HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the grand arrangements in place ahead of the Saddula Bathukamma celebrations in the city, a sudden downpour played spoilsport for the thousands of women who had gathered to participate in the event on Thursday, ruining the chance to set a world record as planned.
At close to 5 pm, the skies opened up and Bathukamma celebrations at LB Stadium, where thousands of women in yellow and green sarees were attempting to set a Guinness world record for the largest human flower formation in ‘Tangedu’ flower shape and largest flower arrangement workshop, were badly hit.
According to Swapnil Dangarikar, official Adjudicator at Guinness World Record, only 2,300 women participated to form the largest human flower. “On 10 September this year, as many as 2,567 people from China broke the record earlier held by the United States, which was 2,405 people forming the largest human flower formation and here only 2,300 women participated and an attempt was incomplete,” he said. Dangarikar said due to rains, the world record bid for largest flower arrangement workshop was cancelled.
“Though it was raining, we tried our best to break the record. In a week or two we will try again,” said Burra Venkatesham, Telangana secretary (tourism).
However, it was a different scene on Tank Bund. Braving incessant rains, women dressed in their best turned up in large numbers to participate in last day of festivities. Women were seen dancing to Bathukamma-themed songs with ‘Kolalu’. At Hussainsagar, hundreds participated in the celebrations, which included the immersion of Bathukammas in the lake. “I have never seen such spectacular Bathukamma celebration in unified Andhra Pradesh... for the last four years we are enjoying Bathukamma a lot,” said B Aruna, a resident of Mettuguda. Late in the evening, the women immersed the Bathukammas in Hussainsagar.
A few hundreds short
Swapnil Dangarikar, official adjudicator at Guinness World Record, said only 2,300 women participated in the bid to form the largest human flower. However, the record to beat was 2,567 people forming a flower in China on September 10, 2017.