Odisha Governor lauds GVL’s rural Sankranti celebrations

A rural ambiance marked the GVL Sankranti celebrations at the Andhra University College of Engineering (AUCE) grounds. Makeshift huts with thatched roofs, colourful rangolis, decorated bulls, and traditional performers like ‘Haridasulu’ and ‘Gangiredlavallu’ in their traditional attire set the tone. Folk and tribal dancers added to the festive spirit as they enthralled guests on Monday.

Odisha Governor Kambhampati Haribabu attended the celebrations as chief guest. He received the traditional drum welcome from the folk artistes. He went around the grounds viewing the folk art forms on display and later fed a bull. Addressing the gathering, Mr. Haribabu praised GVL for organising the ‘Sankranti Sambaralu,’ to showcase the rich rural traditions to city folk, who rarely get a chance to see them.

Giving an overview of the four-day Sankranti festival and the significance of Bhogi, Sankranti, Kanuma and Mukkanuma, the Odisha Governor said that the objective is to celebrate the bumper harvest, show respect to the farmer, promote community bonds and cattle worship, which signifies living in harmony with nature.

Mr. GVL Narasimha Rao recalled that he has been organising Sankranti celebrations for the past two years. He said: “This year the theme of the celebrations are ‘Atma Nirbhar’ Sankranti to promote ‘Swadeshi’ and self-sufficiency.” He called upon the gathering to avail the government schemes like “Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Yojana’ to cut their power bills and help boost the nation’s economy.

Visakhapatnam North MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju said that he skipped going to Bhimavaram in West Godavari to celebrate Sankranti as GVL had brought the rural ambience to the city.

BJP district president M.M.N. Parasurama Raju, Reserve Bank of India General Manager Rajesh Kumar Mahana and State Bankf of India (SBI) Deputy General Manager Rahul Sankritya also spoke.