A bountiful year ahead

• Good monsoon forecast
• Tough time for politicians

Hyderabad: Fragrance of Telugu traditions and culture pervaded all through the celebrations of Telugu New Year Day on Thursday across the state. Vijaya (Victory) Nama Samvasthara Ugadi as it has been christened is expected to usher in a bountiful year. At the main function organised by the Department of Culture at Ravindra Bharathi, Chief Minister N Kirankumar Reddy, clad in traditional attire, shared the Ugadi Pachchadi with a host of his cabinet colleagues and opposition leaders such as K Narayana and other dignitaries. The Panchanga Pathanam and Shravanam' (reading and hearing of predictions of the year ahead) read out by Dr CVB Subrahmanyam, noted astrologer and Head of Department of Astrology, Telugu University, turned out to be an event calling for rapt attention. The political bigwigs who graced the occasion followed the predictions with eagerness as they sought to know what the new year has in store for the state and for themselves. "A turbulent year has passed by and 'Vijaya' has set its foot. This is hot summer but let me tell you, as per the planetary motion, a very good monsoon is quite possible. Very good rains are expected and there will be very good yield. In a nutshell, this would be a very good year for farmers. We can see smiles on their faces provided the government too does its bit," he said amidst wide applause. "There may not be dearth of funds for the state and at the same time, there will be a lot of wasteful expenditure as well," he said. Spiralling prices of essential and other commodities would continue to burn the pockets of the people, he added. A On the political front, Subrahmanyam unveiled a rather thorny path. "You (the ruling establishment) may continue to face a lot more criticism on vital issues and a careful handling is needed. But at the same time, one good thing for the people of the state is that there will be a stable administration. "But the people shall be ready for some hardships in their daily lives," he predicted.A Giving his reaction on the predictions, the Chief Minister said he felt greatly happy when he heard that there would be abundant rains. 'What more do we want? Good rains will do good not for the families of farmers alone but the entire state,' he said.