Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday said Vijayawada Utsav-2.0 was organised to showcase the state’s arts and culture, promote tourism and provide opportunities to local artists and handicraft workers.
Inaugurating the mega carnival organised as part of the festival, the Chief Minister said such events bring joy and refreshment to people, while helping preserve the state’s cultural heritage.
“Vijayawada Utsav-2.0 was organised to showcase arts and culture… Technology causes stress and to overcome it one must practise spirituality. Spirituality can help us conquer our minds, and programmes such as Vijayawada Utsav should be organised to enhance mental well-being,” said Naidu.
He said the simultaneous organisation of Vijayawada Utsav and the national-level Saras Mela had given the city a distinct artistic identity. The state’s arts, traditions and Telugu cultural heritage must be showcased to the world, he added.
According to him, the number of devotees who visited Goddess Kanaka Durga during this year’s Dasara festival was two lakh higher than last year.
The Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh attended Vijayawada Utsav-2.0.
The Chief Minister further claimed that festivals were not held during the previous YSRCP regime and alleged that the state had witnessed unrest before 2024.
He noted that his government was focusing on welfare, development and service delivery through good governance.
Naidu said he had prayed to Goddess Durga to give the state the strength to overcome drought and reiterated his commitment to transform Andhra Pradesh into a healthy, wealthy and happy society.
Earlier, Naidu inaugurated the mega carnival by welcoming the cultural procession, which began with the Vijayawada Utsav chariot, decorated with flowers from Kakaraparru and Kadiyam, featuring an image of the Goddess crafted using different varieties of flowers.
Artists performed with horses and camels, while Dappu and Nadaswaram instrumental groups and Garadi performers were aming the major attractions. The procession showcased the state’s culture, traditions, artistic splendour, unity and history.
Locals watched traditional art forms, including the Bethalam set, with keen interest and enthusiastically captured the performances on their mobile phones.
Naidu said such celebrations should help strengthen cultural identity and enhance the city’s prominence as a destination for tourism and artistic activities.
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