The 2012 Sankranthi and Republic Day cultural event organized by the Tri State Telugu Association (TTA), Chicago, on the 28th of January 2012, under the auspices of the TTA Board of Directors, was a feast to the eyes and kept the audience glued to the seats from start to the end.
The spirit of Sankranthi and patriotism was brought forth in vibrant colors with the cultural program. TTA victoriously celebrated Sankranthi with an event that presented a multi talented, multi faceted cultural program of skits, fashion show, music and dance. The Samarathi Auditorium at the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago (HTGC), Lemont, was packed with art lovers.
An amazing performance by the local talent with a spectrum of flavors ranging from Classical to semi-classical dances, theme based productions on ’ New beginnings’, ‘Sankranthi and Republic Day’, as well as movie dances kept the crowds mesmerized the entire duration.
The cultural show started on time with a beautiful rendition of ‘Gananayakaya’ by about 35 students of Smt.Vasanthi Iyer. This was followed by an excellent recitation of the sanskrit slokas ‘Suryashtakam’, signifying Rathasapthami, by students of Dr.Hemalatha Burra, the renowned Sanskrit Professor, Retired Principal from Sri Sathya Sai University in Andhra Pradesh. The Manandaribadi kids efforts in the pronunciation of the telugu language for the Balanandam skit directed by Sri Ravi Pariti, Srilakshmi Dronamraju, Rama Ranjitha, Aparna Tata and Vandana Reddy was well appreciated by the audience.
Presentations by kids for movie dances and patriotic dances choreographed by Smt. Mohana Swamy, Swetha Ragi, Jyotsna Kilani, Srilakshmi Duvvapu, Ankush Sehgal and Dina Bhatia were received very well. The spirit of the festival was well captured by several movie and folk dances choreographed by Apuroopa Tipparaju and Smt. Lopamudra Banerjee.
Contemporary presentation in Bharatanatyam dance style ‘Begin with Soorya’ by students of Jinoo Varghese and ‘Nature- The Bountiful’ by students of Smt. Vanitha Veeravalli, created a ton of excitement in the audience. The high enery was highly evident for these items and they were solid entertainers. Classical Bharatanatyam dance ‘Mahadevasutham’ performed by students of Smt.Sowmya Kumaran and Annamacharya composition ‘Adigo Alladigo’ by students of Smt. Sobha Tammana in Kuchipudi dance style was executed with grace and poise.
‘Amma Avani’ a beautiful patriotic dance, with innovative choreography by Smt. Sobha Tammana and ‘O Mitwa- Lagaan, Once upon a time in India’ by Shravan Kilaru was marked with a high degree of coordination and artistry and enthralled the audience.
Combining elements of Tandava and Lasya along with talent and synergy, ‘Kalachakram- New Beginnings, The Cycle of Destruction and Creation’, a thematic presentation with original choreography by Smt. Janaki Anandavalli Nair and presented by the guru and her students, in Kuchipudi dance style, was one of a kind and made a lasting impression among the audience.
The spirit of Sankranthi and Republic Day was well captured by thematic dances and productions. “Sambarala Sankranthi ” depicting the spirit of Sankranthi festival was surely a grand event of the evening with about forty participants, Kids, Youth and Adults , and gave immense pleasure to the audience. The production choreographed by Smt. Lavanya Jonnalagadda and writted by Smt. Nannapaneni Mangadevi gave the audience a glimpse of the rich traditions of the festival. This high energy piece transformed everyone to the villages of Andhra Pradesh rich in festival traditions. The production depicted a unique “Gangireddu Melam” and was very well received by the audience. Choreographing this production is surely not an easy task and yet it was done to perfection.
Kathak performance by Risha and Shilpi, students of Priyanka Mehendale was rendered with grace. The grand finale of the evening “Fashion Show – Weaves of India” depicting the spirit of cultural diversity, was surely a grand event of the evening with about 35 participants and gave immense pleasure to the audience. The colorful and rich costumes, with concept and choreography by Smt. Padmaja Sonti was marked with a high degree of coordination and gave the audience a glimpse of the rich handlooms of various parts of India. The coordination was meticulous.
All in all, the performers, the teachers, the parents, the volunteers and the enthusiastic and supporting audience brought the welcome spirit of Sankranthi and Republic Day to Chicago. Coordinating such major items is surely not an easy task and yet it was handled very well by all the choreographers and coordinators.
The emcees for the evening, Pranathi Tallapragadda and Vidya Maruvada did a marvelous job compering the entire show and kept the interest of the audience sustained throughout. The grand sponsor for the event was Vishnu Vilas Restaurant. Event sponsors were Sulekha, Aloha Mind Math and Liberty mutual insurance. Stage props with original creations by Ravi Tokala, Saroja Ravi, Prasuna Gollakota with setup help by Bhaskar Reddy Karri, added a nice touch to the stage décor. Video coverage was provided by Dr.Nag Rao and photography by Mr. Ravi Ganapathy and Mr.Rao Bodepudi.
The relentless efforts of the TTA Cultural committee, Food, Registration and Volunteers committees, were appreciated in the vote of thanks delivered by the event cultural coordinator, Smt.Usha Pariti. The volunteers who served dinner to guests that evening in a short time of around one hour did a great job. Everyone was truly amazed at the flow of the program and its schedule. The event ended with the rendition of ‘Indian National Anthem’.
