Foreigners' tryst with Sankranthi

Kazipet: At a time when the traditions associated with Sankranthi, known as the harvest festival, fading fast, a host of foreigners threw up a pleasant surprise on Monday, celebrating it the Telegu way. It was certainly an eye-opener for those, who feel embarrassed to embrace their own culture.

The third millennium, which witnessed rapid explosion of technological developments, had also seen culture vanish. Compared to the Sankranthi celebration of yesteryears, seldom people have an opportunity to see Haridasu armed with tumburas (musical instruments), Gangireddulu (decorated bulls), Bommala Koluvulu (display of dolls and figurines), Rangolis, Gobbemmas etc, these days.

While many of them disappeared over a period of time, the charm of the festival is still alive to some extent at least with people continue to patronise Rangolis, Gobbemmas and mouthwatering flour dishes such as chakinalu, ariselu etc during the Bhogi, Makar Sankranthi and Kanuma.

Against this backdrop, it was heartening to see 20 odd foreigners from Canada, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, who are pursuing a certificate course in 'community driven development' at the Bala Vikasa, a Kazipet-based NGO, making a buzz participating in Rangoli and other traditional rituals associated with the festival. The highlight of their pre-festival gala was Gangireddu and a bull charmer. Thanks to the Bala Vikasa, which made it possible for the foreigners to sense the beauty of the festival.

Andre Borassa of Canada said: "It's colourful and a lifetime experience. Learning local culture and tradition is helpful when you work for community development." Bala Vikasa founder Bala Theresa Gingras said: "Our endeavour is to protect and promote the local culture and tradition."

The other quintessence of the festival - flying kites is still intact with quite a few enthusiasts had already began to enjoy it for the last one week. The Warangal Urban District administration has made arrangements for organising Kite Festival on Tuesday (January 14) at the Arts and Science College grounds.