22 January 2014
Hyderabad

WATS conducted it’s first event of the year.  Sankranthi Sambaralu.  The event was a resounding success.  Over 600 people attended.  The venue was over capacity and the WATS team had to scurry to accommodate the community who arrived to attend the function

The mood was very festive and traditional, starting with how the venue was decorated to the performances.  Attendees were at their best, each and every one of them were dressed in traditional attire.  It was like being in India.    The culture still continues to be propagating here in the US, as can be seen by the event in Bellevue, WA.

Performances brought back nostalgic memories of our fine arts.  Seeing people of all ages come together and providing flawless performances was a treat.  All performances (Singing and dancing) had a Classical or a folk theme.

Anil Reddy, President of the WATS 2014 board along with his team rolled out new initiatives to support the growing community.  WATS runs a very successful and volunteer driven program “తెలుగుబడి”.  In addition to this, WATS announced other volunteer led programs,

“సంకీర్తనం”- a School of fine arts to impart education in Song and Dance.
“చేయూత” – a forum for development programs for the telugu speaking regions
“సేవ” – A Hotline for assiting “Families in Distress”, Medical and immigration emergencies

The food completed the evening.  The organizers were very thoughtful in keeping it traditional.  The menu consisted of Pongal, Idly and Vada served by a local caterer Swagath.