It stands for the fact that problems are not permanent, there is always hope: Garikapati Narasimha Rao.

Ugadi is a celebration of optimism. It heralds the arrival of spring after the autumn, fresh leaves spring out after the trees are laid bare by autumn. Ugadi stands for the fact that problems are not permanent, there is always hope, Telugu litterateur Garikapati Narasimha Rao said.

Speaking at the official Ugadi celebrations organised by the District Administration here on Friday, Mr. Garikapati said that the celebration was a lesson for us to learn to look forward and not get bogged down by the problems that are ephemeral.

Culture, tradition

He called upon the teaching fraternity to inculcate values enshrined in our culture and tradition. Culture and tradition are not necessarily religious and should not be rejected, he added. Ugadi celebration was not a religious one as it was not dedicated to any God of the Hindu pantheon. It was a celebration of time, which is universal.

Calling upon Telugu-speaking parents to promote Telugu, he lamented that the rich traditions of the language like Sathavadhanam and Ashtavadhanam were dying because of lack of awareness among the younger generations.

He criticised the practice of blowing candles to celebrate birthdays pointing out that it was not in our tradition to blow out lamps and it was considered inauspicious. “We do not put out the light in our homes, we do not have to have floodlights through the night but a bed light would do,” he remarked.

Durmukhi not negative

Referring to the name of the Telugu New Year - Durmukhi - he said the prefix ‘Dur’ did not necessarily carry a negative connotation and asked people to look at it with positivity.

Earlier, Minister for HRD Ganta Srinivasa Rao recalled that last year Telugu almanac had many reasons for the city to be proud and hoped that this year too it would see the City grow in stature and carry forward its international recognition achieved through Partnership Summit and the International Fleet Review.

Awards given away

Anakapalle member of Parliament Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao, District Collector N Yuvaraj and other officials and prominent personalities participated.

Disciples of Carnatic guru Dwaram Tyagaraj sang a number of songs and two Kuchipudi ballets were performed. A number of achievers in different fields were felicitated on the occasion. Among the 24 persons were six from theatre, two from folk arts, two from dance, two from Harikatha and one from Burrakatha, three Classical singers, one artist, one Nadaswaram artist, one Mridangam artist, two from literature, and two sportspersons.

Sarpanchas of 31 villages which were declared Open Defecation-Free were also felicitated.