Kakinada: Bhogi, the first day of the three-day Sankranti festival, was celebrated with traditional enthusiasm in the erstwhile East and West Godavari districts on Sunday.
Bonfires were lit in the early hours in all villages and towns, and people woke up early in the morning. The winter, cold, and fog vanished with the lighting of the fires. The people took an early bath and dressed themselves in new clothes in a traditional manner. The children dropped Bhogi Dandalu (making garlands with cow dung) in the flames. Houses in Godavari districts are filled with relatives. There is a great demand for sweet stalls that sell traditional dishes. Many of the houses are filled with great colours and rangoli decorations.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam leaders and activists made use of the bonfires to register their protest. Former MLA Chintamaneni Prabhakar at Denduluru, former MLA Vanamadi Venkateswara Rao (Kondababu) at Kakinada, Kakinada former mayor Sunkara Pavani at Kakinada, and other leaders in their respective areas threw copies of government orders into the flames and alleged that the government issued the GOs which are against the people’s interests. Several organisations conducted ‘Rangoli’ competitions and presented gifts to participants.
