Hyderabad :

Chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Monday announced Telangana’s four new state icons. They are: the State Animal — ‘Jinka’ (Deer); the State Bird — ‘Palapitta’ (Indian Roller or Blue Jay); the State Flower — ‘Tangedu’ (Tanner’s Cassia); and, the State Tree — ‘Jammi Chettu’ (Prosopis Cineraria).

These icons reflect the culture and tradition of Telangana state and three of them — ‘Tangedu’ flowers, Blue Jay and ‘Jammi Chettu’ — are associated with the popular festivals of Batukamma and Dasara.

While ‘Tangedu’ flowers are used in Batukammas, spotting the Blue Jay on Dasara is considered a good omen and people worship ‘Jammi Chettu’ on that day.

As for the deer, it is present in almost all the districts of Telangana. Though there were numerous proposals from various people for being chosen as the state icons, the chief minister finally zeroed in on these four icons. However, he did not name the official fruit, song, dance and sport of the state

Every state needs to have its own icons, more so a new state like Telangana. While three of the Telangana icons are different from those of the AP, the state bird – ‘Palapitta’ – is common to both the states.

While the icons of the undivided AP were selected keeping Seemandhra in mind, Rao opted for four separate icons to represent Telangana culture and tradition. KCR, who announced his decision on the symbols at a meeting with the officials, explained thus:

‘Jinka’: “Deer is deeply associated with Indian history and a reference to this graceful animal was there in the great epic Ramayana. It can survive in the smallest forests also. It reflects the mindset of the people of Telangana as it is very sensitive and innocent”.

‘Palapitta’: “Lord Rama spotted the ‘Palapitta’ before invading Lanka and vanquished Ravana. ‘Palapitta’ has been chosen to put Telangana on the path of victory”.

‘Jammi Chettu’: “Pandavas had vanquished a large army of Kauravas only after performing worshipping the ‘Jammi Chettu’. They had hidden their weapons on a ‘Jammi Chettu’ when they had been forced into exile in the forests. Now, Telangana requires the blessings of the ‘Jammi Chettu’.

‘Tangedu’ Flower: ‘Tangedu’ flower which is used during the ‘Batukamma’ festival by women folk is the most appropriate choice as the state flower.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Telangana / by Express News Service / November 18th, 2014