Kishan Reddy attends Telangana folk celebration with Governor Shukla
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Telangana's folk heartbeat rang out at a celebratory gathering on Sunday, 19 October 2026, where Union Coal and Mines Minister G. Kishan Reddy joined Telangana Governor Shiv P. Shukla and a constellation of cultural and political figures for an evening anchored in regional song and tradition.
Vandemataram Srinivas and Nalgonda Gaddar hold the stage
The cultural highlight of the evening belonged to two artists who carry Telangana's musical identity on their shoulders. Vandemataram Srinivas, the Telugu music director celebrated for weaving folk textures into film scores, and Nalgonda Gaddar, a traditional folk performer rooted in the Nalgonda region, delivered a series of Telangana folk songs that, in Kishan Reddy's own words, 'ఆకట్టుకున్నారు' — captivated the audience.
Folk music in Telangana carries deep social memory — songs of agrarian life, protest, and celebration passed down through generations. Having both artists share a single stage gave the gathering an unmistakable cultural weight.
A gathering of constitutional and party heavyweights
The occasion drew an unusually senior cross-section of attendees. Governor Shiv P. Shukla and Smt. Janaki Shukla, the First Lady of Telangana, were present alongside BJP Telangana President N. Ramchander Rao and Rajya Sabha MP Dr. K. Laxman. Local leaders and other prominent figures rounded out the gathering.
The presence of the constitutional head of the state alongside senior BJP functionaries and celebrated folk artists signals the kind of broad-tent cultural event the Telangana BJP unit has increasingly used to connect with regional identity.