31 August 2017
USA

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 most expectations.  Around 3,000 attended the banquet on August 25th, which conincided with Vinayaka Chavithi.  Including a gathering of around 4,500 on the main day August 26th, overall 10,000 Plus meals were served during these celebrations.  Desipite 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. We heard very positive comments about the food and the service. 

With an exception of one of two delays, the cultural programs went well and were received well 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 Competetions received overwhelming response and brought the world class talent to stage. DTA Youth, University of Michigan Manzil performances rocked the stage. Inaugural Dance choreographed by Kalaratna K.V. Satyanarayana, Hema Bhamidipati was presented by approximately 70 kids, which was a visual feast. Movie Artist performances, Anup Rubens Music Show, Rohit (Indian Idol Finalist) Music Show captivated the audience. Tollywood Heros Gopichand, Srikant, Roshan, Harnath Policherla; Heroins Praneeta, Mannara Chopra, Vimala Raman; Senior Artist Thammareddy Chalapathi Rao, All Rounder Siva Reddy; Jabardast Team, Robo Ganesh; Satyam Rajesh, Vidullekha Raman presented exciting dances, comedy skits and participated in talk shows, meet and greets.

The show named “అమెరికాలో తెలుగోడా! నీ పయనం ఎటువైపు!!” presented the American Telugu Politicians on the stage and encouraged many American Telugus to participate actively in the 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 Governer Candidate Grutchen Whitmer, Novi Mayor Bob Gatt are few among the American Politicians who attended. Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad, Ex MP, stressed the need for Telugus to take part in active politics and menioned Late N.T.Ramarao as an example.

Approxmiately 400 donors of various donation categories, who include business owners and otherwise, provided financial support to these celebrations and made this event possible. Celebrations convener Sagar Maramreddy thanked each and every donor during these celebrations.

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, with very few exceptions. Several national and local organizations including TANA, American Teglugu Association, NATS, NATA, American Telangana Association, Telangana American Telugu Association, Lansing Telugu Association, Troy Telugu Association, Detroit Telangana Community, Telangana Development Forum represetatives attended the events. Through special appearance they successfully sent a Unity in Diversity message. Atleast 30 Dignitaries from both Repubican and Democratic parties attended the convention, and delivered their speech praising immigrants contribution to this country, and few 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 and 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 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 into next level. The DTA@40 core committee 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 occassion 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. We have also awarded life time achievement award to 4 Detroit Telugu families who played pivotal role in constructing Sri Venkateswara Temple in Novi on 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, Detrot 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 Jam packed till 2:00 Am in the morning and enjoyed the Musical Concerts. Anup Rubens Music Show was a Highlight ending for the Celebrations.

TV5 provided detailed coverage of celebrations end to end. TV5 also covered the events that occurred prior to the event such as Sports Tournaments, Cultural Competitions, Cooking Competititions, Women’s Curise event, our daily meetings and many more. TV5 gave more publicity than what we 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 diginatary and Detroit Telugu Community for making this event a grand success.