“Since childhood, I was drawn to the sacred customs passed down for generations. After my schooling in Miryalaguda, I joined Chinna Jeeyar Swamy Veda Pathashala, where I studied Sri Paancharaatra Agama Shastra under my guru, Madhusudhana Acharya Garu. Over eight years, I learned Paancharaatra Agamam, Aaradhana, Brahmotsavam, and Pratishtha—everything that forms the foundation of our rituals.

In 2008, I completed my Vedic education and began performing temple consecrations, kalyanotsavams, marriages, upanayanams, and gruhapravesams. That same year, I moved to Hyderabad and assisted my father at the Koti Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple before taking up my own pujas and Brahmotsavams. For the past eleven years, I have also been conducting the Intinta Dhanurmasam Prati Inta Kalyanam program, bringing Dhanurmasam traditions into homes.

Since 2011, I have traveled every year, performing pujas and sharing our customs with Telugu communities in Sri Lanka, the USA, Dubai, Malaysia, and beyond.

Now, as Ugadi approaches, every Telugu household prepares for the new year. Ugadi marks a fresh cycle. ‘Yuga’ means era, ‘Adi’ means beginning. It is the first festival of the Telugu calendar, signalling the change in seasons. Nature reflects this—neem flowers bloom, raw mangoes appear, tamarind ripens, and fresh jaggery is made.

Ugadi Pachadi, the first taste of the festival morning, carries a deeper meaning. It blends six flavours—jaggery for happiness, neem flowers for challenges, tamarind for unexpected turns, raw mango for surprises, green chili for intense emotions, and salt for balance. Just like this mix, life is about embracing every experience—joy, sorrow, uncertainty, and hope.

This year in the 2026–2027 cycle, we enter the Parabhava Nama Samvatsaram. Every new year brings its own challenges and blessings, but Ugadi reminds us to move forward with faith and strength, embracing life as it comes.”

మీ అందరికీ శ్రీ పరాభవ నామ సంవత్సర శుభాకాంక్షలు!

• Mangalagiri Naveen Acharya, Priest