The Global Telangana Association (GTA), Detroit Chapter, hosted a grand celebration of Bathukamma, the floral festival of Telangana, at the Novi Civic Center Hall which showcased the rich culture and heritage of the Telangana community.
Hundreds of women and families thronged the venue and sang and danced around the beautifully-arranged flowers in praise of Goddess Gauri. The songs narrated the stories of Goddess Gauri and her husband Lord Shiva, and the dances reflected the festive spirit and energy of the women. The four-hour-long festival provided a great opportunity for the community to bond and share their heritage with others.
The organisers also invited guests from other communities to join the celebration and learn about the significance of Bathukamma, said GTA-USA President, Praveen Kesireddy. He said despite the steady shower and cold weather throughout the day, nearly 1500 attendees came to the Novi Civic Center building facility to enjoy the celebration with reverence.
The event also featured delicious food and fun activities for the children like face painting. Later delicious dinner consisting of delicacies from Telangana villages were served to the guests, said the organising committee that included Sushma Padukone, Suma Kalvala and Swapna Chintapalli.
The GTA Board Trustees Santosh Kakulavaram, Rakesh Lattupalli and Vinod Atmakoor said they were overwhelmed by the unprecedented turnout which was the first time in the history of bathukamma festival in Detroit. Bathukamma celebrations were also held in Denver chapter of Colarado which was a resounding success with over 1300 Telangana festive gathering.