Gaiety marks 'Ugadi' celebrations in Telangana, Andhra

Hyderabad, March 21 (IANS) 'Ugadi', the Telugu New Year, was Saturday celebrated in both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with traditional fanfare and enthusiasm.

The first 'Ugadi' after bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh saw two chief ministers attending the main official celebrations in their respective states.

While Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao attended the official function in Hyderabad, his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Chandrababu Naidu led the celebrations at Ananthavaram village in Guntur district, where the state is building its new capital.

Both the leaders wished that the New Year bring peace and prosperity for Telugu-speaking people. They felicitated artists, writers and other personalities from various walks of life.

People in both the states offered special prayers, decorated entrances of their houses and shops with strings of mango leaves, tasted the traditional festival food and heard 'panchangnam' or the forecast of the coming year by 'agma' pundits to usher in the New Year.

Thousands of devotees thronged temples to pray for happiness and prosperity. Special prayers were held at Tirumala, Srisailam, Vijayawada and Bhadrachalam temples.

People also attended special functions where pundits read out religious almanac of the coming year. Literary discussions, poetry recitations, recognition of authors through awards and cultural programmes marked the day.

Women prepared 'Ugadi pacchadi', a mixture of neem buds, raw mango, tamarind juice, pepper, jaggery and salt, which is a necessary part of the celebratory dishes. The mixture symbolises that life is a mixture of various experiences which should be accepted together and with equanimity.

The main function in Hyderabad was held at Ravindra Bharati in the state capital, where an agma pundit read out the religious almanac for the coming year.

'Ugadi' celebrations were also held at the offices of all political parties.

E.S.L. Narasimhan, who is the governor of both the states, had organised 'Ugadi' celebrations at Raj Bhavan Friday night, which was attended by both the chief ministers and former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.

They greeted people on the occasion and hoped that the New Year would bring happiness and prosperity for Telugus.