Adivasis seek state aid for Dandari fete

Severe drought conditions and failure of crops forced the headmen and Sarpanches of the Adivasi gudems to approach the ITDA, Utnoor for the first time seeking financial assistance to celebrate their traditional Dandari festivities during Diwali in Adilabad of Telangana.

Adivasis claim that they are not in a position to celebrate Dandari due to failure of the crops and mounted debts and hence needed financial aid to celebrate the festival.

Headmen of the 130 Adivasi gudems had submitted petitions to the ITDA officials seeking sanction of funds to celebrate Dandari during Diwali, which is a major festival for Adivasis.

They have appealed to state government to sanction funds for them and make arrangements for the celebrations of the Dandari on the lines of Bathukamma for which the state government had made elaborate arrangements across the state.

The leaders claimed that they are forced to seek financial aid as they lost two crops and are unable to clear debts they took from the various sources.  

100 tank bunds coming up in TS

Khanapur tank which was encroached upon in Adilabad town. 

State government is developing existing tanks as mini- tank bunds, one each in Assembly Constituency in all the districts under Mission Kakatiya in the Telangana. Arrangements for Bathukamma will be made at mini- tank bunds by next year like at Tank Bund in Hyderabad.

Encroachments will be removed from the existing tanks to develop them as mini- tank bunds as per the government order NO: 86 issued recently.  Revenue and irrigation departments will conduct join survey and submitted the report to the state government. 

The mini tank buds will be completed before the next Bathukamma festival.

The state government has sanctioned ten mini- tank bunds to the Adilabad district under Mission Kakatiya but only six proposals have been submitted so far to the irrigation department. These tank bunds will also be developed as tourist spots and picnic centres.

Khanapur tank in Adilabad town will be developed as mini- tank bund and also Dharmasagar tank in Nirmal town, in Boath and Sirpur (T) before the next Bathukamma.

Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao asked the officials to immediately submit the proposals for the mini- tanks bunds in the 10 Assembly constituencies and said he has received proposals so far for only six mini- tank bunds in the district.

The existing tanks will be developed 6 meeters width, Bathukamma ghats will be constructed, sewerage plant will be set up to clean the polluted water mixing into the tank and added that railing, boating plat form, walking track and statues of important political leaders and prominent persons will be installed, area beatification, entertainment facilities, boundaries, cafeteria at the Khanapur tank in the Adilabad.

The water after purifying and keeping the PH percent in the water at required level will be used for drinking and irrigation purposes and feeder channel from Kummarikunta in Kummariwada will be cleaned which is attached to the Khanapur tank.  

Deputy Engineer of Irrigation Adilabad R. Prathap Singh said they have submitted a proposal to develop the Khanapur tank as mini- tank bund at a cost of Rs 18.86 crore in the Adilabad town.

According to reliable sources, the encroachments in Khanapur tank in the Adilabad will be removed and a walking track will be developed in that places as proposed in the report.

Bathukamma boost marigold farming

The input subsidy by the government coupled with the prominence to the Bathukamma festival where flowers are extensively used, have boosted cultivation of marigold in Adilabad district of Telangana.

The vibrantly hued and considerably large sized flowers of marigold make it the most preferred while decorating ‘Bathukamma’ and this has created demand for its cultivation.

Apart from ‘tangedu’ and gunugu  flowe, women used marigold in the floral arrangement. The Bathukamma festival has gained much importance after carving out of separate Telangana.  

To encourage farmers grow flowers, the horticulture department has been giving subsidy to the farmers cultivating marigold, jasmine and other varieties and as expected , many peasants opted for them as there is good profit. Marigold is a four-month crop involving very less risk.     

Assistant director, Agriculture dept, Adilabad Mohd Sattar said there is high demand for flowers these days as use of flowers has increased many times in day today life and on every occasion like Diwali, Dassara, Ayyappa and Bathukamma celebrations.

‘The rise in demand for marigold has increased due to the increasing popularity of Bathukamma festival’.

Earlier, the cultivation of these flowers was just confined to surrounding Hyderabad but now it has spread to all other districts in the state as farmers are getting remunerative prices’, Mr Sattar said.

According to official sources, the cultivation area of marigold has increased to nearly 300 acres this season from 60 acres earlier.  Marigold is prominent grown in Bhainsa, Gudihatnoor, Luxettipet, Tanoor, Adilabad, Nirmal, Ichoda, Kagaznagar areas in the district.  The total cultivation area of all flowers put together is 600 acres in the Adilabad district.

Boora Pocham, a farmers of Raspalli village in Kagaznagar mandal, said he cultivated marigold in 2.5 acre, this season, of the totally seven acres he totally owned in view of the high demand for those flowers.

Nearly 15 farmers are cultivating flowers, especially marigold, in the Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency following the encouragement from MLA Koneru Konappa.

Horticulture department is giving special subsidy for cultivation of flowers to meet the local demand and to encourage farmers to go for cross cultivation.

Marigold is priced between Rs 50-70 a kg and during the peak season, it even touches the Rs 200 a kg mark. Cultivation of flowers has increased in Bhainsa, Gudihatnoor, Luxettipet, Tanoor, Adilabad, Nirmal, Ichoda, Kagaznagar areas in the district.

