Keeping a rich tradition alive

‘Sankranti Sambaralu’ at Gondupalem help migrants rediscover their roots

Staying connected: Sankranti Sambaralu being organised at Gondupalem of K. Kotapadu mandal in Visakhapatnam district on Tuesday.

It’s not just the city folk, who need to be reminded of the rich cultural traditions of our ancestors, but also those from rural areas, who have migrated to cities in search of greener pastures. Thankfully, there are some, who haven’t forgotten their roots despite making it big in various walks of life and are making conscious efforts to keep the traditions alive.

The ‘Sankranti Sambaralu’, organised by Sanghamitra Rural Development Society (SRDS), at Gondupalem village of K. Kotapadu mandal in the district on Tuesday, revealed that not only younger men but also some of the older ones do not know the art of wearing dhotis and many of the traditions associated with the festival.

Bonhomie

Against this backdrop, the festival conducted on the premises of the MPP School, at Gondupalem village, presented an opportunity to the ‘rural folk’ turned ‘city dwellers’ to rediscover their roots and renew their ties with some of their old friends, who had remained in the village. The bonhomie could be seen as the participants interacted with one another shedding their economic and caste differences.

The muggulu (rangoli) competition witnessed 20 women competing with one another to draw the rangolis in different shapes and hues.

The organisers roped in traditional folk artistes like: Jangam Devara, Haridasu, Chidathalu, Chekka Bhajana and Kolatam artistes, who performed at the venue as some of the older guests from the village sang to the tunes of the artistes.

“Our children have lost the connect with their rural roots. They do not even have the time to think of our tradition and culture due to their busy schedules. Our (SRDS) aim is to bring together rural folk settled in cities and make them aware of the rich rural culture,” said SRDS founder Bandaru Ramachandra Rao, a native of Gondupalem, who is an Associate Professor of ENT, at the Government ENT Hospital in the city.

“I have been participating in these festivities for the past three years. They helped in fostering new ties in my village,” said E. Sravanthi, who is studying Intermediate II year in the city.

“These kind of programmes help in fostering better bonding with our friends and relatives in these days of ‘Whatsapp’ and mobile phones, which promote superficial relationships,” said Sivakasi Babu, an employee of Naval Dockyard.

“The festival promotes unity among all, irrespective of their religious affiliations,” said Sagar, a teacher working at Pendurthy in the city.

Earlier in the day, a 6-K run for youth from Gondupalem to K. Kotapadu and back, Kabbadi and volley ball competitions were held.