'Bathukamma' in London: It's time to spread Telangana's message, says K. Kavitha

London [UK], Oct. 3 (ANI): Telangana Rashtra Samithi Member of Parliament P.K. Kavitha, who took the state's 'Bathukamma' festival to London, has said the festival is a way to spread the cultural identity of Telangana to bring in economic development. "Bathkamma is about protecting the environment, it is about socially including everybody, and it is about economic development. These are things that the UN thinks about, the internationally community thinks about, and Telangana people already know, as they are in our culture and passed on to us as a state tradition," she said yesterday at Bathukamma celebrations in London, its second out of the nine global destinations. "We are very proud people of Telangana, who continue this tradition. After decades of struggle we have achieved this state and today it is the time to spread the message of Telangana not only in the country but across the globe. If the cultural identity of our state is known to the people, automatically it would be identified and respected and automatically the opportunities for the state will grow," she added. Kavitha is taking the festival to Dubai, the U.K., the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait and Denmark from September 30 to October 15. This will also be an opportunity to attract investors from abroad through the rich and valuable festival Bathukamma, which will be an addition to the development of the state's economy. This festival is a symbol of Telangana cultural identity and celebrated during the latter half of monsoon and before the onset of winter. The festival celebrates the inherent relationship between earth, water and the human beings. During the entire preceding week, women make 'Boddemma' (a deity of Gowri - mother Durga - made with earthly mud) along with 'Bathukamma' (flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values) and immerse it in a pond. It is believed that it helps reinforce ponds and retain more water. The flowers used in Bathukamma have a great quality of purifying water and such flowers when immersed in abundance in a pond, it have the effect of cleansing water and making the environment much better. The festival heralds the beauty of nature, collective spirit of Telangana people and also the scientific approach of the agrarian people towards preserving the resources of nature in a celebrative way. (ANI)