Bhogi rituals mark grand Sankranti celebrations

Vijayawada: The Sankranti festivities were held with great enthusiasm and traditional fervour at Gollapudi One Centre in the Mylavaram Assembly constituency of NTR district on Wednesday. The celebrations began in the early hours with Bhogi rituals, symbolising the age-old tradition of discarding the old and welcoming the new.

Minister for Information & Public Relations and Housing Kolusu Parthasarathy and Mylavaram MLA Vasantha Krishna Prasad participated in the Bhogi celebrations. They jointly lit the traditional Bhogi bonfire, marking the formal commencement of the Sankranti celebrations.

Addressing the gathering, Parthasarathy said farmers were symbolically discarding the hardships and humiliation they faced due to the Pattadar passbooks issued by the previous government by offering them into the Bhogi bonfires and embracing new hopes for the future.

The minister said Bhogi bonfires signify the tradition of giving up negativity and welcoming positivity. He said that farmers were happy to receive new Pattadar passbooks issued with the government seal, marking an end to their painful experiences and the beginning of renewed confidence and assurance. He asserted that the welfare of farmers remains the top priority of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu’s government.

Parthasarathy stated that thousands of people from different regions gather every year to celebrate Sankranti at Gollapudi. He recalled that many farmers faced severe difficulties under the previous regime regarding Pattadar passbooks and said the present government, recognising their problems, has taken steps to issue new passbooks with official authentication. Farmers, he said, were joyfully celebrating Bhogi by consigning the old passbooks to the fire.

Highlighting the governance, the minister said that payments for paddy procurement are being credited to farmers’ accounts within 24 hours. He added that the coalition government is attracting investments worth several lakh crores to create ample employment opportunities for youth across the State. He expressed hope that all hardships in the lives of Telugu people would be burnt away in the Bhogi fires, ushering peace, prosperity, and happiness into every household.

MLA Krishna Prasad said people across the State were celebrating Sankranti in an atmosphere of peace and stability under the coalition government. He extended Bhogi and Sankranti greetings to the people of Mylavaram constituency and said the government is fully committed to welfare and development so that festive cheer reaches every family.

Gollapudi Agriculture Market Committee Chairman Narra Vasu, TDP senior leaders Bommasani Subba Rao, B Tirupati Rao, and others were present.