Jeddah: The festive fervour of Bathukamma is being witnessed not only in Telangana, but also abroad. Once, the festival was ridiculed and celebrating it in public was considered a taboo. However, after the formation of Telangana state, Bathukamma became an annual festival not only for the people in the state but also among Telangana expatriates across the world, especially in the Gulf region.
MLC K Kavitha, daughter of Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was instrumental in introducing Bathukamma festival in the Gulf region.
Bathukamma is being celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement across the Gulf — from the Red Sea port city Jeddah to Arabian coastal city of Muscat — as a large number of people from Telangana have settled here. However, Kuwait has restricted people from celebrating any occasion to express solidarity with Palestine.
Bathukamma festivities are being organised on a grand scale in all major cities in the region.
UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is witnessing grand Bathukamma festivities with 10 different events being held across the country this year. A grand festival was held in Dubai by the Gulf Telangana Welfare and Cultural Association (GTWCA), the first Telangana NRI association in the Gulf region, at a local stadium on Saturday where scores of families participated.
Telangana Tourism Brand Ambassador Rashmi Thakur attended the event as chief guest while folk singer Shurthi Patel thrilled the audience with her folk songs related to Bathukamma.
In a separate event, another Telangana cultural organisation, ETCA, also held the festival on Sunday. In Abu Dhabi, Telangana Friends Association organised the festival at ISCC Hall on Sunday, where A Amarnath, DCM (deputy chief of mission) of Indian Embassy, and Dr Balaji Ramaswamy, counsellor of the embassy, joined the gathering on eve of floral festival.
“It is not organising the event, but collection of fresh seasonal flowers is a prime challenge that we face here,” said A Pavani, who has been organising Bathukamma events in UAE for over 15 years.
Saudi Arabia
In Saudi Arabia, SATA (Saudi Arabia Telugu Association), a prominent Telugu NRI organisation in the kingdom, celebrated the floral festival in Eastern Province on Friday. The event was attended by over 300 families living in Al Khobar, Dammam and Jubail.
The organisers taught the participants the art of playing Kolatalu — dancing with two wooden sticks — which is similar to popular Gujarati dandiya.
“Besides celebrating Bathukamma, we also formally begin Dasara Navaratri rituals,” said Mallesan, president of SATA.
In Jeddah, Bathukamma was celebrated with pomp and grandeur on Friday. Dozens of families attended the event organised by JTM, an exclusive Telugu NRI association in the port city. The association is led by Durga Bhavani and Sagar Kunta. JTM has been organising Bathukamma regularly for the last few years.
Moreover, SATA is planning to celebrate Bathukamma on a grand scale in Riyadh next week.
Qatar
In Qatar, Telangana Jagruthi celebrated Bathukamma with great enthusiasm on Friday. A replica of Chandrayaan-3 lander was placed in the middle of the Bathukamma flower pie.
“This is how we appreciate ISRO scientists in Bathukamma,” said Abbagoni Sridhar Goud of Telangana Jagruthi in Qatar. A senior diplomat, Sachin Dinkar Sankpal, was the chief guest at the event. Not only Telugus, but people from other communities also joined the celebrations in Qatar.
Oman
In Oman, Telangana Wing of Indian social club celebrated the festival on a grand note. It organised a festive event at Al Amal club in which over 2,500 people participated.
Muscat
Folk singers SV Mallik Teja, Mamidi Mounika and Janu Liri thrilled the audience in Muscat. Ganesh Gundeti of Nirmal district, who heads Telangana Wing and Shailaja Ram, Aruna, Shaikh Nazia and Radhika organised the floral festival.
Mrs. Reena Jain, first secretary of Indian Embassy in Muscat attended the function as chief guest. A Galaxy of prominent Indian community members also attended the impressive function to witness Telangana tradition.
Bahrain
In Bahrain, the festival of Bathukamma was celebrated along with Dasara Navratri rituals on Saturday.
Scores of Telugu women in their traditional attire attended an event which was organised by TKS, a prominent Telugu NRI organisation in the island kingdom.
Ravi Shankar Shukla, second secretary of Indian Embassy attended the function as chief guest. Hari Babu, President of TKS, presided over the function.
Kuwait
In Kuwait, various community groups had planned the festivities. However, with the local restriction on festivals and entertainment owing to expression of solidarity with Palestine cause, the events were cancelled, said Kiran Kumar of Telangana Chaitanya Sravanthi, a body of Telangana NRI that conducts Bathukamma in Kuwait.
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