Preserve tradition and culture, CM to people

Tirupati: This Sankranti portrayed Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu as a different personality with his positive and cheerful attitude. Though he was celebrating Sankranti continuously in his native village Naravaripalle in Chandragiri mandal for the last four years, this time his way of approach looked entirely different. Unlike previous years, this time, he went around the village on foot, which is having about 90 houses and talked to every household.

He enquired about their welfare, children and other issues so affectionately. Not only the Chief Minister his wife Bhuvaneswari and son Lokesh also accompanied him during the interaction.

Naidu spent some time also with his childhood friends. The villagers cheered the new gestures of Naidu. “He always underlines the importance of education and helped many in the village,” recalled a villager.

The Chief Minister invited the villagers into his house on Monday and received representations. They also brought some problems to his notice. All the time Naidu talked about the importance of traditions and culture.

Soon after his arrival at the village on Saturday night, Naidu asked the officials and party leaders to leave the place to make them celebrate the festival along with his family members.

The Chief Minister asked the officials not to visit him during the festival. Naidu, on his part, dedicated the whole time for his family only for two days. On Sunday, he visited Tirumala and worshipped the Lord. Later, he along with his wife, son and daughter-in-law visited their Heritage Foods Limited and spent some time there. As this was his first visit to the factory, the employees received him cheerfully.

In a press meet on Tuesday, Naidu stressed the concept of visiting native villages for Sankranti festival and appealed to people to preserve traditions and culture for posterity. “Everyone should go to their native places and serve their Janmabhoomi. If they do this, infrastructure will develop in villages. Urban infrastructure has to reach rural places also which brings happiness to all,” Naidu reiterated.

The Chief Minister also thanked his wife for insisting him and other family members to come to the village every year. “She was coming here every year for the past 15 years. I found it very difficult initially, but now I find happiness in doing so,” Naidu quipped.

The Chief Minister called upon people to stand by to their words in practicing traditions, worshipping family deity and village deity (grama devatha). “It will prevent future generations from going towards materialistic happiness thereby bringing positive attitude among themselves,” Naidu maintained.

Though Opposition leader YS Jaganmohan Reddy was camping in the same constituency during this festival and criticised his governance, the Chief Minister did not make any comments and preferred to confine himself towards the festive mood. In the festival, his grandson Nara Devansh was special attraction to villagers.

By V Pradeep Kumar