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Bathukamma bedecks Burj Khalifa; Telangana's fest goes global

Kavitha-led cultural organisation Telangana Jagruthi scripted history with the screening of Bathukamma at Burj Khalifa

HYDERABAD: Telangana’s floral festival Bathukamma went global on Saturday after it was showcased on the world’s largest screen at Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building in Dubai.

Thanks to the efforts of Kalvakuntla Kavitha, Nizamabad MLC and daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, the state’s unique culture was showcased and celebrated in a grand manner on Saturday night at around 10 pm giving a visual feast to not only people in Dubai but crores of people across the globe.

Kavitha-led cultural organisation Telangana Jagruthi scripted history with the screening of Bathukamma at Burj Khalifa. The screening featured the map of India, map of Telangana, Chandrashekar Rao with Telangana Jagruthi's latest Bathukamma song ‘Allipoola Vennela’ playing in the background as the heritage of India and Telangana came alive at Burj Khalifa.

The slogans of ‘Jai Hind’, ‘Jai Telangana’ and ‘Jai KCR’ on the Burj screen echoed with tears of joy and pride among the viewers. A delegation led by Kavitha arrived in Dubai for the event on Saturday. They received a grand welcome at Dubai Airport from Telangana Diaspora, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) activists and Telangana Jagruthi members. Slogans of ‘Jai Telangana’ and ‘Jai KCR’ were raised as the delegation, which included some MLAs, came out of the Dubai Airport.

They witnessed the historical moment of Bathukamma being screened at Burj Khalifa. The delegation included TSRTC chairman Bajireddy Goverdhan Reddy, Rajya Sabha member K.R. Suresh Reddy, MLAs A. Jeevan Reddy, J. Surender, Shakeel Ahmed, and Dr Sanjay.

The screening was also attended by several dignitaries from UAE and was watched live globally on various media platforms. Ever since the formation of Telangana in 2014, Bathukamma has been celebrated as the state festival.

Kavitha and her organisation Telangana Jagruthi have been playing a key role in promoting the festival. This year, she brought together music maestro A.R. Rahman and filmmaker Gautham Vasudev Menon for a song ‘Allipoola Vennela’ on Bathukamma, which became a chartbuster and went viral on social media platforms.

Bathukamma, the symbol of Telangana culture and the Telangana government’s official festival, was celebrated from October 6 to 14. During the nine-day annual festival, women and girls sing and dance around specially arranged flowers. At the end of the festival, they immerse the specially arranged flowers called ‘Bathukamma’ in local ponds.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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