Gorati Venkanna, andesri and Suddala Ashok Teja

large section of people, who attended the program, said that it was a rare, once-in-a-lifetime experience. An old Atlanta resident from Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh remarked: "In my 68 years of life, I never cried except for sad incidents. But, Andesri's song brought tears in my eyes." Many commended the organizers for bringing such a talented team to Atlanta.
Andesri, Gorati Venkanna, Suddala Ashok Teja, the three unparalleled, top-notch folk and film song writers and singers, captivated the hearts of audience numbering well over 650 for more then three hours. The trio showcased Telangana dialects, culture, heritage and language with such amazing authenticity.

Immediately after lighting the traditional Jyothi, G.S. Reddy, Founder-President of Telangana Community who welcomed the gathering declared: “What was started three years ago as a small community forum, by ten families to celebrate Bathukamma festival, has today evolved into a 250-member strong organization engaged in several community development projects .Telangana Community is not affiliated with any political organization. The focus of the organization is only development projects”.

Narender Reddy, one of the members of the board of directors of Telangana community, reported that the work on the construction of water purifying projects taken up by the organization was in progress. He also spoke about the vision of the organization for the next few years. His speech punctuated with humor drew repeated cheers form the audience.
 

GS Reddy, president, welcoming guests	Suddala Ashok Teja entertaining audience

During the initial thirty minutes of the program, the audience was entertained by local talent--- Venkat Chennubotla, Laxmi Vedala, Sai Konkala, Vasavi Konkala and Kirthana Chennubotla.

The main program was kick started by Ashok Teja, who walked the audience through a gamut of feelings alternating between laughs and tears. Andesri took the stage to set a different tone and tempo and rocked the auditorium. Yet another dimension was added to the program by the electrifying song and dance performance of the multi-talented Gorati Venkanna, for whom the audience was waiting eagerly. He was ably supported by Amjad Bhai on Dholak and the Tabla. Shanthi Rudra and Vijay Bhandari provided vocal support to Venkanna while Venkat Chennubotla and Laxmi Vedala were the MCs.

Andesri, Gorati Venkanna, Suddala Ashok Teja, were honored by Telangana Community. G.S. Reddy, Narendar Reddy and Ravi Chander, TAMA. TANA Foundation and Amma’s Kitchen also honored the visiting artists.

Sushumna Ravi Chander proposed a vote of thanks.

KB Zaveree, Dealsglobe.com, Adsglobe.com, Concept Systems, Sai Murali Indian Cuisine, Hot Breads, Swapna Indian Cuisine, Spices Hut were sponsors of the event.

This fabulous event would not have been possible but for the painstaking efforts of the ten committee member-volunteers--- Dhara Singh, Mahesh Nilagiri, Prabhakar Boyapally, Ranjith Ganta, Ratan Elugunti, Ravi Chander, Sridhar Konkala, Srijan Joginapally, Venkat Veeraneni and Viju Chiluveru.

The efforts of the organizers were supplemented by another contingent of volunteers ---- Aravind Katta, Anil Nilagiri, Chandra Mohan Nellutla, Kaushik Koranti, Harish Pateri, Rakesh Chandoori, Prabhakar Madupathi, Mallikarjun Katta, Sunil Dronavalli, Srikanth Kolluri, Shiva & Gowtham.

Telangana Community was formed in 2008 and incorporated as a ‘not-for-profit’ organization in Atlanta, GA. Telangana, a region in Andhra Pradesh, boasts of a proud history, rich heritage, fascinating culture and time-honored literature.

The objective of the Telangana Community is to build a social platform for all the Non Resident community from Telangana region, living across the globe and in the USA in particular. Their aim is to protect, preserve and promote the heritage and culture of Telangana in addition to supporting the socio-economic development of the region.