The new committee for the year 2016-17 kicked off Telugu Association of Greater Boston (TAGB) “UGADI – VEDUKALU 2016” with an exuberant Telugu crowd on April 16^th (Saturday) at Burlington High School, Burlington, MA. Traditionally, the Ugadi event for TAGB is a very high-energy event with local talent, attracting large crowds in the Greater Boston area. This year was no different, with more than 800 people gracing the occasion. The new membership enrollments and renewals are very encouraging. The overwhelming response for registrations and enthusiasm to participate in the event shows the commitment and support of the members to the organization.

To signify the importance of Ugadi festival and continue the tradition the guests were cordially welcomed with traditional ‘Ugadi pachadi’ and ‘Paanakam’. Ugadi Pachhadi symbolizes the life which is a mixture of unique experiences and that we all should be ready to accept in life throughout the New Year. Ugadi pachadi is made out of ingredients such as Neem, Jaggery, Tamarind, Salt, Chilli and raw Mango which represent the six tastes namely Bitter, Sweet, Sour, Salty, Spicy and Tangy. These tastes reflect different experiences such as sadness, happiness, disgust, fear, anger, and surprise in human life.

 TAGB’s decoration team responsible for décor of the entrance, auditorium, hall ways, and stage did a fabulous job that earned many accolades. One of the members of the team was pleased to see the people lined up to take pictures of the festive setting they made, and felt satisfied that their efforts truly paid off. The audience in their traditional outfits added exponentially to the excitement of the festive atmosphere.

Cultural Secretary Mr Ramana Duggaraju addressed the audience and opened the floor for the cultural performances. More than 250 participants in 52 programs provided seven hours of non-stop entertainment to the audience. TAGB is so proud to provide a platform to showcase the local talent. The beautiful evening was comprised of a variety of programs such as songs, instrumental music, skits, classical folk and film dances. The event was started by Ganesh Pancharatna Keertana in praise of Lord Ganesha. The sincere efforts of parents and teachers to preserve and pass along the traditional values to the kids reflected in the quality of the performances. Students from well-known dance schools such as Lasya dance school, Sri Kuchipudi natyala dance school, Tarangini creations of dance, Arya dance academy along with many other enthusiastic choreographers and parents orchestrated beautiful performances. The vibrant rhythms, complex footwork interspersed with sculpturesque poses and fast beat performances were spellbinding. A very innovative and trendy dance composition called Natya Sammelenam stole the show! Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri and Kathak dance styles rendered by the dancers captivated the audience with great joy.

The whole audience was spellbound by the surprising and entertaining introduction of the Executive committee Chandra Talluri(President), Srinivas Batchu (President Elect), Manimala Chalupadi (Secretary), Pradeep Reddy Penubolu(Treasurer), Ramana Duggaraju (Cultural Secretary), Surendar Madadi (Joint Secretary) Seetaram Amaravadi (Joint Treasurer) and by the "Modern Mayasabha" skit. The décor, script, and amazing delivery by the performers clearly showed the countless hours of practice they put in. In the skit, Duryodhana accepts the invitation from TAGB and decides to attend the Ugadi Event. TAGB was honored by his presence, but the arrogance of the king starts showing and once he starts insulting the normal people (the audience), the President Mr. Chandra Talluri steps in with his powerful dialogues. He defends the committee members, audience and guests, everyone saying how important self-respect is for Telugu people and he will stand by TAGB and associates even it comes to taking on the Duryodhana! A very valuable and powerful message was conveyed in an entertaining way and the audience applauded and welcomed the essence of the program whole heartedly. Mr. Mohan Nannapaneni, was affectionately called as “Boston Bheeshma” for his relentless support of the organization was recognized and praised by the standing committee and received accolades from the audience. Organizers thanked him for gracing the occasion and extending his unconditional support to the organization. This amazing program ended with thunderous applause. The skit was penned with impressive Telugu dialogues by Padmaja Bala. The executive committee facilitated the director Padmaja Bala and actors Arun Mulpur and Ramesh Mantha.

Light music songs by Smt Kanya Kumari and Lavanya Kancherla were well received by the audience. Bharata Natyam by senior dancer Lakshmi Raj certainly enhanced the quality of the program. Heartfelt melodious singing by Bharadwaja, Neeharika and all other singers capped off the festivities. The Grand Finale by the "New England Moms" group was elegant and graceful.

Mr. Chand Pasha, President of Bighelp, distributed the prizes to winners of the Math Bee competition, Cookie contest and Photography contest. Both The winners and participants were glowing with the sense of accomplishment as were the organizers.

 Countless members volunteered their hours and efforts to make the event successful. Vendor stalls were of great financial support to the organization. Restaurant Godavari of Woburn, MA served sumptuous food for all our guests.

Enthusiastic emcees Madhavi Seeram, Kiranmai Chaturvedula, Shreyas Chaturvedula, Sanjana Seeram, Madhavi Kamma, and  Deepthi Gora not only facilitated the event and ensured the smooth flow of a multitude of programs, but also allowed the audience to relax and get involved in the night. 

Election Committee announced the Board of trustees chair Dr. Haribabu Muddana who has a long standing association with the organization. Dr Muddana was elected unanimously by the governing body. Other BOT members are: Srinivas Kollipara, Ramesh Babu Tallam, Murthy Kanneganti, Raja S Chilakamarri, Shankar Magapu and Krishnamurty Naidu Podipireddy.President Mr Talluri reassured that the management team is focused in bringing novel and enhanced quality events to the community. As a closing remark of the President, he welcomed all the members to participate in the upcoming badminton championships, thanked the audience for gracing the occasion and the sponsors for endorsing the organization over the years.

The strength and solidarity of the community has once again come together to write another chapter of this memorable event. The event concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Secretary Manimala Chalupadi followed by the singing of National Anthem.

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