Telugu Association of Greater BOSTON (TAGB)
Photographs by: Sri Seetharam Amaravadi

TAGB celebrated Sankranthi 2009 in a special, spectacular and unique manner, with the intention of bringing exclusively the hidden talent of the Adults’ in our community. This is an experience that has never been created in the history of TAGB. On this past Saturday, January  24, 2009, about 900 members from the Greater Boston area and neighboring states witnessed this event at a beautifully decorated premise  ( with rangoli to a wonderful bommala koluvu) of The Performing Arts Center, Littleton High School, Littleton, MA, USA.

The program started with a prayer song by Sri Sastry Pulya, and was followed by Maa Telugu Talli (a special tradition of the organization).  President Dr. Surya Jayanthi gave a welcome speech, and explained his intentions to promote and bring out the talent of different age groups of the Telugu Community in the Greater Boston Area. Followed by his speech there was the introduction of the, MCs Smt Ramadevi Jayanthi, Smt Padmaja Bala and Sri Chendra Sekhar Manchiraju.   The program started with a special attraction and authentic ceremony called Bhogipallu. This was organized by Smt. Sailaja Chowdery. It was a fun and colorful fest for all eyes as the colorfully dressed children enjoyed their goodies and their blessings. Throughout this ceremony  Smt. Padmaja Bala, Smt. Padma  Kandukuri  and Smt Vaishnavi sang songs about Bhogipallu,  Muthyamantha passupu and a Sankranthi song. There was also a corner of the stage that was decorated beautifully with a “Bommala Koluvu”  bringing about a festive atmosphere.

TAGB once again proved that, it is not one thing to be judged by the place where you live but by the heart and the soul of the people who follow our culture. The dances, skits and the mythological play by the youth and the adults brought lightening excitement and turned the night into an unforgettable experience  for the audience. The teens, young adults, and professionals who learn Bharatha Natyam and Kuchipudi  exhibited their talents, gracefully with a level of maturity in Mahadevasiva sambho by Anusha Nouduri,  Natesha kauthuvam by Sravani Kumar, Koluvaithiva Rangasaiand  by HimaBhindu and Thillana by Lalitha, Soujanya, Sravya, Susimitha,  and Mounica from “Sri Kuchipudi Natyalaya”.  Chi Sridhar entertained  the audience melodiously  playing Mahagaanapathi and Thillana in Dhanasri on the divine instrument Veena .

 Sri Kondayya  mesmerized the audience while singing  Thayaga Raja krithis with his god gifted melodious voice. Kuchipudi over the years, has become a popular, renowned and traditional dance hailed from town Kuchipudi, the dance “Bhamakalapam “ performed by Smt. Manasa  Konati   took the audience back to INDIA.
A hilarious Comedy skit Bha-Bha  (Bharthla Bhogotham)received  cheers and a great round of applause from the audience. The teens and young adults in the auditorium danced and clapped for Arjun Kalyan’s  fast dances and Sandeep Kurapati’s  high beet songs with tracks.  TAGB President Dr. Surya Jayanthi played Gurazada’s Girisam in mono-action, which was well received by the adult audience. Teens Rishi, Roshan, Rajeev, Sriraga, Sindhu and Manasa‘s Telugu Medley drew the audience excitement by reciprocating with whistles and claps. There are three groups of women who took the time from their busy schedules and practiced rigorously for dances to Telugu medleys, one should watch them to appreciate their effort and talent as they competed equally with their teens.
Sri Madhu Chary commanded the auditorium with his ever great Suyodhan Sarvabhowma’s dialogs from “Dana Veera Sura Karna “ movie. Last but not least, six members of the TAGB men’s group  called the Nashua Lords, presented the greatest medley depicting  Old and New Telugu hero characters such as “NTR- Jr. NTR,  ANR-Nagarjuna, and Krishna- Mahesh”, was an extravaganza as it enthralled the audience.

One of the Bharathanatyam pieces of the night was performed by Kumari Manasa Jayanthi for the krithi “Amma  Ananda Dayani” sung by Carnatic Legend Padma Vibhushana Dr. Balamurali and mixed with fusion beats highlighting the most traditional and modern elements of this art form. It was a piece that stood out as unique and creative.Sri Srinivas Bala, acted as SriKrishna and led the Srikrishna Rayabharam Padya Natakam, which stole the hearts and souls of the Audience, and took TAGB to new heights.  Sriyuthulu Arun Mulpur, Rama Garikapathi, Subrhamanyam  Karedla,  Ramesh Mantha,  Sudhakar Madala and  Sastry Pulya played as Duryodhana, Angaraja, Bhishma,  Dhrutharastra, Drona, and Aswathama. From their screen play to their costumes to their setting to their devotion and etc. everything was marvelous from start to end.

TAGB was glad to introduce a new fusion Telugu team, called Team Anubhav: The Experience as 15 girls and 1 boy stole the hearts of many with their dancing and fusion elements. From their costumes to their introduction to their choreography (done by Manasa Jayanthi and Manasa Dasi) everything was taken to a professional level, leaving the audience in awe. 

The Cultural Committee conducted various competitions in Indian Literature and History, Art and Rangoli, for various age groups, before the actual event started. Many of the visiting parents of the Telugu families participated in these competitions and enjoyed while attempting the thought provoking Questions in the Quiz. Smt. Gayatri Saripalli and Smt Rama Anupindi, keenly judged the Art and Rangoli competitions .

Mouth watering tasteful Snacks & soft drinks were  provided by VT Seva (Volunteering Together for Seva -  http://www.vtseva.org) in partnership with 'Susan G. Komen for the Cure' (http://www.komenmass.org) and the proceeds will go to breast cancer research.  It was a real Vindhu Bhojanam like a festival day and was provided by Volunteers from the New England Sai Parivar for a nominal price, they made sure that no one left with an empty stomach as they fed everyone with authentic and ethnic home cooked food. All the proceedings go towards supporting the New England Sai temple activities.

 TANA foundation presented their services about the Eye camps in India and set up a stall to request for donations to support this great cause. A group of volunteers  from BrahmaKumari samstha set up a stall and gave a presentation about the importance of Meditation in this stressful environment . Dr. Sashi from Sishubharathi, gave a presentation about the Sishu Bharathi activities in the Boston area, and their activities in teaching Telugu to the young community.

General Secretary Dr . Murthy gave the Vote of Thanks to the Audience, performers, volunteers and committee members for putting their best efforts to make this event as a Grand success. He stressed once again that this is the first time in TAGB history, to deliver a cultural event exclusively with matured and professional performers from teen, young adults and adults of the Greater Boston Telugu Community.  He also thanked sponsors, Smt & Sri Mallreddy Karra, Smt &Sri Mallikarjuan Rao, Smt & Sri Mayur Patel, Smt & Sri Venkata Ramareddy (www.thescrcorp.com), Smt. Ammani, Smt. Sairani and Smt. & Sri Sreenivas Kaki, Smt &Sri Taranath, Smt. Vani Kodela, Smt. Padma Kandukuri, Smt. & Sri Krishna Naidu, Smt. & Sri Ajith Nambiar and Smt Ramadevi Jayanthi, responsible to cover the partial expenses of this event.

|