Tri State Telugu Association celebrates Ugaadi and Sri Ramanavami with Traditional festivity

Chicago IL: The 2012 Ugaadi and Sri Ramanavami cultural event organized by the Tri State Telugu Association (TTA), Chicago, on 5:00PM, April 7, 2012 at Hindu Temple, Samarathi Auditorium, 10915 Lemont Road, , Lemont, IL under the leadership of TTA Board of Directors, was a feast to the eyes and kept the audience interested from start to the end. The spirit of ‘Spring festivities’ and ‘Life and teaching of Lord Rama’ was brought forth in vibrant colors with the cultural program.

TTA victoriously celebrated this event that presented a multi-talented, multi-faceted cultural program of dances and inspiring music. The Samarathi Auditorium at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC), Lemont, was packed with over 500 art lovers. Amazing performances by the local talent with a rainbow of flavors ranging from Classical to semi-classical dances, theme based productions on “Spring Celebrations & Stories on Lord Sri Rama” as well as movie dances kept the crowds mesmerized the entire duration.

The cultural show started with a beautiful rendition of ‘Upanishads’ followed by ‘Sri Rama Kalyanam Song’ by about 25 participants of Prajna – Vedic School of JET USA. This was followed by ‘Panchanga Sravanam’ – Predictions for the year according to Telugu calendar by Mr. Anantha Sonti who educated the audience both on the significance of Ugaadi and Predictions for all 12 Rasi’s (Zodiac Houses).

Two groups of children did a splendid job of singing praises of Lord Rama with ‘Nama Ramayanam’ and ‘Ramudu Raghavudu’. The guests were especially pleased with a Hindi bhajan rendition of ‘Suraj ki Garmi Se’ by a group of high school boys and Mr. Raghu Angara, who also happened to be the coordinator of the bhajan. These 3 songs captured the devotional spirit of Sri-Ramanavami.

The classical dances for the evening started with a rendition of ‘Pushpanjali – Invocation ‘by students of Pragati Dance School under the guidance of Smt. Swetha Vijayaraghavan. This was followed by an experimental piece of ‘Mallari’ (which is traditionally of Bharatanatyam repertoire) performed in Kuchipudi dance style by the students of Smt. Janaki Anandavalli Nair of Ananda Dance Theater. A performance to the much loved song ‘Om Namashivaya’ from the movie ‘Sagara Sangamam’ by the mother daughter duo of Kalaichelvi and Kaavya Senthil has won rave reviews. The fact that the little girl was only 7 years old and danced at par with her mother impressed the audiences very much. The famed Natya Dance Theater’s presentations of ‘Jaya Janaki Ramana’ and ‘Tillana’ by Bharatam academy of dance arts was well appreciated for its professional quality. The depiction of Ramadasu keerthana of ‘Thakkuvemi Manaku’ by the students of Mrs. Lavanaya Jonnalagadda was enjoyed immensely for its true portrayal of Lord Sri Rama’s accomplishments in a high quality performance.

2012 Tri-State Telugu Association’s Board of Directors were introduced to the members and guests along with a brief financial report of the organization. He has informed the guests that TTA has not only been at the forefront of preserving and promoting the Telugu culture but also as an organization that is committed to giving back to the community by associating itself with various non-profit fundraising efforts.

The thematic presentation of “Maa Palle” by 15 participants choreographed and performed by Mrs. Prasuna Vootkur of Omkaara Dance studio of Naperville received thunderous applause for depicting the celebrations of village life with high energy and music. The evening continued with 2 dances by members of Dancelementz for ‘Sri Anjaneyam’ and ‘Sri Ramanavami Medley’ both celebrating the festive spirit of Ramanavami with dances. The recent hit of ‘Jagadanandakaraka’ from the movie Sri Rama Rajyam was performed by the students of Mrs. Aparna Prashanth.

