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Garla gears up for unique event
Garla gears up for unique event. Garla town, a little over 200 km from State capital Hyderabad, stands apart from rest of the country as the people here have the privilege of witnessing the unfurling of the Indian tri-colour on Dasara every year in addition to the Independence and Republic Days.
Village witnesses unfurling of tri-colour on Dasara day
- This former Jagirdar village used to boast of hoisting blue colour flag during Nizam rule It is replaced by National Flag now
- Sarpanch of the village will hoist the flag
Khammam: Garla town, a little over 200 km from State capital Hyderabad, stands apart from rest of the country as the people here have the privilege of witnessing the unfurling of the Indian tri-colour on Dasara every year in addition to the Independence and Republic Days.
This unique practice dates back to the times of Nizam’s rule stretching over five decades, epitomising the symbol of religious integrity of the region. Under Nizams rule, the local Jagirdars, who enjoyed a powerful status, developed Garla and in fact the place had become one of the favourite hangouts for the Nawabs and their scions in those days.
Besides the last Nizam Mir Osman Ali Khan, several eminent personalities like poet Josh Malihabadi used to visit the place. While Mushairas were regular feature of summer pastime here, the nearby forests quenched the thirst of tiger hunting of the Nawabs.
Strangely, the region which had Tahsil office, Munsif Kacheri (court), municipality cum hospital and rest houses in those days, has not seen much development thereafter. A sprawling 100-room building for Tahsil and Rahat Manzil, the guesthouse of Jagirdar, were highlights of the town.
A peep into history of flag hoisting ceremony on Vijaya Dashmi revealed that a blue flag was used to unfurl before performing Shami puja, also known as Jammi in local parlance, by the Muslim rulers. It was a huge festivity in the region to which thousands of Hindus and Muslims used to gather and participate in the festivities.
After Independence and the merger of Hyderabad with the Union of India, the blue flag was replaced by the Indian tricolour. The town, which is in Khammam district, may have lost its sheen, but the tradition is still followed by the locals.
On Dasara every year, the locals amid beats of drums carry the tricolour in a rally from Panchayat office to the Masjid Centre where it is hoisted by the sarpanch. Meanwhile, the arrangements are in place for the flag hoisting ceremony in Garla. As per the custom, sarpanch, the first citizen of the town, Gangavath Lakshman Naik will hoist the flag on Thursday.
By Adepu Mahender
