Atlanta, June 10th, 2023: The Greater Atlanta Telangana Society (GATeS) marked a grand celebration of Telangana Cultural Day and Telangana Formation Day at the Gas South Convention Center on June 10th. The event showcased a mesmerizing display of Telangana’s rich cultural heritage and brought together the Telugu community in Atlanta.
The program commenced promptly at 3:00 pm, opening with an enchanting rendition of the Ganesha Stotram by Aneesh Gosangari, followed by the heartfelt performances of the Indian and American National Anthems by Swasthi and Snehal group. The Raagam Talam Pallavi group students then captivated the audience with their rendition of “JayaJayosthu Telangana Janani,” a song written by Deshapathi Srinivas. The Supritha Dance Academy students presented a mesmerizing fusion dance performance on the iconic songs of Chandrabose Garu, followed by a captivating live singing and dance performance from Sruthilayalu Academy.
The stage was then graced by the Folk Dance performance by Sri Performing Arts Academy students. The energetic performance left the audience in awe. President Janardhan Pannela and Chairman Srinivas Parsa felicitated the Bronze and Silver sponsors, expressing their gratitude for their support to GATeS.
The Indian Classical Dance Academy took the stage next and presented a captivating dance performance showcasing the story of Vemulavada Rajanna, which garnered significant attention from the audience. Chief Guest Sri Chandrabose Garu and Guest of Honor Dr. Swathi Kulkarni Garu, along with several notable personalities, including Todd Jones, Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman, Police Chief of Johns Creek Mark Mitchell, and Johns Creek City Council member Dilip Tunki, joined President Janardhan Pannela, GATeS Chairman Srinivas Parsa, GATeS Board members and advisory members joined in lighting the ceremonial lamp.
GATeS President Janardhan Pannela then moved the audience with a soul-stirring rendition of the state anthem, “JayaJayahe Telangana,” followed by a moment of silence to honor those who sacrificed for the cause of Telangana. The cultural programs resumed, with the House of Culture team delivering high-energy performances of Sri Chandrabose Garu’s iconic songs. GATeS felicitated the gold sponsors, acknowledging their invaluable contributions.
The Bonalu team actively engaged the audience in celebrating the Bonalu festival, with both females and males participating enthusiastically. In a heartwarming gesture, the current GATeS President and Chairman felicitated past presidents and chairmen for their exceptional contributions to the organization and followed by Parai group Dappu performance which brought joy and happiness.
President Janardhan Pannela then expressed his appreciation for the dedicated volunteers who tirelessly support community events, recognizing Nate Nateshan, Swach Devalay, and Bala Narayana for their remarkable contributions. The Short Movie Nandi Award winner Sri Phani Dokka Garu and Vedantam Venkata Garu, recipient of the Sangeet Natak Academy and Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar, Steps Challenge Awards presentation by GATeS Team.
The skit portraying the life story of Komuram Bheem, performed by Sri Raga Datta Academy, left the audience in awe of the performers’ exceptional skills. The SID Dance Academy presented “Spirit of Telangana,” a dance performance that vividly depicted the pre- and post-separation phases of Telangana, capturing the audience’s emotions and reminiscing about the Telangana agitation.
The event continued with the performance of “Telangana Ghana Vaibavam,” a song written by Praveen Machavaram, composed by Sai Srinivas, and sung by Janardhan Pannela and Sristi Chilla. The choreography by Neelima Gaddamanugu beautifully highlighted the activities and accomplishments of GATeS, resonating well with the audience.
Sri Chandrabose Garu was felicitated by the GATeS team, advisors, event and title sponsors, receiving a standing ovation from the people of Atlanta. Hindu Temple of Atlanta priest Ravishanker Boggarapu delivered pravachanalu (discourse), followed by the felicitation of the Oscar award winner by GATeS Team.
In a momentous occasion, GATeS President and Oscar award winner Chandrabose Garu felicitated Udayabhanu Garu. The concert, featuring Saketh, Sumangali, Shristi, and the Mehar Chanti band, delighted the audience, concluding with a vote of thanks.
The Telangana Cultural Day and Telangana Formation Day event organized by GATeS was a resounding success, leaving the audience captivated and immersed in the rich cultural heritage of Telangana. The society’s commitment to preserving and promoting Telugu traditions was evident throughout the event, making it a truly memorable celebration. Special thanks to the Janardhan Pannela GATeS president cultural team Kirthidhar Goud Chekkilla, Jyothsna Palakurthi and Geetha Naranna Garu for bringing the beautiful theme-based cultural programs.
GATeS President Janardhan Pannela and Chairman Srinivas Parsa thanked all generous sponsors for their continuous support. GATeS BOD – Geetha Naranngari and Jyothsna Palakurthy thanked all Ladies for their support and time spent for making the Bonalu segment successful execution.
Thank you, all representatives who have attended from Organizations TAMA, GATA, TDF, IFA, ATA, TANA, NATA and TTA.
GATeS Team spent enormous amounts of time & effort over the last couple of months, special appreciation and mention of the enthusiasm and energy of all volunteers shown in the event was truly amazing. It was a successful event and it was only possible because everyone felt accountable and worked very selflessly to make it a grand success and approximately 1500-2000 people attended the event.
GATeS EC & BOD: Janardhan Pannela (President), Srinivas Parsa (Chairman), Sandeep Gundla (Vice-President), Naveen Battini (General Secretary), Ramana Gandra (Treasurer), Kirthidhar Goud Chekkilla (Cultural Secretary), Chalapathi Vennamaneni (Event Secretary), Raghuveer Gadipalli (Sports Secretary), Naveen Vujjini (Technology Secretary), Ganesh Kasam (Media Secretary), Prabhakar Madupathi(Director), Ramachary Nakkerty (Director), Ramakrishna Gandra (Director), Geetha Narannagari (Director), Jyothsna Palakurthy (Director) and thanks to all advisors, Dr. Sreeni Gangasani, Dr.Satish Cheti, Goutham Goli, Ratan Eluganti, Prabhakar Boyapalli, Karunakar Asireddy, Kiran Pasham, Venkat Veeraneni, Srijan Joginapally, Sreedhar Nelavelli, Nanda Chatla, Narender Reddy, Sridhar Julapally, Anil Boddireddy, Thirmal Pitta and Chairs, Cochairs and all the volunteers relentlessly worked to make the event grand success -GATeS Team.
