Vepa Putha or neem flower was scarce this Ugadi in Hyderabad. Most of the neem trees had very little putha and a small bunch cost around Rs 25.
Even the mango leaves were sold at a very high cost. They are decorated to the houses.
Shoppers have been thronging marketplaces to buy traditional items, with shops and seasonal petty vendors making good sales.
The sales of earthen pots were high, as the ‘Ugadi pachadi’, a concoction made of eight different ingredients, which comprise raw mangoes and neem flower, among others, is served in earthen pots.
The ‘pachadi’ or chutney is made from sliced mango, sugarcane, jaggery, tamarind juice and neem flowers. It tastes sweet, bitter and sour, indicating that life is a mix of different experiences.
Like the political surveys the astroleogers also predicted that the respective political parties would win the election next time.
In Andhra Pradesh some of them predicted that TDP will come back to power. In Telangana some of them predicted that the BJP would come to power.
The astrologers talking for the government said that the respective Governments would come back to power.