సద్దికట్టిన తెలంగాణ

 

 

గంగమ్మను చేరిన గౌరమ్మ..
సంబురంగా సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ

 

 ఎంగిలిపూలతో వెలిగిన బతుకమ్మ తొమ్మిదోనాడు సద్దుల బతుకమ్మగా అవతారమెత్తి గంగమ్మను చేరడంతో తెలంగాణ పూల జాతర ముగిసింది. మంగళవారం తెలంగాణవ్యాప్తంగా తొమ్మిదోనాడు సద్దుల బతుకమ్మను మహిళలు ఘనంగా జరుపుకున్నారు. బతుకమ్మ గంగమ్మను చేరే తొమ్మిదోనాడు మిగతా ఎనిమిది రోజుల కంటే పవివూతంగా ఆరాధనాభావంతో చూస్తారు. తెల్లవారుజామునే పూలు సేకరించి ఒక్కపొద్దులతో నిష్ఠగా బతుకమ్మను పేరుస్తారు. బతుకమ్మ అంత్రానికోపాట (బతుకమ్మ వరుస)పాడుకుంటూ పేర్చారు. ఇంటింటిలో తల్లీబిడ్డలుగా భావించి జంట బతుకమ్మలను పేర్చారు. పెద్ద బతుకమ్మపైన పసుపు ముద్దను గౌరమ్మగా భావించి బతుకమ్మ తలపైన ప్రతిష్ఠించారు. పూజగదిలో దేవుని (లక్ష్మిదేవీ) చిత్రపటం వద్ద ప్రత్యేకంగా పూజలు చేశారు. కొత్త పంటలతో చేసిన పిండివంటలతో సద్దులు కట్టారు. నువ్వులు, మొక్కజొన్న, పజ్జొన్న, కొబ్బరిబెల్లాలు, పెరుగన్నంతో చేసిన ముద్దలతో కొత్తబట్టతో సద్ది కట్టి నైవేద్యంగా సమర్పించారు. సాయంత్రం కొత్తబట్టలు ధరించి సామూహికంగా బతుకమ్మను డప్పుచప్పుళ్లతో ఊకుగింపుగా స్థానిక చెరువుగట్టుకు చేరుకున్నారు.

మహిళలంతా గుమికూడి ఒకరు పాట అందుకుంటే మిగితావాళ్లు కోరస్‌గా చప్పట్లు కొడుతూ, అడుగులు వేస్తూ పాటలు పాడుతూ చెరువుగట్లన్నీ కోయిల గుంపు వలె పాటలతోటలయ్యాయి. చెరువునీళ్లలో బతుకమ్మను నిమజ్జనం చేసిన తర్వాత ముత్తైదువలు ఒకరికొకరు కుంకుమ బొట్టుపెట్టుకొని మాంగల్యాన్ని పదికాలాలపాటు కాపాడాలంటూ పుస్తెలకు పసుపుగౌరమ్మను అద్దుకున్నారు. తెచ్చుకున్న సద్దులను పంచిపెట్టుకొని వాయినాలు ఇచ్చిపుచ్చుకున్నారు. వరంగల్ జిల్లా కేంద్రంలోని పద్మాక్షిగుండం, భద్రకాళి చెరువుగట్టు, ఉర్సు రంగలీలా మైదానం, వడ్డేపల్లి చెరువు, ఖిలా వరంగల్ మెట్టుకోట, జనగామ, నర్సంపేట, మహబూబాబాద్, ములుగు, ఏటూరునాగారం లాంటి ఏజెన్సీ ప్రాంతాల్లో సద్దుల బతుకమ్మను ఘనంగా జరుపుకున్నారు. పరకాల, భూపాలపల్లి, గణపురం, చెల్పూరు తదితర కోల్‌బెల్ట్ ప్రాంతాల్లో సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ వేడుకలు ఘనంగా జరిగాయి.

సద్దుల్లో ఉద్యమం: సద్దుల బతుకమ్మ సంబురంలో తెలంగాణ ఆత్మగౌరవ ఆకాంక్ష ప్రతిధ్వనించింది. ఊరూవాడా ఏకమై ముక్తకం జై తెలంగాణ అంటూ నినదించారు. తెలంగాణ ఆకాంక్షకు అద్దంప మహిళాలోకం బతుకమ్మలపైనా జై తెలంగాణ నినాదాల జెండాలను ఏర్పాటు చేశారు. మా తెలంగాణ మాగ్గావాలి..మా నీళ్లు మాకు కావాలి.. మా రాష్ట్రం మాకు కావాలి అంటూ నినాదాలు రాసుకొని ఆకాంక్షను చాటారు.

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Celebrating Bathukamma

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Third debate: Obama scores, but did the world lose?

In what was quickly billed as the weakest of the three presidential debates held in the run-up to the November 6 elections, the third and final encounter between President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney saw mostly acquiescence by the former Massachusetts Governor on a number of Mr. Obama’s foreign policy positions. 

