A Spectacular Success Beyond Expectations
The 18th ATA Convention and Youth Conference

ATA (American Telugu Association) contributes significantly to society and the people, yet they do not publicly acknowledge all of their efforts. The 18th ATA Convention & Youth Conference, held in Atlanta from June 7 to 9, 2024, is a strong testament to this. They did far more than they said. It can be said that this three-day Telugu festival was a resounding success, beyond the expectations of all who attended, as history has never witnessed such a huge spectacle. It's an unforgettable sight to watch approximately 20,000 people, including children, women, elders, and youth, having fun while engaging in programs of their choice at the Georgia World Congress Center.
 

The premises were beautifully decorated with different works of art, liked and appreciated by all. Many said that they had never seen such a grand celebration. Even though there were many more people than expected, ATA leadership preparedness made sure that any issues raised were resolved quickly. This is the third instance of the ATA Convention in Atlanta, previously held in 2000 and 2012. All arrangements under the leadership of Convention Core Team President Madhu Bommineni, Convener Kiran Pasham, Coordinator Sridhar Tirupati, Director Anil Boddireddy, National Coordinator Sai Sudini, Co-Convenor Prashanthi Asireddy, Co-Coordinator Prasheel Gukanti, Co-Director Srinivas Srirama were made without any hassles to the leaders, artists and all the attendees.

On the 7th, Banquet dinner was held in the Thomas Murphy Ballroom for donors and distinguished guests, with people coming from various countries and cities. After the, Sridhar Tirupati and Sai Sudhini welcomed everyone and started the banquet. Banquet Chair Dr. Srini Gangasani supervised the arrangements. There was a buzzing atmosphere with everyone moving around a lot and making new acquaintances. Everyone opined that traditional meals was clean and tasty. Under the auspices of the ATA Awards Committee, ATA has given the awards to those who have shown talent in various fields. Many cultural programs were impressive. A musical concert by Anup Rubens group was enthralling and captivating to the audience.

On the same evening, ATA Youth Conference kicked off. Youths met specially and separately, organized their own programs and had dinner together. This shows how much priority ATA gives to Youth.
First, let's talk about sponsors and celebrities. Without the sponsors, no program can run. Million thanks to ASBL Realty, Prime Developer, Sasha Realty as Diamond Sponsors, Arete Hospitals, Shoora LP, Somireddy Law Group, TopSys IT, Bhavya Evora Aspire Spaces, DSR Builders & Developers, ONE Developers, Moh Jewels as Platinum Sponsors, World First Courier & Cargo, Suvidha International Market, Spacion Business Centre, YUPP TV, VAJR Jewels, HARI HARA Living Redefined, Planet Green, Satya R Rangaraju as Gold Sponsors, Wealth Hospitality, GHR INFRA, PATURI LAW, TECH INSURANCE AGENCY, GARUDA VEGA, EIPL, Infi Mobile, Guru Tax Pro, HC ROBOTICS, BLISSFUL Real Estate, Telugu Foods as silver sponsors. As for the distinguished guests, Telangana ministers Komatireddy Venkatreddy, Sridhar Babu Duddilla, Consulate General Ramesh Babu Laxmanan, heartfulness Meditation Guru Daji, film actors Vijay Devarakonda, Anand Devarakonda, Srikanth, Mehreen, Neha Shetty, Tammareddy Bharadwaja, Sandeep Reddy Vanga, A N Aditya, Tanikella Bharani, Satya Master, Ankita Jadhav, Angana, Srimukhi, Ravali, Chairman of Journalist Association Srinivas Reddy were present. Along with them, many leaders, film and television actors, technicians, spiritual gurus, writers, scientists and Jabardast artists were there. Although Georgia Governor Brian Kemp could not come due to unavoidable circumstances, in his video message, he congratulated ATA for organizing such a huge event and praised the Telugu people for supporting and being part of the development of Georgia state. Also, local congressmen, senators, mayors, commissioners, city council members graced the occasion and were amazed by our arrangements. All of them were honored and felicitated by ATA on various occasions in a fitting and respectful manner. Guru Daji and Rajeshwar Rao Tekmel were given ATA Lifetime Achievement Awards. Kiran Pasam and Anil Boddireddy called on the leaders of various national organizations to the dias, it was gratifying to remember and honor their contributions. Chairs, co-chairs, advisors and members of around 70 committees were invited on the stage, their efforts and services were recognized.

