Bathukamma, Bonalu Join Oxford Dictionary, Kavitha Goes Gaga Over Telangana Culture

Hyderabad: In what may be touted as a feather in the cap of the youngest Indian state of Telangana, two words that are integral to the traditional ethos and culture of the region—Bathukamma and Bonalu—are all set to feature in the Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) next edition Indian English coverage. Penny Silva, Resident Editor of the Oxford University Press's OED, in a letter to Telangana Jagruthi, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that works for the cultural renaissance in Telangana, noted that enough evidence had been compiled to support the consideration of the two words in its edition of World English.

"As we are aiming at extending our coverage of World English in the OED, we are now considering these words for drafting," he said in the letter. The Resident Editor credited Telangana Jagruthi President, TRS MP Kavitha for suggesting the addition of these two words in the Dictionary. Kavitha had in November last year written to the OED requesting for the inclusion of Telangana festivals Bathukamma and Bonalu, acknowledged Penny.

The Nizamabad MP was elated to learn that the two words were approved for inclusion in the OED.

"So happy to receive this letter from the Oxford English Dictionary @oed acknowledging our request to include the words “Bathukamma” and “Bonalu” in the English dictionary!

Two new nouns in the English language from the Telangana culture ! - sounds good ??," she said in her tweet.

Earlier this month, Telangana Jagruthi opted out out of taking part in the Bathukamma festivity celebrations citing attempts at politicization of the Bathukamma saree distribution in the context of the upcoming Assembly elections. President Kavitha refuted the Opposition's allegations of gaining monetary benefits for organizing the celebrations.

Meanwhile, amid much brouhaha over Kavitha's candidature in the Assembly elections, her name was not mentioned in the list of 105 TRS contestants to fight in the December 7 elections. The MP is likely to retain the Nizamabad Lok Sabha constituency in the general elections.

Watch this space for more updates on Telangana Assembly elections.

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