Haridasu, Gangireddu traditions fading

Khammam: With the skyline getting dotted with colourful kites, the front place of the houses adorned with mesmerising muggulu, a visit from gangidreddu and the haridasu will make the festivities of Sankranti complete. But the festival is losing its charm and cultural heritage with the show fading of haridasu and decorated bulls (Gangireddu).

The Sankranti, a festival of harvest will be celebrated with fervor and gaiety across the Telugu speaking states, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for almost one week. Haridasu and gangireddu are the two important aspects of Sankranti festival. Negligence and encouragement could be reasons for the slow disappearance of the age-old tradition.

The haridasu will visit each and every house in villages and towns and sing songs praising Lord Vishnu, along with playing musical instrument Tambura. The women will offer rice to them. On the other hand, gangireddulavallu heavily dressed and with long moustache, along with the bulls, adorned with colourful saris, flowers tied around their horns and anklets to their legs, will visit each and every house.

They will play musical instrument ‘nadaswaram’ and beat the drum and will make the bulls to dance to their tunes. The women will offer rice, clothes and money to them. Explaining the roles of haridasu and gangireddu, a retired teacher, Laxmaiah, said that haridasu usually appear only during Sankranti festival with their attractive make-up and chanting Lord Vishnu.

They accept rice, money and other eatables (as a charity) from people which are prepared especially during the festival. Since Sankranti is celebrated as a harvest festival, cattle are also worshipped. The bulls (gangireddu) will be decorated with colourful clothes and anklets, glorifying the significance of the festival and they will be worshipped.

Talking about the importance of festival in both Telugu speaking states, he said geographical barriers will not act as cultural barriers. Even though the states were divided, the culture, traditions, heritage and history will remain as it is. Reminding his school days, Sarpanch of Raghunadhapalem of Thirumalayapelm mandal, Gandu Mallaiah said that they used to hear the devotional hymns and bhajans of haridasu early in the morning.

‘Then follows gangireddulavallu with decorated bulls and we used to follow the bulls for fun,’ he added. But since a few years, these traditional symbols of the festival were not to be seen these days, he lamented. Even haridasu, with lack of encouragement and poor earnings, left the profession and moved to cities in search of livelihood, he observed.

A few elders worried that the children will never know of the valuable traditions as the parents are neglecting to explain them of our cultural heritage during festivals. Some schools like New Era High School of Khammam and Goutham Model School of Kothagudem are organising programmes to showcase the age-old traditions of festivals to the young generations.

New Era High School Director P Bhumeshwar Rao said that Sankranti will be celebrated grandly in Telangana region after Dasara and Diwali. This festival is recognised with the traditional festive symbols like kites, rangoli (muggulu), bommala koluvu, haridasu and gangireddulu. But the tradition is fast dying with the children of these traditional families diverting to new and more lucrative professions.

“In this situation, to explain the children about the glory, rich heritage, culture and essence of the festivals, we have been celebrating the Sankranti festival in our school every year,” he said.