Chicago: The preparations for the 17th biennial convention of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) are going on swiftly. The Chicago volunteers are laboring with untiring energy to provide comfortable amenities for the delegates, to present highly entertaining sessions at the convention, and to make the event an unforgettable experience. The convention will be held in Chicago from July 2 – 4, at Rosemont convention center. A steering committee meeting was held at the Embassy Suits, in Rosemont in the second week of March. The chairpersons representing various committees of Arts and Crafts, Audio Visual, Banquet, Cultural, CME, Exhibits, Finance, Hospitality, Literature, Marketing, Panel Discussions/Alumni, Program, Public Relations, Registration, Souvenir, Stage, Venue, Volunteers, and Youth Committees were all among the attendees and had a successful planning session.

The attendees also included several members from other states such as Missouri, Indiana, Texas, Massachusetts, and Georgia. The steering committee members shared their updates and the progress of their planning for a successful convention with the TANA president Mr. Prabhakar Chowdary Kakarala, TANA treasurer Mr. Mohan Nannapaneni and TANA Foundation chairman Mr. Lokeswararao Edara. Mr. Yugandhar Yadlapati, coordinator of 17th TANA convention in Chicago, welcomed all the guests, including out-of-state members and members of EC, TANA Foundation. He requested the members to address the steering committee. Mr. Prabhakar Chowdary said: “I am happy about the outcome after resolving the issues amicably. I thank the community for helping to resolve the issues. Everyone should feel proud of us moving forward in unity and I have full confidence in Mr. Yugandhar and the conference committee.” Mr. Mohan Nannapaneni did express his apologies to the community for the situation that happened and also said that in the best interest of the organization, they worked out the issues and were moving forward. He thanked the community for hosting the event here in Chicago. He requested the committees to take the utmost care to make every expense accountable. Mr. Lokeswararao Edara explained to the committees about the Foundation projects from last year. Foundation has $250,000 to spend on various projects. Eye camps are the most successful ones. Mr. Yugandhar, announced that the committee is working on inviting the Governor of Illinois and Chief Minister of AP. Also, he discussed inviting a few rising stars like Padmasri Warrior (CISCO) and movie actor NTR Junior. He announced that the singer Mr. SP Balasubramanyam would be recognized with a lifetime achievement award.

The registration team presented the options and proposals from different vendors. The options were extensively discussed and members gave their valuable suggestions. The team is going to finalize the process and select the vendor soon. The web committee is still looking for the volunteers and is expected to go live by the end of March. Mr. Yugandhar advised them to take the help of Dr. Bapu Arekapudi and Mr. Suren Pathuri in evaluating the process on the web. On behalf of the conference treasurer, the budget was presented and the team discussed the expenses and the funds needed to have a successful event.

The business committee will be celebrating the success of Telugu people and the conference is going to be there on both days between 1-5 p.m. with two keynote speakers. The committee is planning to have 6-7 panels on various topics, spread over both days. The committee is thinking of raising $50,000 to support the activities and will finalize the plan by the end of the month.

The cultural committee sent out guidelines for soliciting programs from associations across the globe. Also, many dance schools were contacted via e-mails requesting the non-classical items. They had a deadline for that as March 15. Inaugural song preparation is on the way. MAA TV is organizing a talent show. They will conduct the competitions locally and the finals will beconducted here on the main stage. Movie stars team is coordinated by Murali Mohan and directed by E.V.V. Satyanarayana. So far the confirmed stars are NTR Junior (“Young Andhra Tiger” for his fans), Allari Naresh, Ram, Charmi, Asta Chamma Swaty, Rajiv Kanakala, Suma Kanakala, Uttej, and Raghu Babu. There will be a mimicry artist, a folk singer and a dancer. Sirivennela, Chandrabose, Suddala, Mano and Goreti Venkanna have also confirmed their attendance.

Alumni and women’s Forum committee requested the members to suggest the speakers and the topics. The banquet committee had its meeting to a form team to discuss programming and funding. The team is planning to meet with other teams to do the fundraising, and to have cultural activities.

The food committee will provide an authentic Telugu meal and the menu is finalized for both days. The detailed menu will be posted on the web. The committee promised the team that the needs of the guests from India and volunteers will be addressed appropriately. 

The finance committee is actively working to raise the needed funds for the event. The volunteers committee promised that they will recruit the needed volunteers to have a smooth event and requested that the committees work with them from the planning stage.

The youth committee had its first meeting and the have a two-day fully packed program. The detailed youth program will be presented later. The spiritual committee is proposing Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as a chief guest for the convention. No decision has yet been made and the committee will take a decision at a later date.

Volunteers have developed the necessary forms for registration by mail, exhibition booth request forms, and other forms. These forms are available on the web for download. Participants can visit www.TANA.org to register for the 17th TANA conference in Chicago by the end of March. All the necessary contacts, forms for Exhibits, Registration, Sponsorships, and other pertinent information will be available soon.