With a CBS post-debate poll of uncommitted voters giving the President a winning score of 53 per cent, Mr. Romney 23 per cent and 24 per cent considering the event a tie, it was clear that Mr. Obama’s aggressive performance and his repeated allusion to his experience as Commander-in-Chief went some way in establishing his foreign policy credentials with observers. A second poll of uncommitted voters by CNN gave Mr. Obama 48 per cent and Mr. Romney 40 per cent after the debate in Boca Raton, Florida. 

Yet both men appeared keen to limit the debate to their respective talking points, which not only resulted in the debate often being pulled back into arguments over domestic issues such as the economy, it also led to a vast swathe of nations, allies and foes of U.S. alike, being entirely ignored. India and sub-Saharan Africa, for example, did not feature in the debate at all, and the European Union and Latin America were only given passing mentions. 

Both were however effusive in their remarks on their support for Israel, repeatedly asserting their commitment to protecting the U.S. ally from threats emanating from Iran, Egypt and other parts of West Asia. The Palestine question was notable for its absence. 

When Mr. Romney accused Mr. Obama of going on an “apology tour” criticising the U.S. while visiting other nations, the President retorted, “When I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn't take donors, I didn't attend fundraisers, I went to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust museum there, to remind myself [of] the nature of evil and why our bond with Israel will be unbreakable.” 

A memorable moment in the debate came when Mr. Obama, striking a note of sarcasm on Mr. Romney’s allegation that the President planned to cut military spending by one trillion dollars, said, “You mentioned the Navy, for example, and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, Governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military's changed. We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them. We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.” 

While Mr. Romney may have surprised some within his own party by some of his agreement with Mr. Obama, for example that all U.S, troops ought to be drawn down from Afghanistan by 2014, he seemed to tone down the aggressive streak that he displayed in the previous two debates, possibly in an effort to appear cool-headed and presidential. 

Two of India’s neighbours, Pakistan and China, however came up on several occasions during the debate. On Pakistan, moderator and CBS anchor Bob Schieffer came close to making a gaffe when he said that Pakistan had “arrested the doctor who helped us catch Obama’s bin Laden.” Regarding the hunt for bin Laden the President responded, “If we had asked Pakistan for permission, we would not have gotten it him.” 

Referencing the U.S.’ troubled relationship with Pakistan in the context of the Afghanistan strategy Mr. Romney admitted that it was “not time to divorce a nation on earth that has a hundred nuclear weapons and is on the way to double that at some point, a nation that has serious threats from terrorist groups within its nation — the Taliban, Haqqani network.” He added that while Pakistan was “technically an ally,” it was not acting very much like an ally, “but we have some work to do.” Especially because Pakistan did not have a civilian leadership calling the shots, Mr. Romney noted, if the nation fell apart and became a failed state, terrorists could get their hands on nuclear weapons. 

On China, the only other nation from Israel that dominated the candidates’ time on air, there was even less dissonance in terms of the men’s policies. Surprisingly it was Mr. Obama who took up Mr. Romney’s war-cry of calling out “cheaters” from among China’s economic competitors. 

Mr. Romney, contrarily, struck a conciliatory note, arguing, “China has an interest that's very much like ours in one respect, and that is they want a stable world. They don't want war. They don't want to see protectionism.” 

Pointing out that the country had about 20 million people coming out of the farms every year, seeking jobs in the cities, he noted, “We don't have to be an adversary in any way, shape or form... We can collaborate with them if they're willing to be responsible.” 

- The Hindu News

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Virbhadra Singh threatens media

An angry Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Virbhadra Singh threatened to break the cameras of mediapersons on being questioned about allegations of corruption against him. 

“I will break your cameras. Don’t you have any other work to do?” he retorted when reporters questioned him about graft allegations. The incident occurred at Ani in Kullu district Tuesday evening when some mediapersons sought his reaction to the fresh charges levelled against him by the BJP. 

Dismissing charges against him as “baseless”, he said, “I will deal with all these issues after the election on November 4.” 

The former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister had on Tuesday brushed aside allegations by the BJP and others of income tax evasion, money-laundering and forgery as “false and fabricated” and had threatened action against those behind the “malicious” campaign ahead of Himachal Pradesh Assembly polls.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley had alleged that Mr. Singh had altered his income tax account books from 2008 onwards to show a forged, back-dated contract and a highly inflated income of around Rs. 6.5 crore. 

Mr. Singh had also come under the scanner following allegations that he had received payments from a steel company which had come to light after raids were conducted on the firm in 2010. 

Lashing out at Mr. Jaitley for making the allegations, Mr. Singh had said the “malicious” campaign against him is being carried out to divert his attention from the poll campaign and create confusion in the minds of voters. 

- The Hindu News

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