File Photo: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu (Press Trust of India)
'Ugadi', the Telugu New Year, was celebrated in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana with traditional fervour and enthusiasm today.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu attended the first 'Ugadi' after bifurcation at Anantavaram village in the Vijayawada region, where the capital of the new state is proposed to come up.
"Though the state is beset with problems following bifurcation, the new Andhra Pradesh would emerge as a front-ranking state in the years to come," he said.
He hailed the farmers in the region, who came forward to hand over their lands for land pooling taken up by the state government for developing the capital. The state government has pooled over 32,000 acres for developing the capital.
Telangana Chief Minister attended the Ugadi festivities held at Ravindra Bharati in Hyderabad.
The Ugadi celebrations were held in the offices of all major political party offices in Hyderabad.
The festival is celebrated with people consuming 'Ugadi pachadi' (chutney) after taking head bath in the early hours of the day. The 'pachadi' is made of neem flowers, pieces of raw mango, tamarind juice and jaggery. The Ugadi pachadi symbolises that life is a mixture of different experiences and they should be taken with equanimity.
'Panchanga Sravanam' (reading of almanac) was done by pundits in temples and also the official functions organized by the state governments. People visited temples in large numbers and offered special prayers.
ESL Narasimhan, Governor for both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, hosted Ugadi celebrations at Raj Bhavan on Friday. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam, Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana attended the function.