For Andhra's New Capital Amaravati, What the World is Contributing

Guntur: Carrying soil and water from the United States, Naveen Reddy, an Indian who lives in Washington, says he has travelled halfway around the world to help Andhra Pradesh build its new capital city.

''It is sentiment of course but it is very satisfying to think that you have in some way contributed symbolically to the building of a world class city, with natural resources from every part of the world,'' Mr Reddy says. The soil and water are on behalf of Telugu diaspora there, he says.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu says he wants to make Amaravati, the new city, as a "people's capital". For that, soil and water are being brought from across the world.

Thousands of decorated pots carrying soil and water have been brought to Nagarjuna University at Mangalgiri in the Guntur district in a ceremonial procession from different parts of the state.

Vehicles dressed up and carrying the pots from 16,000 villages, rivers and soil from sacred places all over the country started on a ceremonial procession from Andhra Pradesh's Vijayawada. One of the vehicles was from Telangana too - the parting from which had necessitated the state's need for a new capital.

"All that has to be forgotten. That is why our chief minister personally went and invited KCR (Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao),'' a Telugu Desam Party activist explained.

Telugu Desam Party lawmaker CM Ramesh came atop a vehicle carrying soil and water brought from Mount Abu. Half a dozen Telugu students from Tamil Nadu have collected soil and water from holy places in the state - Salem, Tiruttani, Palani, Madurai, Rameshwaram and Kanchipuram.

Endowments commissioner Anuradha explains that all the soil and water would be mixed and the material is expected to come to at least 16 tonnes in weight. The idea of course was to involve and enthuse people to literally participate, at least symbolically, in building the new capital, the government says.