“TAMA@30 Maha Sambaralu”
TAMA celebrates the landmark event with gusto
BY RAVI R. PONANGI
Atlanta, GA: Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta (TAMA) that was
started in 1981 and grown in strength over the decades
celebrated its 30th anniversary christened “TAMA@30 Maha
Sambaralu” with customary gusto. There was an air of expectancy
as Telugu speaking people in and around Atlanta lined up early
in the morning to Georgia International convention Center on
Saturday, July 9 where these celebrations were held from morning
to late midnight.
Two day celebration of "TAMA@30 Maha Sambaralu” on July 8 and 9
was a runaway success. All the events - Banquet, Kids Fest,
Cultural programs, seminars, Souvenir, Booths, food and
Tollywood presentation - were well received and widely
 appreciated by the mammoth 3000 strong audience. The grand
finale of the celebration showcased the vibrancy of the Telugu
language, literature, folk songs, village dances, culture and
heritage. Every event held during the festivities was
meticulously planned and neatly executed.
Dr. Daggupati Purandareswari, India’s Minister of State for
Human Resources was the chief guest. A galaxy of dignitaries
from Andhra Pradesh, India including Modugula Venugopala Reddy,
member of Lok Sabha, 3 MLAs - Dhulipapala Narendra Kumar, Sandra
Venkata Veeraiah and Yerapatineni Srinivasa Rao, B.V. Raghavulu,
State Secretary of CPI (M) and host of representatives from
different political parties attended the celebrations.
All the political leaders present participated in a novel event
“Political Forum” where they directly interacted with the
audience and explained the tumultuous happenings in Andhra
Pradesh.
More than 15 seminars and workshops were held simultaneously on
a variety of subjects. Other programs included Astavadhanam by
Medasani Mohan, Yoga sessions by Dr. Srikrishna Chandaka,
cultural activities, dance, drama & much more. Many of the
attendees felt that the arrangements were excellent and on par
with national level conventions like TANA (Telugu Association of
North America), ATA (American Telugu Association) and NATS
(North America Telugu society) bi-annual celebrations. More than
60 vendor booths put up their stalls.
The mega musical night by playback singers Sri Krishna, Simha,
Revant, Geeta, Madhuri, Soumya and Malavika; the comedy show by
film stars Goutam Raju, Kota Sankara Rao and Delhi Rajeswari;
and Tollywood dances by Madhu Salini and Kamana Jetmalani were
the highlights of the celebration. The sense of Telugu pride was
writ large on everyone’s face.
The star banquet on July 8 evening at Forsyth Conference Center
was well attended by more than 500 Atlanta Telugu Community
members. Purandareswari and Bala Krishna, popular Telugu cine
hero and a host of VVIPs from Andhra Pradesh were also present
at the banquet. Atlanta community raised a donation of more than
$20,000.00 to Basavatarakam Indo American Cancer Hospital &
Research Institute, Hyderabad. The amount was presented to Bala
Krishna, president of the hospital. The hospital & Research
institute was established in memory of his late mother.
TAMA presented a lifetime achievement award to well known
community leader and famous cardiologist Dr. B.K. Mohan. TAMA‘s
other prestigious awards were conferred on 12 awardees for
excellence in their respective fields and for their commitment
and dedication to the cause of the community. A brief profile of
each of the awardees was shown on big screen even as they
received the award comprising of bouquet, plaque and shawl.
The awardees were: Under 21 category: science- Saitej Guthikonda;
Fine Arts-Akhil Turaga; sports-Vooha Vellanki; academics-Sarika
Koneru; Science-Harsha Tambareni.
Over 21 category: Science & research-Dr. Rama Rao Amara; Media
&Journalism-Ravi R. Ponangi; Politics-Shyam K Reddy; community
Service-Viju Chiluveru; literature-Madhav Durbha; Telugu
literature-Kumar Annavarapu; best teacher-Aruna Kailasa Sports-Anand
Tummala.
The inaugural ceremony of the festival began with an invocation.
Clayton county Chairman Eldrin Bell, Social entrepreneur Bob
Pattillo, Purandareswari, Nandamuri Bala Krishna, and Lok Sabha
member from Narasaraopet Modugula Venugopala Reddy declared open
the celebrations.
Purandareswari in her keynote address commended the services of
NRIs to their mother land as well to America, their adopted
land. She also appreciated the efforts of TAMA in preserving
their language, culture and heritage in Atlanta, a home away
from home. Bala Krishna, Eldrin Bell, Bob Pattillo and
Venugopala Reddy also spoke on the occasion.
Georgia State Governor Nathan deal in a message said “I am
grateful for the contributions of the Indian community and the
vibrant culture they add to our state. I am proud of TAMA’s
continued commitment to excellence and applaud your dedication
and hard work”.
TAMA released a souvenir on the occasion.
In the formative years, Telugu families used to meet at
individual houses. The growing needs of the community
necessitated the local Telugu families to start an organization
in 1981 and the rest is history. The stupendous growth of TAMA
to its present status reflects the steadfast dedication and zeal
of the Telugu community of Metro Atlanta.
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