The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Sour taste for some, sweet feel for some others

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 20, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Sour taste for some, sweet feel for some others

W. Chandrakanth

TAKE STOCK: C.V.B. Subramanyam rendering `Panchanga sravanam' in Hyderabad on Monday.

HYDERABAD: Call it a double delight or double whammy; people of the State have more than one reason to celebrate the festival. Caught in the Ugadi fete controversy, some Telugus celebrated the festival on Monday while some others will do so on Tuesday.

What remained unanswered was whether the `tithi' (Padyami) was important in deciding such issues or `grahanam and Amavasya'? If the justification for celebrating it on Monday was `tithi,' then those who argued against it said so because some remnants of it were present on Tuesday too.

Like all festivals in the recent past, even Ugadi got embroiled in controversy with the Government deciding to celebrate it on Monday and declaring a holiday. However, owing to pressure from several corners, it had to declare Tuesday an optional holiday.

Political overtones

Scholars were divided on the issue even as the issue acquired political overtones with the Opposition zeroing in on Tuesday. Several `Saivite' temples, including Srisailam, witnessed long queues of devotees.

Srikalahasteerswara Swamy temple in Srikalahasti saw thousands celebrating Ugadi. But `Vaishnavaite' temples, including Tirumala, opted out because of partial solar eclipse. Appikatla Desikacharyulu, TTD Panchangakarta, insisted that Tuesday was real Ugadi day as Monday was inauspicious because of the eclipse.

Politicians were quick to cite the example of the TDP defeat in 1989 which they claimed was a consequence of the decision of then TDP Government headed by N.T. Rama Rao to celebrate 1988 Ugadi on the day of the lunar eclipse.

Amidst the confusion, the Government celebrated the festival while the Opposition would do so on Tuesday with people caught in a dilemma as to who was right. Subrahmanyam, who rendered the almanac for `Sarvajit' (New Year) at Ravindra Bharathi, said the celebration of Ugadi on Monday was in tune with `sastras.'

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