The Telugu Association of London (TAL) hosted its 19th Ugadi celebrations, marking the Telugu New Year, on 27th April 2024 at Sattavis Patidar Centre, Wembley, London.
The event was graced by the presence of Academy Award-winning lyricist Dr. Chandrabose as the Chief Guest. Seema Malhotra, MP for Feltham and Heston, and Nandita Sahu from HCI London, were among the distinguished VIP attendees.
Program Highlights include:
- Chandrabose sang impromptu songs in praise of Telugu Language and culture. He shared his experiences on winning the Oscar, jointly awarded to music composer M.M. Keeravani. He was joined by his wife Suchitra on stage where he has responded to questions from members of the audience about his career and life in general. He was felicitated by TAL’s Board of Trustees and members from previous Boards including Sridhar Vanam, Vamsee Mohan, Satyendra Pagadala, Ramulu Dasoju, Bharathi Kandukuri and others.
- Chandrabose has praised TAL, with his impromptu songs, in Naatu Naatu style, on how TAL respects and works towards promoting Telugu language and culture outside India.
- Prahlada Natakam by Telugu Association of Gloucester mesmerised kids.
- Classical and Fusion dance performances have enthralled audiences of all ages.
- Audience raised to their feet and danced for numbers sung by singers Deepu and Nutana Mohan. The program was anchored by Vindhya Visakha.
- Students from TAL Culture Centres have recited Classical Songs and performed dances for Tollywood medleys which received a roar of applause from the audience.
Members from other Telugu organisations in the UK have expressed gratitude at the opportunity to have collaborated in TAL’s flagship event.
Chairman Ravi Sabba has expressed his sincere thanks to the rest of the Board of Trustees, Kiran Kappeta, Anil Ananthula, Sreedevi Aleddula, Ashok Madishetty, Venkat Neela, Ravi Mocherla and IT-Incharge Roy Boppana who have worked tirelessly over the past 4 months to put together this event. TAL Ugadi 2024 convenor Balaji Callur has thanked numerous volunteers, long-time supporters, new and old members who have all made this event a successful one.
Chairman Ravi invited everyone to come and watch TAL Premier League which starts on 5th May with 10 Teams competing for the title over the next 14 weeks. The matches are set to take place in venues in East and West London. He said the event will also be streamed live on Youtube and Facebook and supporters can also check scores on the app.
TAL Annual magazine has been unveiled by Dr. Chandrabose garu and the chief editor Ramesh Kalavala has been felicitated. Surya Kandukuri, who has overseen the production of the magazine thanked all the sub-editors and the magazine team who worked hard to produce this year’s publication with an exceptional quality.