BATHUKAMMA. IN WORSHIP. The first and last time that I watched a Bathukamma festival was at Warangal. The largest Bathukamma had been awarded some kind of prize. After which I walked with the women to the lake where the flowers were merged with the water. Such gaeity, such piety, such colour and such glory. Women, when they are in their elements can do that to you. Bathukamma is all about women. The little cone of flowers represents the mother goddess, with all her seasonality, her herbaciousness, her curative powers and that it was collected from nature only to be given back to nature. For you see, when it mergeS with the water it purifiES it, adding medicinal qualities to it. While there is a lot of colour and women dress up to greet other women, this festival stems from a certain sadness. All the sons were killed in wartime and prayers were sent up to heaven and then one day a girl child was born. She was Bathukamma Or saviour. She is the healer, the curer, the protector, the nurturer. She is nature herself. She is as much as you can offer, she is small and elegant, enough to carry to the water and merge her. Those days men and boys went to the forest to collect the various flowers and the women would gather round, sing songs and make the Bathukamma. The main flowers used are Gunugu puvvu, Chamanti, Gummadi puvvu, Erupu Gunugu, Ennu Gunugu and Banti puvvu. And when laid out well, designers would lose out for vibrancy, colour combinations and the availability. God is also great for there are certain flowers which only grow in this season. How great is that. It is the folk songs that hit your gut. Some make you cry, some enthuse you with their beat and rhythm and some tale you tales of woe, hope and the future. There are so many songs and such great singers. The Bathukammas are kept in the centre and the women dance around them in a glorious ensemble of colour, devotion and togetherness. I got a little sentimental when I attended the Bathukamma festival at Prajwala. A yearly celebration, this time I accepted the invite and glad I did it. The fervour shown in creating the Bathukammas is reflected and the various departments come out of their sections, boys and girls carrying it on their heads. Girls who had looked drab and tired a while ago were transformed into beautiful young women, shimmering in their saris, bangles laden wrists, neatly combed hair adorned with flowers. We kept the Bathukammas in the centre and danced to soulful numbers with foottapping  dappus encouraging everyone to participate. Small gravel stopped me from participating, but that was my loss. Then all the Bathukammas were taken around the campus and brought to the small lake in the front filled with Lilly leaves. Sunitha Krishnan is a devout soul and she can get entrenched in all the programmes with her heart and soul and there she was in the forefront. It was a pleasure to be amidst the entire staff of women and men, all equally enthusiastic. The men stepped into the lake to slide the Bathukammas off the plates and merge them into the water. We had pulihora and attukuklu with pieces of jaggery in it for prasadam. I came away a little emotional, feeling bad that I had not learnt one single Bathukamma song. On the agenda.��������