On behalf of the Detroit Telugu Association (DTA) 40th anniversary celebrations committee, we are glad to report that DTA 40th Anniversary celebrations went extremely well and exceeded expectations. Around 3,000 people attended the banquet on August 25th, which coincided with the auspicious occasion of Vinayaka Chavithi. Including a gathering of around 4,500 people on the main day August 26th, overall 10,000 plus meals were served during these celebrations. Despite twice the expected attendance, our food vendors Aroma and Kurrys along with our food committee delivered delicious food in sufficient quantities to the satisfaction of every attendee. Positive comments were made about the food and the service.
Apart from minor delays, the cultural programs went well and was well received too. AV Team made best use of the 40 feet digital screen, and enhanced every show. Astaavadhaanam, Women's Forum, Business Idea Competitions received their share of the audience. Cultural competitions received overwhelming response and brought the world class talent to stage. DTA Youth, University of Michigan performances rocked the stage. Inaugural Dance choreographed by Kalaratna K.V. Satyanarayana, Hema Bhamidipati was presented by around 70 kids, which was a visual feast. Movie Artist performances, Anup Rubens Music Show, Rohit (Indian Idol Finalist) Music Show captivated the audience. Tollywood Heroes Gopichand, Srikanth, Roshan, Harnath Policherla; Heroines Praneeta, Mannara Chopra, Vimala Raman; Senior Artist Thammareddy Chalapathi Rao, all rounder Siva Reddy; Jabardast Team, Robo Ganesh; Satyam Rajesh, Vidullekha Raman presented superb dances, comedy skits and participated in talk shows, meet and greets.
American Telugu Politicians on the stage encouraged many American Telugus to participate actively in politics. Michigan State Senator Rick Jones, US Congressmen Dan Kildee, Maryland State Delegate and US Congress Contestant Ms. Aruna Miller Katragadda (Telugu Origin), Michigan State Governor Candidate Grutchen Whitmer, Novi Mayor Bob Gatt are few among the American Politicians who attended the function. Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, Ex MP, stressed the need for Telugus to take part in active politics and mentioned Late N.T.Ramarao as an example.
Attendees included all ages, from 80 year old to few months old. Almost all the past DTA presidents, and past executive committees attended the event. Several national and local organizations including TANA, American Telugu Association, NATS, NATA, American Telangana Association, Telangana American Telugu Association, Lansing Telugu Association, Troy Telugu Association, Detroit Telangana Community, Telangana Development Forum representatives attended the events. Through special appearance they successfully sent a Unity in Diversity message. At least 30 Dignitaries from both Republican and Democratic parties attended the convention, and delivered their speech praising immigrant’s contribution to this country, and some recognized the need for immigrants to join the active American politics.
The well planned seating arrangements in the auditorium, VIP Seating area, seating in dining area, food stations, VIP dining area, permitted smooth traffic flow and allowed attendees to enjoy the food and entertainment in a relaxed environment. The event planning, attendance, execution received encouraging comments suggesting that the DTA’s 40th anniversary celebrations were comparable to national organization conferences.
The decorations brought pleasant Telugu environment into suburban show place, made everyone feel home. The 25ft high celebrations logo, flower arrangements in the pathway, banners representing Telugu culture and heritage, Vinayaka Matapam grabbed every ones attention.
For the past 5 months, every committee worked hard with dedication and showcased the culture, values, strength, talent and capability of DTA, which certainly elevated DTA to a next level. The DTA with 40 core committee members recognized the volunteers and their families for spending their valuable time towards this cause. The leadership skills shown by Detroit Young Adults is exceptional. Duggirala, Ravi Doppalapudi, Sunil Pantra, Kiran Vamsi Karumanchi, Sudheer Bachu, Sivaram Yarlagadda, Rao Uppalapati, Subhakar Velaga, Neelima Manne, Venu Dandamudi, Mahidhar Vallapareddy, Rao Santhapur were specially recognized during the celebrations.
On the occasion of these celebrations, we recognized and presented awards to 40 Detroit Telugu Community members for their accomplishments in various areas including education, research, engineering, medicine, charity, cultural, sports, social service and community service. Life time achievement award was given to four Detroit Telugu families who played pivotal role in constructing Sri Venkateswara Temple in Novi in the land owned by Detroit Telugu Association.
We released few copies of Souvenir. We plan to complete the souvenir by including the celebrations summary, photos, other highlights, Detroit Telugu Association member directory and then print and distribute the full copy to all donors and members.
Both days in spite of slight delay in the program schedule the auditorium was fully packed till 2:00 AM in the morning. Everyone enjoyed the musical concert. Anup Rubens Music Show was a highlight ending for the celebrations.
TV5 provided detailed end to end coverage of celebrations. They also covered the events that occurred prior to the event such as Sports Tournaments, Cultural Competitions, Cooking Competitions, Women’s Cruise event, our daily meetings and many more. TV5 gave more publicity than what was expected, and we firmly believe it showed the results.
On a conclusion note, conference committee would like to thank every volunteer, every volunteer’s family, every donor, every attendee, every dignitary and Detroit Telugu Community for making this event a grand success.
