Make Bathukamma go global

Hyderabad: With Bathukamma festivities set to kickstart from October 9, the Chief Secretary, SK Joshi, on Tuesday directed the officials concerned to make arrangements for the 9-day-long flower festival.

The Chief Secretary, during a review meeting at Secretariat with officials of all departments, instructed the officials to conduct the festivities in a better manner than that of last year. Spread the festivities and its greatness to the world and take all steps department wise, he said.

“Make adequate arrangements that reflect the culture and tradition of Telangana through Bathukamma. On the last day, October 17, Saddula Bathukamma festivities will be conducted on a grand scale,” the CS said.

He further asked the officials of various departments to ensure facilities during celebrations. The arrangements will include illumination of historic places, monuments, Assembly, Secretariat and other offices besides neat roads with patching, wide publicity, security, laser show, food stalls, competitions, traffic regulation, barricading, parking, sanitation, mobile toilets etc.

Information Commissioner Arvind Kumar said that the festivities would be given a wide publicity through hordings in Delhi and Mumbai. He also said that Ministry of External Affairs cooperation would be taken to give publicity in other countries. Culture Secretary B Venkatesham added that Bathukamma festival would be spread world-wide.

The officials informed that special booklets on Bathukamma would be distributed among women travellers in trains, flights and elsewhere to spread the message of the event in Telangana. “We are also taking steps to see that festivities spread to US, Canada and Dubai by taking the cooperation of NRIs,” the officials said, adding that 100 floating Bathukammas would be set up to mark the event.