Women take centre stage at Medaram Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara- 2024

Medaram Sammakka Saralamma Jatara: A successful biennial festival showcasing women's leadership in the Koya tribal community.

Sammakka Saralamma Jatara, the biennial festival of the Koya tribal community, held at Medaram in Mulugu district was an unprecedented success this year. The biggest festival of the tribal community, which ended on Saturday, also stood testimony to the organising power of women, right from the Minister in-charge to the officials, who pulled out all stops to ensure seamless execution of the event.

Leading the charge was Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Danasari Anasuya, popularly known as Seethakka, who has been overseeing the arrangements for the Jatara since the Congress came to power in Telangana. As a local (Mulugu) MLA hailing from the Koya tribal community, which hosts the Jatara, her involvement added cultural sensitivity and insight to the event’s coordination.

Minister Seethakka holds cherished memories of attending the event in her childhood. A native of Jaggannapet village of Mulugu mandal, located about 40 km away from Medaram, she remembers attending the Jatara with her parents. “I still cherish those days of coming to the Jatara carrying rice and other items on my head along with my mother, who was named after Godess Sammakka, and other relatives. The festivities extended to two weeks for us as my mother is a great devotee of our Koya tribal goddesses. I used to walk along with my mother, and now I have been fortunate enough to serve as the head of the Jatara. I feel privileged for this golden opportunity given to me by the Goddesses Sammakka-Saralamma,” she expressed.

Alongside, Endowments Minister and Warangal West MLA Konda Surekha contributed to the event by providing valuable suggestions and reviewing arrangements with officials from her department. Additionally, the meticulous planning and execution of the Jatara were attributed to the special attention given by Mulugu District Collector Ila Tripathi, who ensured that the event proceeded smoothly.

Women officials and people’s representatives who were involved in the management of the Jatara include Mahabubabad MP Maloth Kavitha, ITDA Project Officer Chitra Mohra, Additional Collector (Local Bodies), Mulugu, P. Srija, Additional Collector, Hanamkonda, Radhika Gupta, Additional Collector Pratima Singh, Trainee Collector Shradha Shukla, District Welfare Officer Lenina, PRO Bandi Pallavi, PRO E.V. Kiranmai, Executive Engineer, Tribal Welfare Department Engineer Hemalatha, and Information Engineer Usha.

This celebration of womanhood and leadership echoes back to the 2008 edition of the Jatara, where women officials played crucial roles in its successful organisation. Particularly, District Collector Damayanti led the team of women officers, which included Superintendent of Police, Warangal, Soumya Mishra, Zilla Parishad Chairperson Dhanvanti, Warangal Mayor Errabelli Swarna, and several others.