Telugus celebrate Sankranti in London

Chirala: The United Kingdom Telugu Association (UKTA) organised the ninth Sankranthi celebrations at East London with more than 1,000 Telugus from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala states living in the United Kingdom on Sunday.

UKTA president Prasad Mantrala, while welcoming the chief guest and the State Bank of India representative in the United Kingdom, Tula Srinivas to the celebrations, said that the gathering of all Telugus in a foreign country added more richness to the festival.

He lauded the parents of the children, who participated and performed in various cultural activities in the 6-hour programme, for carrying forward the traditions and culture of Telugus.

He asked the members to let the people living in Britain know about more Telugu culture not only with the language and attire but also through the varieties of food. Tula Srinivas thanked the organisers and appreciated them for conducting such colorful festivities abroad.

Later, the members introduced one another and enjoyed the festival with dance and fun activities.

The children were offered ‘Bhogi Pandlu’ and participated in cultural and entertainment activities planned by the committee.

Padma Killi, the women wing member said that Bhogi Pallu bestows the children with health and prosperity and is part of our tradition.

The UKTA executive committee member Rudravarma Batta, a native of Chirala, announced that the committee members Rajasekhar Kurba, Satyaprasad Maddasani, Narendra Munnaluri, Amarnath Reddy Chintapalli, Karthik Ganta, Adityavardhan Alladi, Krishna Yalamanchili, and others played a key role in successfully organizing the programme and thanked all participants who came to the place even from long distances.

He said that the UKTA would work for strengthening the relations between the Telugus and NRIs in the United Kingdom and their identity in the country.