25%
An SBI report states that 47 percent of the total borrowers in the country are linked to the loan external benchmark (EBR). This simply means that with the increase in the rate of RBI, their interest
Earth Day today: Appeal to people to invest in the earth, because 40 thousand species are in danger of extinction
Earth Day, ie Earth Day, is being celebrated all over the world today. Its purpose is to make people aware of the issue of environmental protection and to understand the importance of the earth. This
Petrol Diesel Price Today: Petrol crosses Rs 121 per liter in this district of Madhya Pradesh, diesel price reached Rs 110
Petrol Diesel Price Today: For the first time in Anuppur district bordering Madhya Pradesh, the price of petrol crossed Rs 121 per liter on Saturday, while the price of diesel reached Rs 110.29.
Ambedkar Jayanti 2022: PM Modi paid tribute on Ambedkar Jayanti, saying - today is the day to reiterate our commitment to fulfilling his dreams for the country
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti. Today, the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar is celebrated across the country. Today, on April 14, he was born in a village in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh.
Rashid Khan: Rashid Khan was fined for throwing the bat in the match against Bangladesh, ICC took action
Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has been charged with violating Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct in the match against Bangladesh. The star spinner has been penalized for slamming his bat on the
America: Growth in the third quarter of the US economy compared to earlier, GDP increased to 3.2 percent
US Treasuries saw an increase this time compared to the previous quarter. However, the results are mixed. In its third estimate of gross domestic product, the government said that the gross domestic
