Guntur: President of Mauritius, Dharambeer Gokhool, stated that Telugu-speaking people live in 50 countries in the world. He was addressing the third World Telugu Conference held under the aegis of Andhra Saraswatha Parishath at Sri Satya Sai Spiritual City in Guntur on Sunday.

Speaking on the occasion, he said that people of the Telugu states accord great importance to the Ugadi festival, and the people of Mauritius celebrate Ugadi with the same sentiment. Ugadi is celebrated in Mauritius in a grand manner, and the festival has been officially declared a public holiday there, he said.

He said that bilateral relations between India and Mauritius have grown stronger following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Mauritius in March 2025. On the occasion, Andhra Saraswatha Parishath president Ghazal Srinivas presented the Bharatha Mitra Award, which was announced by the Andhra Saraswatha Parishad to Dharambeer Gokhool. Later, the Dharambeer Gokhool couple was felicitated.

Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh Telugu and Sanskrit Academy RD Wilson alias Sarath Chandra was conferred with the prestigious Andhra Sri Purna Kumbha Award in the literature category. High Court Judge Justice Manavendranath Roy, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Chintakayala Ayyannapatrudu, and TD Janardhan presented the award.

Sarath Chandra has authored more than 400 short stories and 40 novels under the pen name Wilson Sarath Chandra. Meanwhile, many speakers urged for the conduct of the next World Telugu Conference in Mauritius.

Speaker of AP State Legislative Assembly Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu, Andhra Saraswatha Parishad president Ghazal Srinivas, MLA Mandali Budha Prasad, MLAs Alapati Rajendra Prasad, B Ramanjaneyulu were present.