People of East and West Godavari districts are known for their hospitality and this trait comes to the fore especially during festivals like Maha Sivaratri and Sri Rama Navami. The geniality of the local crowd was seen in abundance during every Pushkaram, right from 1934.
In the initial stage of the ongoing round of Pushkarams, the local administration did not give permission to the NGOs to serve food. But after the initial two days, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu gave a green signal to NGOs and individuals, permitting ‘annadanam’, distribution of food packets, water and buttermilk.
Mr. Naidu’s gesture evoked tremendous response from various quarters. Nationalised banks like State Bank of India, State Bank of Mysore, Andhra Bank, Syndicate Bank and Pubjab National Bank served food, water and buttermilk to the pilgrims in front of their respective bank premises during lunch hours.
Service organisations like ISKCON, Satya Sai Service Organisation, Vikasa Tarangini, Jeeyar Trust, Amma-Bhagavan organisation, Datta Mukthi Kshetram, Gayatri Peetam, Saraswathi Temple Trust and all major temples in Rajahmundry, Kovvuru and Dowleswaram distributed food, water and other material.
