Metro India News | AMARAVATI

The aroma of freshly made pindi vantalu (traditional flour-based delicacies), arisalu, sunnundalu, kajjikayalu, and janthikalu wafts through homes,  colorful rangoli patterns adorn courtyards, dear ones manage to take leave from office, brave the rush in trains, buses and highway but definitely reach home in time. There is nothing to beat the festive spirit of Sankranti.

As the sun transitions into the Capricorn zodiac (Makara Rashi) it brings with it a grand celebration of the harvest season and an occasion of thanksgiving.

Major transport hubs, including Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, and Hyderabad, are abuzz with activity. At Visakhapatnam Railway Station, the festive rush is at its peak. Passenger trains to destinations like Palasa are particularly overcrowded.

The 52 special trains pressed into service by South Central Railway (SCR) connecting major cities like Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Kakinada, Tirupati, and Srikakulam. The Hyderabad-Vijayawada National Highway is choked with vehicles. Toll plazas such as the Kesarapalli Toll Gate and Jaggaiahpet are witnessing long queues, despite efforts to clear vehicles quickly via FASTag lanes. Travel times that typically take four hours have doubled.

Private travel operators are making hay, a one-way ticket from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam that usually costs Rs.1,200 in an AC sleeper bus now demands anywhere between Rs.4,000 and Rs.6,000. Similarly, flights from Hyderabad to Visakhapatnam, which ordinarily cost Rs.4,000 to Rs.6,000, have skyrocketed to Rs.20,000, leaving travelers dismayed.

In Konaseema, the festive spirit is elevated by traditional boat races. Despite a legal ban, cockfights continue to thrive in several districts, including Krishna, Godavari, and Guntur accompanied by rampant gambling, attract spectators and participants from across the state and beyond.

Sankranti is not merely a festival but an emotional and cultural phenomenon that binds Telugu households.