Let’s observe what happened on the second day and the third day, On Saturday, while Veda Mantras were chanted by Pundits, ATA Executive Committee President Elect Jayanth Challa, previous President Bhuvanesh Bhujala, Secretary Ramakrishna Reddy Ala, Treasurer Satish Reddy, Joint Secretary Tirupati Erramreddy, Joint Treasurer Ravinder Guduru, Board of Trustees, Gurus Daji and Core Team have done lighting of the Holy lamp. Children sang the national anthems of America and India, which has arisen patriotism in all. After that, President Madhu Bommineni welcomed everyone to the convention and explained the importance of innovation, youth and future. They are important goals of ATA and utmost importance is given to them, she added. Convener Kiran Pasham elaborated on the benefits of the convention for us, our town, country and invited the audience cordially. On one hand cultural programs started. On the other hand Jhummandi Nadam singing and Sayyandi Padam dance competitions were held intensively. Prizes were awarded to these winners and also, in Sports, Photography & Reels. Real Estate Investment Opportunities, Film Directors Meet & Greet were Impressive. A dance fusion of over 200 hundred, Vanamala - Floral Tribute are awesome. Several people learned many things about health in the Mental & Physical Health Seminar.

The Threeory Band and their musical concert was very innovative and attractive to the youth, Everyone enjoyed it to the core. On the third day, i.e. on Sunday, Bhadradri Sri Seetha Rama Kalyanam happened in the same way as it happens in Bhadrachalam, Atlanta is lucky to witness it. Spiritual Committee Chair Dr. Prasad Garimella, Endowments Secretary Hanumantha Rao, scholars from Bhadradri Rama Swaroop, Vishnu and Bhaskara Sharma organized and all devotees participated with great devotion. Doctors have explained many important aspects, as part of continuing medical education, which has benefited many people. Renowned Dr. Prem Reddy was the Chief Guest for this program. District level Forums and Alumni meetings were interesting.

Time to look at the events that took place, both on Saturday and Sunday. Under Youth committee, AI seminar, Q&A with celebrities, debates on various topics, games and many other programs were useful and entertaining. This emphasizes why ‘Youth is Future’, is our ATA’s mantra. In the Women's Forum, attractive programs like Women Empowerment, Meeting with Mehreen and Devarakonda Brothers were organized. It is no exaggeration to say that women are always superior at ATA. State Ministers, Consulate General Ramesh Babu, Telangana IT Advisor Ravi Tangirala and others participated in the business forum, while President Elect Jayant Challa acted as moderator. Business pitching happened like never before, is a welcome development. There was a discussion about cutting-edge topics like AI in the technology and trade forum. NRI Committee's discussions on immigration, Tax, NRI issues seminars, Andhra, Telangana and American political forums talks on various topics have increased the interest of viewers. Narrative literature, contemporary Novels and Book launches were held in Suravaram Pratapa Reddy Literary Forum. Also, Ashtavadhanam, a Telugu language specific art was quite impressive with various twists and turns. The prophecies of Tanikella Bharani and Gangadhara Shastri went wonderfully. Several works of art by many artists stood out in the artistic Arts & Crafts exhibition. The beauty pageant was held in a different level and was posh, with Devarakonda brothers crowning the winners. Many people attended Heartfulness Meditation classes. More than 200 vendor stalls were set up. It was impressive to see everyone going to various areas like jewelry, real estate, boutiques etc, especially women and children buying and roaming around. Special cultural programs like Parampara, Sridevi Tribute, Mega Fashion Show, Pelli Sandadi, Dances by Tollywood stars and many other shows were outstanding and the hard work of the cultural team was duly rewarded.

Advisory Committee Gautham Goli, Karunakar Asireddy, Mahender Musuku, KK Reddy, Narender Chemarala and Venkat Veeraneni stood as a compass, showing direction and advising at every step. Many people said that they have walked 15000 steps and some have crossed 20000. It shows how many programs there are and how much interest everyone has taken to go around. Food is a major component in any such huge festivals. It takes a lot of coordination to deliver to thousands of people on time. ATA has succeeded in this regard, with Biryani Pot Restaurant’s cooperation and timing. The fact that the registration desk is always busy with a lot of people around shows how successful this event is. The Transportation Committee ensured that the visiting guests were not inconvenienced. Byte Graph be it their audio video, AV Committee be it their animation, VFX works, broke new grounds like never seen before. The media committee chairperson Sairam Karumani coordinated the interviews of various media organizations and articles for magazines. Srinivas N won a Tesla car in Shoora LP's raffle draw. President Elect Jayant Challa said that it is not easy to cinduct such a big convention and will take the legacy forward. Convener Kiran Pasam thanked all the participants, saying that the impossible has become possible, with such a magnitude of programs and people. As part of the vote of thanks, President Madhu Bommineni praised the efforts of the core team, executive committee, board of trustees, sponsors, convention committees, members, audience and different vendors who made this convention so successful and thanked everyone. Let's talk about the grand finale and wrap it up. Thaman's musical concert was a thumping hit, many people got up from their seats, approached the stage and enjoyed an electrifying high voltage environment, dancing enthusiastically and repeating singing for over 40 songs.

After the three-day celebration, everyone cheerfully returned to their homes and hotels after 1 a.m. Everyone was very pleased with the arrangements and praised the ATA team for their great attention to detail. We're taking a break for now, hoping that these memories will stay with us for a long time. The ATA website and various media outlets have more information about the Convention; please check them out.