The thematic dance drama of ‘Lava Kusa – Ramayanam’ with the cast of little children and supported by Adults showed the key elements of Ramayanam. This presentation was directed and choreographed by Mrs. Swetha Ragi and was appreciated very well. One of the highlights of the evening was a ‘Tribute to AR Rehman’ by the students of Bollywood Rythnms with choreography by Mrs. Bhagya Nagesh and participation of 26 dancers. They selected a variety of songs composed by Mr. Rehman and danced their hearts out complete with costume changes. The high engergy pace set by ‘Bollywood Rhythms’ was maintained with performances to movie songs by ‘Cool Kids’ with choreography by Mrs. Shilpa Challam, followed by ‘Sister Act’ –where two sets of sisters danced to popular movie songs in semi-classical style with choreography by Ms .Jyotsna Kilani. The evening’s performances came to a close with an incredibly energetic performance by 3 high school aged girls who danced to movie songs to the theme of Wedding celebrations with choreography by Mithra Reddy, Nikitha Duggirala, and Anuhya Abbaraju.

The emcee for the evening, Mr. Anantha Sonti did a marvelous job compering the entire show and kept the interest of the audience sustained throughout with his knowledge of Ugaadi and Sri Ramanavami significance, cultural references and his knowledge of current day music trends.

The scrumptious traditional ‘Andhra Style’ dinner for the evening was catered by Vishnu Vilas Restaurant of Schaumburg, IL. Event sponsors were Sulekha.com & Liberty mutual insurance. Stage props with original creations by Mrs.Saroja Ravi, Mrs. Prasuna Gollakota and Ms. Aashmita Chitturi with setup help by Bhaskar Reddy Karri and Usha Pariti added a nice touch to the stage décor. Stage management by Mr.Bhaskar Reddy and event coordinator Mrs. Padmaja Sonti along with CCTV coverage by Mr.Raghu Angara and Slide Show management by Mrs. Usha Pariti kept the flow of the program unhindered. Video coverage was provided by Dr.Nag Rao and photography coverage was provided by Mr. Sai Vadlamani of PlanetinPixels.com. The relentless efforts of the TTA Cultural committee, Food, Registration and Volunteers committees, were appreciated in the vote of thanks delivered by the event cultural coordinator, Mrs. Padmaja Sonti. The volunteers who served dinner to guests that evening in a short time of around one hour did a great job. Everyone was truly amazed at the flow of the program and its schedule. The event ended with the rendition of ‘Indian National Anthem’.

About The Tri-State Telugu Association (TTA)
TTA is a non-profit incorporated organization of people of Telugu Origin residing in states of Illinois, India, and Wisconsin (Tri-State area). It was formed in 1984 for the sole purpose of helping Telugu people living in Tri-State area. One of the main goals of TTA is to enhance the cultural, educational, social and charitable interactions among its members. TTA is one of the largest Telugu organizations in the Tri-State area with more than 500 members. Next event TTA will organize is the Summer Picnic on July 14, 2012 and the upcoming cultural event will be Dasara/Deepavali celebrations on November 3, 2012 at Lemont temple –Sama Radhi Auditorium. For more information, visit: www.telugu.org
Photographs by: Dr. Nagabhushana Rao

Suresh Bodiwala
Chairman
Asian Media USA
Bus: (847) 679-8583
Fax: (847) 679-5336
Cell: (847)420-4789
[email protected]

Copyrights (c) 2010 – Asian Media USA
No one shall download or otherwise duplicate the graphics, images, press release and written content from the PDF without our express written permission. Likewise, no one shall reuse the aforesaid things, as the same are the intellectual property of the Company, we hereby reserve all rights

Disclaimer: – Asian Media USA
“The information in this e-mail and any attachments is confidential and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee or addressees. If you are not an intended recipient, please delete the message and any attachments and notify the sender of misdelivery. Any use or disclosure of the contents of either is unauthorized and may be unlawful. All liability for viruses is excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender, except where the sender states them, with requisite authority, to be those of the Asian Media USA