Prominent people to attend TANA meet

Lalit K Jha ( HindustanTimes.com)

Minneapolis, June 9, 2005

Reflecting the emergence of the people of Andhra Pradesh on its own amongst the Indian Diaspora in the United States, the 15th conference of the Telugu Association of North America will be held at the Cobo Exhibtion Conference Centre, Detroit in Michigan.

In recognition of the contribution of this community in the US and India, several leading politicians including cabinet ministers would be attending the three day gala event - held once in two years - beginning July 1.

Prominent among those who have given consent to attend the event include the Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, the Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Jaipal S. Reddy, the Union Tourism Minister, Renuka Chowdhury, Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, KR Suresh Reddy.

Presence of Gadde Sindhura, the Femina Miss India - World 2005; Laya, film actress and Srikanth, film actor would add glamour to the three day event, being held on the banks of the majestic Detroit river, on the other side of which is Canada.

"We are expecting a strong attendance of about 7,000 to 8,000 Telugu people at the gala event," claimed KC Prasad, a retired nuclear scientist, and the conference chairman.

As per an estimate there are about 250,000 Andhraiites in the US alone. As majority of them come from the rural areas of the Andhra Pradesh, Prasad said the conference theme appropriately been put "Rural Origin and Global Horizons", Prasad said.

The budget of the conference alone, he said, is $1.3 million (Rs. 5.72 crores), which has been collected through donations, sponsorships and personal contributions.

Besides a series of lectures, presentations and cultural events, the Telugu Association of North America on the occasion would present awards to a number of dignitaries for their contribution in various fields.

The Life Time Achievement Award would be presented to eminent statistician C. R. Rao, he said. A large number of businessmen, industrialists and entrepreneurs too are coming from Andhra Pradesh to exhibit their products at the convention centre.

Prasad said it has been a long journey for the Association, which was formed way back in 1977 and held its first convention at Detroit. "It is again at Detroit, but this time would be making a global impact," he said.

Detroit along with New York and Silicon Valley area has a concentration of people from Andhra Pradesh, he said.

Prasad claimed that TANA during all these years have been successful in preserving and propagating the Telugu cultural heritage and maintain identity of people of Telugu origin and to provide a forum for Telugu literary, cultural, educational, social, and charitable interactions among its members.

Having more than 10,000 members, TANA today claims to be one of the largest Indo-American organizations. Besides the biannual national conference, TANA also holds a national youth conference, once in two years.

Courtesy: Hindustan Times