(Image source from: AZTA Ugadi celebrations in Phoenix})

Ugadi celebrations in Phoenix was a grand success with hundreds of Telugu speaking people gathering together in the valley to mark the auspicious day. The Arizona Telugu Assocaition (AZTA) had organised the Ugadi celebrations in Arizona on Saturday 19th April, 2014.

AZTA Ugadi celebrations was held at the Indo American cultural center to mark the Telugu New Year called 'Jaya', meaning 'victory'.

Men and women came dressed in their traditional Indian finery. The ladies looked resplendent in their beautiful sarees, while children added color to the celebratory occassion. The festive evening was interspersed with non-stop Indian music, Bollywood dances. Both kids and adults participated in the cultural programs organised by AZTA.

 

Kids enthusiastically participated in the constume contest and drawing competition. AZTA president Venkat Kommineni distributed prizes to the winners of the competitions.

Audience also enjoyed a captivating movie dance performance by Indian students attending Arizona State University (ASU).

India Association President Murugan Patham and IACRF president Nate Bhadriraju attended the AZTA Ugadi celebrations. Dr. Vasu Atluri honored them with bouquets on stage.

During his speech Murugan said that 'Discover India' has the theme of this year. And one of the areas selected under the theme was Telugu Speaking People, Murugan added. He requested all Telugu people to actively participate and show case the area.

The issue of Telengana State also came up on stage.

Nate said, "We understand that the Telengana State was formed due to political and social compulsions. But all Telugu speaking people need to be absolutely together".

While talking about Unity and Diversity, Nate said that IACRF was formed with the mission of bringing together all Asian Indians under one roof. The Community Center and the Ekta Mandir was specifically built for the purpose. It help Asian Indians to socialize and worship, while preserving and promoting their diverse cultures as Indians from different regions of India. The basic idea was "United without uniformity" and "Diverse without divisions", added Nate.

 

The highlight of the Ugadi celebrations was a fashion show by the ladies, showcasing the cultures of different states in India. Later people feasted on Indian delicacies while enjoying live Telugu karaoke songs. After dinner, everyone danced to the beats of popular Indian numbers.

 

The AZTA event clearly reflected the enthusiasm of parents as well as kids to keep in touch with Indian traditions, language and culture.

 

The AZTA executive committee members and volunteers had worked hard to make the Ugadi celebrations event in Phoenix into a grand success.

AZTA executive committee members:

Venkat Kommineni
Anand Sabapathy
Laxman Peela
Dr. Vasu Atluri
Sudhakar Gopal
Suresh Pathipati

Volunteers:

Janardhan Gurram
Srinivas Gottipati
Praveen Reddy Nandikonda
Sagar Mitta
Jaya Rayaprolu
Radhika Gandikota
Padmaja Katikaneni
Kamalakshi
Khannan
Syam Prasad
Rao Bonda
Narasimharao Lakhamsani
Geeta Kolla
Samar Da
Showbha Bonda
Sahithi
Vijay Kommineni
Sekhar Kolla

Special Thanks to sponsors:

Venkat Nallapati
Jayaram Kode
Sekhar Kolla
AZIndia
Satish Kosuri
Murali Samanthapudi
Sarit Kommineni
Nataraj Badriraju
Shyam Byra
Satya Koka
Srinivas Modukuri (Chowdary)
Venkat Kommineni
Suri Gunnala
Kiran Vedantam
Chandra Ambadipudi
Dr. Vasu P Atluri
Praveen Reddy Nandhikonda
Laxman Peela

(AW: Pratima Tigga)