Festive spirit marks Sankranti celebrations at schools, institutions in Visakhapatnam

Sankranti Sambaralu was celebrated by various schools and educational institutions in Visakhapatnam on Thursday, ahead of the Sankrati festival holidays.

A rural atmosphere prevailed at Sri Krishna Vidya Mandir school, Dwarakanagar, as children enacted village traditions as part of Sankranti celebrations in the school premises. The campus was beautifully decorated with mango leaves, flowers and rangolis.

Children, wearing traditional attire, played ‘kolatam.’ Girls wearing crowns and seated in replicas of lotuses, potrayed ‘Ashta Lakshmi,’ boys wore dhotis and turbans. The girls also enacted the cooking of traditional homemade sweets in a rural setting.

Teachers explained the cultural significance of the traditions. School correspondent C. Subba Rao, teachers, parents and school committee members attended the celebrations.

The Visakha Valley School also hosted Sankranthi celebrations on Thursday. The programme began with the lighting of the lamp by the school principal I. Eswari Prabhakar. Students entertained the audience through classical and folk dances, portraying the eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi. Kites were flown, and rangoli competitions were held. The traditional dish `Pongali’ was prepared and children were blessed with the traditional offering of ‘Bogi Pallu’.

The A.P. Nurses Association, King George Hospital (KGH), celebrated Sankranti at the Radiology Gallery of KGH on Thursday. The nurses presented skits reflecting the Sankranti traditions on stage. Visakhapatnam South MLA Ch. Vamsi Krishna Srinivas, participated as chief guest, presented awards to women who took part in various competitions held over the past two days.

Dr. I. Vani, Superintendent, KGH, and Dr. KVSM Sandhya Devi, Principal, Andhra Medical College, were present.