The Telangana Information Technology Association (TITA) on Friday demanded that IT companies add Telangana festivals Bathukamma and Bonalu in their list of holidays for the calendar year 2014.
IT companies release their list of holidays every year in the first week of January. Some small-sized IT companies have already listed Bathukamma and Bonalu.
"All the IT companies in Hyderabad should add Telangana festivals in their 2014 list of holidays, which should be considered mandatory regional holidays," TITA president Sundeep Kumar Makthala said.
"Telangana is an unwanted sibling for the people of the Andhra region. Andhra rulers have always discriminated against Telangana people, its culture and its way of life. Telangana history is nowhere to be found in text books, Telangana festivals are low-class affairs for them. TITA demands that prominence be given to festivals which reflect the culture and traditions of the Telangana region," said Makthala.
"Bathukamma, a festival of life, is one of the few festivals in the world that are celebrated just by women. This is one of the most important festivals of Telangana. Unfortunately, the government of Andhra Pradesh does not recognize this as a state festival. This festival requires elaborate preparations, for which a good amount of time is needed. As this is not a public holiday, working women have been staying away from celebrating it. If nothing is done, Bathukamma, which has been celebrated for hundreds of years, may no longer be celebrated," said Bhavani Reddy Marikanti, TITA women's wing president. (INN)
filed in:Telangana, Bathukamma, Bonalu, Information Technology