Vice President C.P. Radhakrishnan said that Durga Navratri is very special across the country and that these festivals show the importance of women in our Indian culture through the tradition of worshipping the goddess with devotion for nine days.
Participating as the chief guest in the Vijayawada Utsav – 2025 being held at the Punnami Ghat in Vijayawada, he said that respecting the power of women is an Indian tradition and by measuring the goddess as Annapurna Devi, both power and devotion are obtained.
He expressed the hope that the spiritual tourism sector in this region will develop through the festival. Praising the beauty, literature and musical splendor of the Telugu language, he mentioned the words of the famous Tamil poet Subrahmanya Bharathi on this occasion that the Telugu language is very sweet.
He hoped that the Vijayawada Utsav would continue for another hundred years. He said that even though the Vijayawada region is hot, the people here will be cool and that Vijayawada will emerge as a developed city in the country in the coming days.
Speaking on the development of Andhra Pradesh, Radhakrishnan said that the state is moving forward in the fields of education and medicine. Clarifying that a developed India is not a dream, it is a reality, he expressed confidence that Andhra Pradesh is moving forward rapidly towards development under the leadership of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.
The Vice President appreciated that the state is also making remarkable progress in the fields of science, technology, medicine and education. He expressed happiness over coming to Vijayawada as part of his first official visit after assuming office as the Vice President.
Stating that the traditions and culture here are a source of pride for the country, he emotionally said that grace, love and nectar are embedded in the name of Kanakadurga Amma. He asked all the ministers and officials to work together for the development of the state and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of the state.
Union Minister for Tourism and Culture Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said that Vijayawada will shine with spiritual and cultural splendor. He praised Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu for taking the lead in the development of tourism in the state, combining technology with tradition, creativity with culture, and development with heritage to develop the tourism sector. He said that our festivals are our way of life and libraries are a testament to our culture.