TAMA Celebrates Telugu New Year in Style
The Telugu Association of Metro Atlanta (TAMA) celebrated Ugadi (Telugu New Year) on April 19th at the North Springs High School in Alpharetta. There was much gaiety and enjoyment at this event, which was well attended by families in the metro area. At first the rendition of Telugu poems and Sanskrit slokas by young children drew everyone's attention. Another popular item of the evening was JAM (Just a Minute), which gave children of all age groups one minute to display their elocution skills. A highlight of the evening was the appearance of Suchita Vadlamani, the anchor of Fox's "Good Day Atlanta." In her brief remarks, she exhorted the children to keep their Indian identity and succeed in their future endeavors. Later she spent time exchanging words with the participants, and also gave autographs with motivational quotes to many children.
While addressing the gathering, Paddy Sharma ? the president of IACA ? asked everyone present to become a member of IACA. She also released the TAMA member directory. The cultural program began with an invocation of "Vandematram" by the executive committee members, headed by its president Seetha Valluripally. There was frequent applause for the cultural program, which included over thirty performances. As part of the celebration, there was a financial seminar and also free homeopathic and pediatric consultations given by specialists. Prizes were distributed, followed by dinner and pizza for the children. Venkat Chennubhotla, the master of ceremonies, did a good job by filling the gaps with jokes, anecdotes and quizzes on film songs.
- Ravi Ponangi
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