Ugadi fervour: Pachadi items flood city markets
HYDERABAD: Festive spirit gripped the city, on Saturday, as citizens thronged marketplaces and shopping centres on the eve of Ugadi (Telugu New Year) to stock up on ingredients of the quintessential ‘Ugadi pachadi.’ Vendors lined the lanes of various markets with sacks of neem flowers, raw mangoes, tamarind and jaggery — the main components of the concoction. While mango was sold at ?30 per piece, a bunch of neem flowers was sold between ?20 and ?30, both of them marginally higher than the usual rate.
“The price of the ‘pachadi’ ingredients are increasing with every passing year. While raw mango was available for about ?15 last year, this year the price has almost doubled. Same is the case with other ingredients,” said Varalakshmi V, a reveller.
Ugadi pachadi-- a preparation signifying ‘Shadruchulu’ or all the six tastes – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, hot as well as tangy is the most important dish of the festival. It serves as a reminder to
people about the various kinds of experiences that life offers.
“All the ingredients used in the pachadi should be new and not the ones used in the house on daily basis. That is the reason why the prices are hiked a little bit on the eve of the festival,” said Ramu M, who owns a provisional store in the Cyberabadarea.
The pachadi apart, other traditional delicacies like mamidakaya pulihora (raw mango rice) and bobbatlu or bakshalu, a sweet dish, are some of the must-haves prepared for Ugadi or Yugadi which marks the beginning of an era. The 2018 Telugu New Year is called Sri Vilambi Nama Samvatsaram.
While sharing their plans for the festival, most residents said that they would spend the day at home with their families, cleaning the house, preparing traditional meals and offering prayers in a bid to begin the New Year on a positive note. In the evening, many said, they will visit to the temple for Panchanga shravanam (recital of astrology prediction) to know what’s in store for them for the upcoming year.
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