The Bathukamma festival, a spring festival, was celebrated with enthusiasm by a large number of people at Sharon Springs Park in Cumming recently.
Bathukamma festival in Atlanta is growing by leaps and bounds and has rekindled the cultural spirit among Telangana people. No wonder then that more than 500 colorfully-dressed people participated in the festival organized by TDF-USA, Atlanta Chapter. 

Bathukamma is celebrated in Telangana for nine days beginning from the Padyami (first day) of the month Asvayuja (September-October). The name Batukamma is given to a flower stack and women dressed-up in traditional silk saris take great pride in making them.

As a part of the festival, several cultural activities such as a film show, a fancy dress competition, games, and a competition for the best Bathukamma were organized. The film show educated and enthralled the audiences on the culture and life of people of Telangana. Ms Praneetha Reddy Elugunti organized the games.

The events started with lunch with various culinary delights brought in by the families and also the food contributed by some of the local restaurants – Minerva, Swapna, Sri Krishna Vilas & Amma's Kitchen. 

Many women displayed their beautiful Bathukammas at the competition that took place in the evening, and the judges had the unenviable task of picking the best three. The women and the girls danced around the flowers singing in chorus following the lead singers, and some of the singers being grandmothers from India on a visit to US.

After Bathukammas were immersed in the water, the group gathered for the prize distribution ceremony. Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Narender Reddy shared the good news that Indian Consulate will have a new office in Atlanta before the New Year to serve the Indian community. 

The event was a huge success thanks to a generous contribution by Solipuram Prabhaker Reddy of enGenius Consulting Group, Inc. who sponsored the event. Other patrons included Ravi Chander, Karunakar Asireddy, Narender Reddy, Devender Reddy, Murali Reddy, Ranjith Ganta, Vivek Reddy, G.S. Reddy, Venkat Reddy Kaondarapu and H2K Infosys. The organizers greatly appreciated the efforts of volunteers like Nilagiri Mahesh Rao, Thudi Kantha Rao, Shankar Reddy Gandra, Enuganti Krishna Rao, Maddu Vishnuvardhan Rao and Nilagiri Anil Rao.