Tradition still the heart of Sankranti festivities

Ramfight as a part of Sankranti festivities in Prakasam district on Sunday
Ramfight as a part of Sankranti festivities in Prakasam district on Sunday

VIJAYAWADA: Citizens of Vijayawada celebrated three-day harvest festival Sankranti on a colourful note. Shopping areas were crowded despite deserted roads, betting on cockfights went on sans any hurdles in spite of the ban imposed by the High Court and the district witnessed boat ride competitions on Saturday at Nagayalanka.

Though the High Court upheld the ban on cockfight and directed the state government to ensure that no cockfight takes place during the Sankranti festival, cockfights took place in Edupugallu, Thadepalli, Nunna, Gannavaram and many other parts of Krishna district. The police, who were deployed, had become mute spectators. Over lakhs of rupees bets were placed and people had fun. Surprisingly, the effect of demonetisation was nowhere to be seen during the cockfights.

Apart from the cockfights, the Krishna district got unique Kerala touch, as boat ride competitions. The boat ride competition at Nagayalanka stood as the major attraction, where over 178 members participated in the competitions rowing the boats on the Krishna River.
The women of Krishna and Guntur districts displayed their talent of rowing. The organisers presented prize money of `5,000 to the winners.

On the other side, the festive shopping in the city took place on a grand scale at the Besant and MG Roads. The malls and commercial complexes on the roads were buzzing with customers queuing up to avail festival discounts.
With four new movies releasing this festive season, all the cinema halls and multiplexes were running to packed houses.
The Vijayawada city wore a festive look with decorated houses, kite flying, Rangoli events, Bommala Koluvu, etc. The ‘Haridasus’ and ‘Basvannas’, with decorated oxen, made the rounds of homes to seek alms.

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