Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday celebrated Telugu New Year 'Ugadi' with gaiety and traditional enthusiasm.
The Chief Ministers of the two Telugu-speaking states attended the main official celebrations in their respective states, where 'agma' pundits read the 'panchangnam' or the forecast of the coming year.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao attended the official function at Pragati Bhavan, his official residence in Hyderabad while his Andhra Pradesh counterpart N. Chandrababu Naidu launched the celebrations in Vijayawada.
Both the leaders wished that Ugadi, this year named as 'Hevalambi', would bring peace and prosperity for Telugu-speaking people living across the world. They felicitated and presented awards to artists, writers and other personalities from various walks of life.
Rao expressed the hope that the New Year will usher in peace and prosperity. He said the 'pundits' had forecast it would be a good year with abundant rain and bumper crops. His cabinet colleagues and senior officials attended the celebrations.
People in both states offered special prayers, decorated the entrances of their houses and shops with strings of mango leaves, tasted the traditional festival food and heard 'panchangnam' to usher in the New Year.
Thousands of devotees thronged temples to pray for happiness and prosperity. Special prayers were held at Tirumala, Srisailam, Vijayawada and Bhadrachalam temples.
People also attended special functions where pundits read out the religious almanac of the coming year. Literary discussions, poetry recitations, recognition of authors through awards and cultural programmes marked the day.
Women prepared 'Ugadi pacchadi', a mixture of neem buds, raw mango, tamarind juice, pepper, jaggery and salt, which is a necessary part of the celebratory dishes. The mixture symbolises various hues of life.
Ugadi celebrations were also held at the headquarters of political parties in Hyderabad. YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy attended the celebrations at Lotus Pond.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders of Telangana attended the 'panchangnam' held at their party head office.
The celebrations started on Tuesday evening with E.S.L. Narasimhan, who is the Governor of both the states, hosting the two chief ministers and leaders of all parties and senior officials at Raj Bhavan.
--IANS
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