Garimella Koteswara Rao, 103-year-old, has seen eight Godavari Pushkarams in his lifetime. The ongoing Maha Pushkaram is his ninth. The centenarian has taken a holy dip in the Godavari every Pushkarms since his childhood. But no river festival has thrilled him like this one. The steady stream of pilgrims at the ghats fascinate him. “The people seem to have understood the significance of rivers,” he says.
Mr. Koteswara Rao, Smartha scholar and native of Vyaghreswarapuram, recalls that the bathing ghats used to be free during his childhood. Very few people used to take a holy dip during the river festival. Mostly local people or neighbouring villagers used to come to the city, he said.
This time, he took a holy dip at the Padmavathi Ghat and walked down to Pushkar Ghat for another dip.
There are also many others who have witnessed five to six pushkarams . Avasarala Sitaramaiah said it was his sixth Pushkaram. Rajahmundry always has been a nerve centre for the river festival. But never before had he seen such a massive gathering at one place, he said. R. Raghavamma, 80, also has witnessed five Pushkarams, and the ongoing is her sixth. For Kusumanchi Sivaprasada Sarma, who has seen eight Pushkarams, people are not following the true conventions. Thanks to the publicity given by the government, people are turning up in huge numbers but the fact is that they are looking at the Pushkaram as a splash in river. They should have reverence for the river, he said.
