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Batukamma set as brand Image to attract Investments
Highlights
The very mention of ‘Bathukamma’ conjures in the mind, the word ‘life’ for that’s what the Telugu ‘Bathuku’ means in English. Although it is celebrated during Dasara by people belonging to many States, it is synonymous with Telangana, the 29{+t}{+h}and the youngest State in the Indian Republic.
The very mention of ‘Bathukamma’ conjures in the mind, the word ‘life’ for that’s what the Telugu ‘Bathuku’ means in English. Although it is celebrated during Dasara by people belonging to many States, it is synonymous with Telangana, the 29{+t}{+h}and the youngest State in the Indian Republic.
In tune with the Telangana Government’s efforts to showcase the unique culture and tradition of the State, ‘Bathukamma’, the festival has become an important part of the cultural renaissance movement of Telangana and has now been accorded the State Festival status in the state and declared as State festival celebrating officially from last year onwards.
Now, the State government is planning to promote the Batukamma at national and international levels so as to get a brand image for the Telangana state.
The unique floral festival celebrated by the Hindu women of Telangana is Bathukamma, which is an embodiment of the spirit of Telangana. This festival is a symbol of Telangana’s cultural identity.
Bathukamma is primarily a women's festival. It begins on the day of Bhadrapada / Mahalaya Amavasya and concludes on Ashwayuja Ashtami, based on the lunar calendar.
Bathukamma is a beautiful flower stack, arranged with different unique seasonal flowers most of them with medicinal values, in seven concentric layers in the shape of temple gopuram. In Telugu, ‘Bathukamma' means ‘Mother Goddess come Alive’ and Goddess Maha Gauri-‘Life Giver’ is worshipped in the form of Bathukamma – the patron goddess of womanhood, Maha Gauri Devi. The famed Bathukamma also be a Telangana State festival.
The brand image is expected to help the government to attract more investments to the state. Promotion of the festival will also give a fillip to cultural tourism and help people earn livelihood.
From this year the state government will promote the festival at the national and international levels. To begin with, officials of the department of culture will screen short films to foreigners residing in Mumbai and Delhi and invite them to participate in the nine-day festivities.
As per the plan, expected to materialise completely in ten years, Batukamma festival will be promoted on the lines of Samba Festival in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and Ice Festival in China.
Around 20 to 30 lakh people will attend these carnivals and if Telangana attracts 10 to 15 lakh tourists, people in the state will get a whopping revenue of Rs 6,000 to 7,000 crore, in terms of visitors and boost Tourism in the State .
As part of promotion of Batukamma, the Government is planning to urge the Government of India to include Batukamma in the ‘Incredible India’ campaign.
The competitions will be conducted at national and international on the eve of Batukamma this year in essay-writing, painting, photography, short-film making, kite and balloon flying. Also plan to organise an exclusive ‘shopping festival for women’ on the lines of the Dubai Shopping Festival.
The shopping festival will be organized initially at Hyderabad for women and simultenasouly it will be organized in each District Head Quarters such shopping festivals in their respective districts.
Batukamma will be projected as a unique festival, one of its kind in the world. Batukamma means ‘Long Live, Mother’. This festival will promote protection of girl child and empowerment of women. It is the only festival with water and flowers as themes and it also involves nature and culture. Besides, it is the only festival for women and by women. Therefore, it will be promoted as a symbol of Indian woman.
Plans are afoot to promote Batukamma internationally; Telangana will be identified instantly with the festival. This will help the state to get more investments and revenue from tourism.
Batukamma has so many strong cultural values, ethos and gender equality. The slogan for tourists will be: ‘Come, see, participate and enjoy’’. The state government will write to UNESCO seeking inclusion of Batukamma in its list of festivals.
The aim is to make Batukamma a world- famous festival by 2025. The efforts in that direction by the State has begun this year and planned to conduct a meeting with airlines, railways, hoteliers, tourist operators, and prepare a package for tourists to facilitate their arrival, stay and return after witnessing the carnival.
The notable feature of Bhatukamma is 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 Batukamma and immerse it in the pond.
This helps reinforce the ponds and helps it retain more water. The flowers used in Batukamma have a great quality of purifying water and such flowers when immersed in abundance into the pond have the effect of cleansing the water and making the environment much better.
Under Mission Kakatiya, which is a programme of restoration of tanks in the State helping agrarian womenfolk to promote the beauty of nature, collective spirit of Telangana people, the indomitable spirit of women folks and also the scientific approach of the agrarian people towards preserving the resources of nature in a celebrative way.
Grand Plan
• Bhatukamma to be promoted globally to get brand image for Telangana
• It will be conducted like a carnival on the lines of Samba and ice.
• Plan for shopping festival for women like Dubai Shopping Festival
• Efforts on foot for its inclusion in ‘Incredible India’ campaign and UNESCOs list of festivals.
• Government 15 to 20 lakhs every year to boost Tourism in a large scale and to get attract investments and to promote Floriculture in the State.
G.Rajendera Kumar
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