Telangana state festival Bathukamma celebrated in South Africa

South Africans were treated to a rare display of the skill of Telangana women in assembling flowers in elaborate decorative towers to celebrate Bathukamma, a festival honouring the patron goddess of womanhood Maha Gauri Devi.
Telangana MLA Rasamayi Balakishan, who was the chief guest at the Bathukamma Sambaralu event hosted by the Telangana Association of South Africa (TASA) here yesterday, said he was amazed that the festival was being celebrated in South Africa.
An accomplished singer himself, Balakishan joined a musical group to render a number of songs, much to the delight of the audience which are not accustomed to seeing politicians take on the role of entertainer.

"I am amazed to see the South African NRI Telangana community celebrating Bathukamma together with South Africans of Andhra descent and so many other communities," he said.
South African children joined expatriate Telangana children in performing some of the traditional dances of the region.
Balakrishan said Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is committed to advance the Telangana culture by promoting its folk music and dance through creating jobs for this.

Scores of women formed groups to make the seven-tiered towers of colourful flowers. Displays raged from floral representations of India's newest state Telangana and the others surrounding it, to images of the goddess.

"We were glad that on the same day that 10,000 women in Telangana state achieved a Guinness World record for the Bathukamma celebration in Hyderabad, we could create awareness of it for the second time in South Africa," said TASA President Sreenivas Vasireddy.
TASA was formed over a year ago to introduce Telangana culture, festivals and traditions in South Africa.