Hyderabad: Sankranti slowly losing its charm

Hyderabad: Greater urbanisation and technological innovations have changed the way festivals are observed and celebrated. Just a week ahead of Sankranti, there are not many kites in the skies. Bommala Koluvu and Bhogi Pallu which are celebrated during Sankranti have also reduced. 

“We used to get up in the morning for any festival and draw rangolis in front of our houses; now we don't have space here in our apartment. For Sankranti there used to be Bhogi Mantalu in the morning, which used to be fun with the family. But now it is limited to buying new clothes and uploading selfies on social media,” says Soujanya Nanduri, a city resident.

Many homemade delicacies have given way to shop bought stuff. Says Soujanya,  “Back in Rajahmundry, my mother used to make lots of food like Chakinalu, Ariselu, Gaarelu and others for the festival and would distribute these among neighbours too. Now we can get it from shops and restaurants.”

C.S. Rangarajan, Chilkur hereditary priest, believes the old ways had their own value. “Festivals are a way of exchanging economy in the community and it helps in increasing communication. For example, during Sankranti festival, there used to be Bommala Koluvu in homes, where each family would buy an additional doll for their children, which would in turn benefit the handicraft community. With the kite festival, many children used to indulge in kite flying and kite makers would earn a livelihood. It's disheartening to see everything going down in cities,” he said.

The Telangana state festival, Bathukamma, has also undergone a change. Earlier, the Bathumma (flowers arranged in conical shape) used to be made of real flowers such as Thangedu puvvu, Gunugu puvvu and Banthi puvvu. 

Women used to sit together and make it and at the end of the day it would be left in a nearby lake or pond. These would be made with specific flowers that purified the water in which they were left. However, these days, one can buy bathukamma made of paper and plastic that can be immersed in an artificial pond.