It is our sad duty to report the passing away of Veteran Community leader Sri Raju Mamileti garu. He graduated from Kakinada Engineering College with a degree in Electrical Engineering and worked all over India including Delhi and Chennai. He came to Denver, Colorado in 1984, where the Telugu community was small (less than fifty) at that time.

He was instrumental in keeping the Telugu community together and allowed the formation of strong bonds of friendship among the members.  He acted as a nucleus for the growth of the Telugu community.  He helped the new arrivals to settle down and guided them in the adjustment period.  He made sure that all marriages, births of infants and other family events were celebrated along with the rest of the community.  His efforts led to the prospering of the Colorado Telugu Association (CTA), which now has more than 1,000 members.

He was a great ambassador of India in Colorado and took his civic duties very seriously especially helping rain water harvesting at Jantuluru village in Anantapur district and many health camps.  Whenever  a news item misrepresenting India came out in TV or print media, he immediately took pains to correct the story and made sure that the misunderstanding was cleared.

He worked hard to promote Indian culture and make the second generation of Indian-Americans fondly remember their cultural heritage.  He always had a smile when he extended his helping hand.  His knowledge of current happenings and his sense of humor endeared him to adults and children alike. Whoever met him said that he was a gentleman.

All the Colorado Telugu community members are grateful to his efforts and will miss him dearly.

Sridhar Talanki,
Board Member, SEWA International USA and former President of CTA
Dr. P.B. Narayan, former Cultural Secretary of CTA