Hyderabad

Tourism Minister Jupally Krishna Rao said that Bathukamma festival will be organised across the State, from villages to cities, from September 21 to 31, and all efforts were being made to ensure that the celebrations enter the Guinness Book of World Records.

“The celebrations will include inviting poets and writers to compose and discuss Bathukamma songs. Special decorations will be arranged at Bathukamma venues and even at the airport to showcase Telangana’s culture to the world,” he said.

He was speaking to the media, along with TPCC president Mahesh Goud and former MP V. Hanumantha Rao, after reviewing the Bathukamma preparations, in the city on Thursday. He said that awareness programmes on health will be conducted during the festival, emphasising that Bathukamma is a collective celebration of togetherness, not an individual event.

Mr. Mahesh Goud alleged that some people have politicised the festival with different songs and narratives. “This is a Telangana festival, a Telangana tradition, and must be celebrated above party lines,” he said.

He also lauded the efforts of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and Mr. Hanumantha Rao in protecting the Bathukamma Kunta in Amberpet, reiterating that the restored pond now rightly belongs to people and to the festival.

Mr. Hanumantha Rao criticised the previous BRS government for neglecting the historic Bathukamma pond. “For 30 years, people were not allowed to play in the Bathukamma pond despite repeated appeals. While leaders like BRS’ K. Kavitha celebrated Bathukamma abroad, the pond here remained ignored and was encroached upon by a BRS leader,” he alleged.

He credited the present Congress government for reviving and beautifying the pond. “When I told Sonia Gandhi that Bathukamma is our culture, she too held the Bathukamma. My congratulations to the CM for protecting the pond,” he added.

Published – September 18, 2025 09:17 pm IST