CHICAGO: The 2013 Sankranti and Republic Day cultural event organized by the Tri State Telugu Association (TTA), Chicago, on Saturday January 19 was a grand success with the audience glued to the seats from start to the end.
TTA celebrated Sankranti with an event that presented a multi talented, multi faceted cultural program of thematic presentations, fashion show, music and dance that brought forth the spirit of Sankranti and patriotism in full colors. The six-hour cultural program with more than 350 performers at the Hindu Temple Samarathi Auditorium in Lemont was jam packed with art lovers.
An amazing performance by the
local talent with a spectrum of flavors ranging from classical to semi-classical music and dances, sloka recitals, theme based productions on ‘Sankranti and Republic Day’, Fashion Show as well as folk and contemporary presentations kept the crowds mesmerized.
Marking the tradition of Sankranti and Bhogi the TTA board organized “Bhogi Pallu”, a special ritual performed on the day of Bhogi where little children dressed in colorful clothes are given aarthi and Bhogi Pallu- (a special mixture of berries, sugarcane and rice). It is showered on the heads of children to protect them from evil forces.
The cultural show started with a beautiful rendition of Sanskrit slokas. This was followed by an excellent recitation of ‘Aditya Hridayam’, by students of Dr. Hemalatha Burra, Retired Principal from Sri Sathya Sai University in Andhra Pradesh.
Presentations by kids touching thematic songs, patriotic songs and dances, classical dances for Annamacharya compositions in the dance forms of Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam were received very well by the audience. Several folk dances and patriotic theme based Kathak presentation choreographed by Sheetal Dhanani captivated the audience
After a sumptuous dinner, the second half of the cultural event started with the recital of “Suryashtakam”. The Sankranti theme based folk song rendition “Sankranthi Patalu” by students of Rajeswari Parit, classical, semi-classical, folk and Kolatam presentations were executed with grace and poise. Tarana, a tribute to Pandit Ravi Shankar’s composition from the Bridges collection, was another graceful presentation in the traditional Kuchipudi style.
Folk presentation ‘Lambadi Dance’ and patriotic theme presentation ‘Ide Ide Mana Desam’ with more than 50 participants created great excitement in the audience. “Sankranti Soyagam” and “Harvest Festival – Shades of India” depicting the spirit of Sankranti festival were surely other highlights of the evening.
Performance by the Kilani sisters and Anup Kilani were thoroughly enjoyable. The grand finale of the evening “Fashion Show – Ethnic Origins” depicting the spirit of cultural diversity, was surely another grand event of the evening.
The emcees for the evening, Pranathi Tallapragadda, Dr Krishna Bathina, Dr Vijayalakshmi Susarla, did a marvelous job keeping the interest of the audience sustained throughout. Stage props with original creations by artist Sri Ravi Tokala with set up help by Bhaskar Reddy Karri, added a beautiful touch to the stage décor.
The relentless efforts of the TTA Board and the Cultural committee, Food, Registration and Volunteers committees, were appreciated in the vote of thanks delivered by the event cultural coordinator, Usha Pariti. The event ended with the rendition of ‘Indian National Anthem’.
India Post News Service
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