Detroit Telanganites moot students wing

For several years, ‘motor city’ Detroit, with its sizable Telangana community, has been a great source of strength for Telangana Development Forum in USA. And when the City Chapter was offered to host Telangana Development Forum (TDF) quarterly in-person board meeting (regional conference), it grabbed the opportunity with both the hands and pulled it off with aplomb.

Many important decisions were taken during the meeting which was a landmark event in the history of TDF Detroit. Notable among them are to create a TDF student wing, for those coming from India for higher education, and address their problems if any, requesting the Telangana Government to provide a single point of contact for Telangana NRIs in the State Secretariat to help with their projects and requesting for allotment of land for T-NRI Bhavan.

According to TDF USA’s president Vishweshwar Kalavala, “We have the think-tank and expertise to support the initiatives of the State Government in the fields of education, medicine and engineering and technologyand other fields and we are proudly associating ourselves with the government in the reconstruction of the State.”

Over the last one year alone, he added that TDF USA has raised over $ 110,000 for various projects in villages likeroads and buildings for schools and libraries and bus shelters. He urged more and more Telanganites to step up and make a difference to their school, village and State and experience the joy and sense of fulfillment.

The role of women on the TDF Board and the Standing Committees came in for special mention from Vishweshwar. He said TDF was committed to give more representation to women on the board. TDF members commended the government schemes and projects like Mission Kakatiya, Water Grid and Harithaharam (plantation of trees).

Retired engineer from Siddipet and one of the advisors to the State Government on its prestigious Water Grid project Sathyapal Reddy Jala gave a detailed presentation on the subject and fielded questions from the audience. A total of Rs 30,000 crore were earmarked and Rs 2,000 crore were already released by the government, he said adding that Nalgonda district with highest rate of fluoride water contamination, was being given utmost priority by the Chief Minister.

The meeting paid rich tributes to Telangana ideologue and the brain behind TDF USA, late Prof Jaya Shankar and former Prime Minister Late PV Narasimha Rao. Later in the evening, a colourful cultural gala was organised by TDF Detroit Chapter in city of Southfield, where nearly 400 people were enthralled by the song and dance performances of young women and children.

Singers Divya Davuluri, Padmaja Kanala, Venkat Kanala, Shruthi Kanala, Swathi Thippireddy, Shilpa Dundigalla and Krishna Jaligama were superb with their devotional, fast solo and duets. In the juniors’ section Kruthi Jaligama, Vaishnavi Dhenuvakonda, Shrestha Dundigalla, Tanmayi Thippireddy, Sanika Atmakur, Dhrithi Padukone, Shrestha Gaddam, Aditi Earla and Ananya Bhoomireddy among girls and Manish Ileni, Pravardh Venukadasula, Karthik Gankidi, Sohan Kosna, Anish Gaddam and Sanjith Gaddam among boys stood out with their steps on the dance floor.

Tanuj Ganga with his mimicry performance sent peals of laughter among the audience. TDF USA Board and TDF Detroit honoured martial arts champion Vivek Theja now in US for high-level training in boxing with an aim of participating in the 2016 Olympics, with a plaque and requested him to be the TDF USA’s Brand Ambassador to which Vivek delightfully agreed.