K. Kavitha takes 'Bathukamma' celebrations to Australia

Sydney [Australia], Oct. 8 (ANI): Telangana MP and daughter of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, K. Kavitha took the state festival of 'Bathukaama' to Australia and celebrated the festivities with Australian Telangana State Association here on Saturday. Women in hundreds attended the joyful event that spread the message of unity and peace. Meanwhile, Telangana Jagruthi's 1.5 lakh volunteers are also celebrating the floral festival in 1100 different places (all districts of Telangana state) and today the Telangana Government is also celebrating the festival at L B stadium by making 10,000 "Bathukamma" flower idols to enter into the Guinness book of record. This year Kavitha is taking the festival of Bathukamma to the international platform as she has already held celebrations in to Dubai, the U.K., the U.S., and Australia. She will now head to New Zealand, Singapore, Bahrain, Kuwait and Denmark. 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. (ANI)