VIJAYAWADA: The State formation day celebrations concluded on a grand note at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation (IGMC) Stadium here on Sunday.
The public thronged the 30 stalls set up as part of the food festival held in the premises, in which several traditional Andhra dishes were made available.
From the juicy folds of Khaja popular in Kakinada and Tapeswaram, to the wafer-thin layers of Putharekulu and the crispy Kajjikaya, sweets of several kinds satiated the taste buds of the public. Sweets made of jaggery, sugar, ghee, flour, coconut, sesame seeds, camphor, and other ingredients were also on display.
The Spice Box, a medical kit with supposed healing powers, passed on from one generation to the next and Popula, an object occupying centre stage in Andhra kitchens, were also up for sale. “I have been staying in Vijayawada for more than three years now but this is the first time that I got the opportunity to taste delicacies from every nook and cranny of the State,” said Reena Shah, a software engineer from Madhya Pradesh, who works at one of the firms in the city.
Later in the evening, art shows began with a cultural repertoire presented by the students of Dr MBK Government Music & Dance School, which was followed by a folk dance performance-Chekka Bhajana by Nancharaih. Dancer P Sneha Sarma performed Kuchipudi while Lekhya Bharani enthralled the audience with her Kathak performance.
Puliveshalu was performed by Thirupathi Rao, followed by a Kuchipudi dance ballet on Telugu Jyothi by Vedantam Ramalingam Sastri. Modumudi Sudhakar and group performed Telugu vaggeyakara vaibhavam. The cultural performances concluded with another Kuchipudi performance during which the dancers of Tridhara-The Art Land depicted Krishna Leela, which captivated the minds and hearts of the audience.
Around 20 handicraft and handlooms stalls were also put up, out of which 10 stalls sold photos, drawings and stamps of Mahatma Gandhi, former chief minister YS Rajshekhar Reddy and Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The State’s cultural department conducted these programmes in collaboration with South Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, Government of India.