Bathukamma 2025 began at Warangal’s Thousand Pillar Temple with ministers leading celebrations, but critics say the Telangana government is focusing more on optics than real women’s welfare

Warangal: The 2025 Bathukamma festival opened with grandeur at the historic Thousand Pillar Temple, where state ministers joined thousands of women in offering prayers with beautifully decorated Bathukammas. The event was rich in colours, tradition, and music, but it also sparked questions about whether the Telangana government is using cultural platforms more for showmanship than for addressing ground realities.

Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, along with ministers Jupally Krishna Rao, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Konda Surekha, and Seethakka, highlighted Bathukamma as a celebration of identity, unity, and prosperity. They described the festival as a symbol of women’s empowerment and Telangana pride.

However, critics point out that women’s empowerment cannot stop at speeches during festivals. Despite repeated promises, issues like women’s safety, job opportunities, equal pay, and support for self-help groups continue to remain unresolved. While leaders sing folk songs and invoke Telangana’s cultural history, many women still struggle with poor healthcare access and lack of economic security.

Minister Seethakka stressed the “scientific roots” of Bathukamma as a prayer for water and prosperity. But the irony, observers note, is that several districts in Telangana still face severe drinking water and irrigation problems, showing a gap between words and reality.

By projecting Bathukamma as a global cultural symbol, the government has successfully boosted its image. Yet, unless it couples this cultural pride with concrete policies for women and farmers, celebrations risk being remembered as symbolic gestures rather than genuine progress.

As the Bathukamma festivities continue across Telangana, the question remains: Will the government turn these promises into action, or will the flowers of Bathukamma fade without real change?