Teej festival akin to Bathukamma

 

Lambada women playing as part of Teej like in Bathukamma

The nine-day Teej festival celebrated by Lambada tribal women was similar in many respects to Bathukamma celebrated by women folk of other communities in the Telangana.  

Both Teej and Bathukamma festivals have many similarities in celebration and purpose and their link with nature. Both the festivals were women centric and nine-day festivals.

The Teej festival starts on Rakhi pournamy in the month of Sravan and starts with sowing of wheat in woven bowls and which will come up as sprouts later.      

Bathukamma is popularly known as celebration of flowers which was linked to nature especially water bodies and flowers and trees in the village.

Water in the tanks and ponds will get purified with the petals of flowers as petals absorb polluted elements when the Bathukammas are immersed in the tanks and ponds on the last day.

In both the festivals, women pray the Goddess Gouramma (parvathi) in Bathukamma and Jagadamba in Teej for her blessing seeking good husband and married women for the well being of their husbands. In both the festivals, women prepare a special item with the roti mixed with jaggery.     

In both the festivals, women folk dress in colorful costumes and encircle the bowl of sprouts and Bathukammas keeping them in the centre. They clap in rhythm to the folk songs and dance gracefully to the music.

On the ninth day, in both the festivals women take out a procession with their Bathukamma and sprout bowls to local lakes or ponds and immerse them in the water.

Elderly women sing songs while younger women actively participate in the event and married older women guide the younger women in performing customs and rituals attached to Teej in nine days like in Bathukamma festival.

The state government for the first time released Rs 25 lakhs to each district to  celebrate the Teej festival officially recognizing it as state celebration like Bathukamma in the newly formed Telangana state.

Rathod Meenakshi of Utnoor said ‘there are many similarities between Teej and Bathukamma festivals and it seems there was connection between the two festivals and purposes and added that both the festivals will be played for nine –day and  ‘Sprout bowls’ and ‘Bathukammas’ will be immersed in the water bodies on the last day’.

Parents invite all their married daughters to maternal home for Teej festival like for Bathukamma. 

Kolatam unique to TS: Navaratri,Bathukama and Dandiya

 Girls playing Kolatam in Adilabad  

The traditional folk dance ‘Kolatam’, considered as ‘Dandiya’ dance of Telangana, is nearly becoming extinct and artists are trying to revive it by performing it during Holi, Bathukamma and other special occasions.    

Dandiya would be performed during the Goddess Durga Navaratri while Kolatam during the ‘Bathukamma navaratrulu’ in the Telangana.

Style and movement in the dance is the same in Kolatam as well Dandiaya. Likewise, men and women, boys and girls perform Kolatam just as it is done in Dandiya.

However, the songs differ in the dance forms. Dandiya is performed to the tunes of Hindi songs while Kolatam is performed to the traditional folk songs. But, of late, Kolatam songs are getting influenced by Dandiya tunes. For Kolata, special decorated sticks Kolalu, are used just as in Dandiya. In some remote places, Kolatam is still being performed but not in the same vigor as was done in 70s and 80s.         

The attempts to revive the traditional dance form have begun after Dandiya shot into fame and youth started taking part in it with enthusiasm.

As part of ongoing Bathukamma festivities, some Kolatam artists from Deepaiguda village in Jainad mandal performed the traditional dance at collectorate, a couple of days  ago, Men and women , girls and boys together play Kolatam to the songs sung by the elderly, supported by instruments like harmonium and ‘talalu’.

Kolatam is also played as part of ‘Jada Koppula Ata’, another traditional art form, which is popular in only a few villages in the eastern part of Adilabad district. Artists of ‘Jada Koppula Aata’ have become old and they are not able to perform it with all grace and vigor.

Puli Pochanna of Adilabad town who was playing an active role in revival of traditional folk dances ‘Kolatam’ and ‘Jada Koppula Ata’ said people playing Kolatam during Bathukamma were not following the original steps and rhythm on special songs of Kolatam instead imitating the Danidya style of dance and songs and observed that with the influence of Dandiya, Kolatam will lose its uniqueness.

He said Telangana government should take steps to revive the traditional folk dances and arts forms like ‘Kolatam’ and ‘Jada Koppula Ata’ and many other dances which are unique for the Telangana and to popularize them.

Teak flowers replace Gunugu due to drought conditions

The existing drought conditions created shortage of ‘gunugu’ (Celosia argetea) flowers which are widely used in preparing Bathukanna idols. So women chose to replace those flowers with that of teak (Tectonia grandis).

The ‘Gunugu’ flowers are mostly found at the edges of agriculture fields but this time, there are not many of the plants due to the dry conditions.

So, women switched to using teak flowers which add to the beauty of the flower arrangement. Generally, teak flowers are not used in preparation of Bathukamma idols but with women preparing it, the demand for teak flowers has risen this season.

Mekala Sujatha of Utnoor said she, along with her sisters, collected teak flowers due to shortage of ‘gunugu’ and that teak flowers had enhanced the beauty of her Bathukamma idol.

“Gunugu flowers are really an essential part of Bathukamma idol but due to the shortage of the flowers, we were forced to go for teak flowers” , she said adding that even their relatives in Karimnagar had taken then flowers in a mini- van from Adilabad. 

The ‘gunugu’ flowers which usually do not cost much are being sold at Rs 1 a flower this year. Many of the idols are being prepared using marigold, colored teak twigs and other flowers which are widely available.