HYDERABAD: With Ugadi marking the beginning of the Telugu New Year, we speak to prominent people from the city who share their bittersweet memories from the year gone by and the various things they’re looking forward to in the coming year
Celebrating nature
This Ugadi, I’m introspecting on what the global citizen’s behaviour is and I want people to be aware of how connected we are to nature because we ‘are’ nature. Most of our Indian festivals are not about us but about celebrating nature.
It is about including the bounty of nature whether it is Sankrantri where you’re talking greens and harvest, or Ugadi, where it’s about the different tastes that nature gives us and how we relate them to the patterns of our life.
Even our calendar is lunar-driven, we are always looking at how the planets and the moon impact us. For a better understanding of all these, I hope this year, people will celebrate not just their lives but all nature around them.
Shilpa Reddy, entreprenuer & model
Year of financial triumph
Ugadi, marking the beginning of a new financial year this time gives me more reasons to celebrate. It’s time to embrace technology, embrace real requirements and be environment-friendly. Even if bitterness comes in, we can always add our own sweetness to it, to convert the situation to our benefit.
Rollercoaster ride
Last year was nothing short of a roller coaster ride, we endured the devastating second wave of Covid and tried to increase our capacity as much as we could in delivering care. There were some landmark research initiatives that we did and published with regards to monoclonal therapy, Covid vaccination and GERD (gastro-oesophageal reflux disease.) We started a few critical aspects of patient care like paediatric critical care, advanced neurosurgery program and heart transplantation.
We continued our educational activities using the virtual medium and got the opportunity to physically host both the Telangana Medical Council Meet and the Indian Medical Association (IMA) annual conference. Our quality patient care got recognised in the form of the prestigious JCI.
Personally, the icing on the cake was getting the ‘Distinguished Educator’ award from the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA). Overall, it was a gratifying year and we are hoping to not just emulate but further enhance our commitment to public health in the coming year.
Dr D Nageshwar Reddy, chairman & chief of gastroenterology, AIG Hospitals
Bittersweet in the true sense
Of the many tastes that the Ugadi pachadi has, khatta meetha (sweet and sour) is my favourite flavour. And I believe life’s just like that — bittersweet, making us enjoy the sweet, and tolerate the rest. The past year too has been a mix of it all, some highs, some lows, and some bland moments just like the putnaala pappu (split chickpea) in the pachadi. But it is these that make our life wholesome.
In the coming year, I hope our significant aspirations come true — because not every plan reaches fruition. Telangana is a new state but hasn’t been able to blossom on its own, so I look forward to the schemes and plans bringing widespread happiness, instead of a select few.
Konda Vishweshwar Reddy, former Member of Parliament