Festive spirit soars during Sankranti celebrations in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Sankranti or Makar Sankranti, the festival of harvest, was celebrated across Hyderabad with religious fervour and vibrant enthusiasm on Tuesday.
The localities and residential colonies wore a festive look as the front yards of homes were adorned with colourful “muggulu” (rangoli) patterns and flying kites in open spaces and terraces. The harvest festival commenced with Bhogi on Monday during which youth ignited bonfires to mark the occasion.
Hindu households prepared different types of delicacies to celebrate the festival.
After performing poojas and relishing tasty dishes, the youngsters spread across rooftops and open spaces to fly colourful kites. They were seen competing with other kites in the sky to cut them. The terraces rocked with pulsating Telangana folk songs and Bollywood tracks adding vibrancy to the festive spirit.
The lanes and bylanes near Charminar were full of customers who were jostling to buy kites and manja. The shopkeepers General Bazaar, Monda Market, Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, Begum Bazaar and Gulzar Houz did brisk business selling kites and manja.
Earlier, the Hyderabad City Police conducted raids across the city and seized a total of 7,334 bobbins of Chinese manja, valued at approximately Rs. 88 lakh. The crackdown, which spanned across multiple zones from October 2024 to January 2025, was led by DCP YVS Sudeendra and Addl. DCP Ande Srinivasa Rao. The operation significantly reduced the availability of Chinese manja, which had previously caused harm to both humans and wildlife including birds.
Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy conveyed their Sankranti greetings to the people, wishing them happiness and prosperity.
Meanwhile, the three-day International Kite and Sweet Festival is underway at Secunderabad Parade Ground. The kite festival has been organized by the Telangana State Tourism and Culture Department. The event has seen participants from 16 countries join 100 national and international kite flyers.