Burj Khalifa pays tribute to Telangana’s Bathukamma Festival with a light show; WATCH

A Telangana festival got a global audience when Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building gave a light and sound tribute to Baathukama on Saturday. The building was lit up depicting the floral festival and the visual feast was attributed to the efforts of Nizamabad MLC Kalvakuntla Kavitha that led Telangana Jagruthi to showcase the state Bathukamma culture on the world’s largest screen in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Ms Kavitha, former Member of parliament and daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao shared glimpses of the show on her Twitter account. Kavitha leads Jagruthi, an organisation formed during Telangana’s statehood movement, and ever since has been working to preserve the culture of the state.

Please join me in witnessing Bathukamma screening at Burj Khalifa, Dubai https://t.co/jCRTNokdtI

— Kavitha Kalvakuntla (@RaoKavitha) October 23, 2021

Bathukamma means ”Goddess of Life”. The celebrations are held throughout the ten days of Dussehra when women decorate a special pot with seasonal flowers, offerings to the Goddess, and go on a procession in the village. This year Jagruthi launched a Bathukamma song “Allipoola Vennela”, composed by music maestro AR Rahman and directed by ace Indian director Gautham Vasudev Menon.

At Burj Khalifa, the show was live at 9.30 IST. Slogans like ‘Jai Hind’ and “Jai Telangana’ flashed on the Burj screen and were responded with tears of joy and pride by the viewers.

The Bathukamma documentary was played on the big screen for invited delegates of Jagruthi and separately for the local people. The screening also featured maps of India and Telangana, Chief Minister Rao, Bathukamma flowers, with “Alipoola Vennela” playing in the background.

Apart from Ms. Rao, MP surest Reddy, MLA Jeevan Reddy, the screening was also attended by several dignitaries from UAE.