Three-day Amaravati Balotsavam from tomorrow

Vijayawada: The 8th edition of the Amaravati Balotsavam, a significant cultural and academic festival for children, will take place at PB Siddhartha Arts & Science College here from December 9 to 11. More than 12,000 students from 200 schools across 18 mandals in NTR, Krishna, Guntur, and Eluru districts are registered to participate in this grand three-day event. At a press conference held at Balotsav Bhavan here on Sunday, festival president UV Rama Raju and general secretary R Kondala Rao announced that the Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Cinematography, Kandula Durgesh, will inaugurate the Balotsavam as the chief guest. Former MLC KS Lakshmana Rao, Siddhartha Academy Secretary Paladugu Lakshmana Rao, festival founder and Kothagudem Balotsavam convener Dr Vasireddy Ramesh Babu, and K Yatiraju Naidu (Prem), a representative from Navaskanda Home for Generations in Bengaluru, would attend as special guests, they said.

He said that this year’s theme is “Protect the Environment – For Clean Air, For a Better Life,” which aims to raise environmental awareness among children. The main stage would be named after Padma Shri Daripally Ramaiah, renowned for planting one crore saplings, they said. Other stages would honour distinguished figures, including Padma Bhushan Dr AS Rao, Gurajada Apparao, Narla Chiranjeevi, Sobha Naidu, Balasaraswati Devi, Gijubhai, Suryadevara Sanjeev Dev, and Gade Subbareddy, they added.

Further, they said competitions would be held in 43 academic and 17 cultural categories for sub-junior, junior, and senior groups. Events would occur simultaneously across 15 venues, including five main stages and several halls, they said. Also, they said they have made arrangements to provide meals for 15,000 participants, including students, judges, volunteers, and staff. They encouraged parents, teachers, and institutions to actively support the festival and motivate children to participate.