Telangana: Diwali celebrations at graveyard in Karimnagar

Karimnagar: The main course is complete with different curries, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian with dessert. The dishes are neatly arranged and crackers are burst. This could be the usual practise everywhere on Diwali day, but in Karimnagar, it’s different. This was the scene at the Karkhanagadda burial ground. Offering food and savouries, even liquor, pan […]

Karimnagar: The main course is complete with different curries, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian with dessert. The dishes are neatly arranged and crackers are burst. This could be the usual practise everywhere on Diwali day, but in Karimnagar, it’s different. This was the scene at the Karkhanagadda burial ground.

Offering food and savouries, even liquor, pan or Gutka packet could be the common thing in this burial ground, as locals here believe that on the festive day, they ought to share their joy with their near and dear departed souls. None knows how long this custom is being practised, but every Diwali, people line up the burial ground on diwali day to offer their choicest dishes to the departed relatives and burst crackers too in the burial ground.

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And this year, people turned up in large numbers on Thursday night to celebrate Diwali.

In addition to bursting crackers, the vistors paid their respects to their loved ones by offering different types of dishes, which the deceased persons used to like. The graves were cleaned and painted and bedecked with flowers and lamps. Some of them had even brought and offered liquor, toddy, beedis, cigarettes, and gutka packets, which the deceased used to drink or consume.

Keeping the belief of people to offer these to their departed relatives, the Karimnagar Municipal Corporation authorities too made arrangements at the graveyard. Besides cleaning up the cemetery, proper lighting and drinking water arrangements were made by the corporation.

Moreover, flexies of local politicians were put up along the stretch from the main road to the graveyard.

Speaking to the Telangana Today, a private employee, Venkatesh said that his family offered food items and celebrate Diwali at the graveyard in memory of their loved ones. He could not say why they do it, but could only point out that it was custom to offer food to the elders and burst crackers at the burial ground.

Another person P Sadaiah said that compared to the previous years, bursting of crackers was less last year as well as this time around due to Covid pandemic. Earlier, people used to sit together for hours together and share their opinion. However, it did not happen this time around. People returned back within a short time after placing food, liquor and other items at graves, he said.

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