It’s festival time once more, which amongst other things, means all the various fun activities that families do together! Ugadi fever seems to have set in, and this much-celebrated New Year festival is one of the cornerstones of Hyderabad’s cultural calendar. Festivals in India are not only beautiful, but there is also the wonderful joy of shopping. Ugadi which is the Telugu New Year, is particularly important to the people of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Gracing this week’s cover is the beautiful Pragya Jaiswal, one of Tollywood’s brightest stars who’s taken a very ethnic twist for a special photo shoot. Read more about her in our Cover Story.
Our Feature Story looks at the Ugadi festival, what it means to all the Telugu people, and also a look at the different aspects of the celebrations.
In People in Focus, we clue you into the life of Manjula Reddy. The owner of The Country Club and an interior designer, Manjula tells us more about her life, work, and her thoughts on the festival of Ugadi. Turn to Who’s in Town where we have the mayor of Gananoque, Ontario Ted Lojko talk to us about the present state of India-Canada ties and Canadian Services Consulting.
Hill Stations had always been a destination on Raveena Aitharaju’s bucket list and her recent visits to Wayanad, Calicut, Chikmagalur, and Mullayanagiri were awe-inspiring. In Grand Getaways, Raveena tells us all about her visit, the time she spent experiencing sublime tranquillity and mysticism, visiting the town of Sultan Bathery, and checking out other fascinating imperial sights.
And tell us what you think. If you have any suggestions, comments or queries, please e-mail me at publisher@you-and-i.com.