Shouts of “Jai Telangana” rang through the air on the evening of 1 June, as members of Australian Telangana Forum (ATF) celebrated Telangana Formation Day with a cultural night. The event took place at Ermington Community Centre, NSW, and was graced by The Hon. Dr (Geoff) Geoffrey LEE, Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Member of Prospect Hon’ble Dr (Hugh) Paul Joseph Hugh McDermott, Liberal Candidate for Chiffley Mr. Livingston Chettipally and Advisor Dr. Yadu Singh (Sydney Cardiologist and President FIAN).
Mr McDermott recalled that he visited Hyderabad and spoke about how the ATF community is helping to showcase the State’s culture in Sydney and reminded the audience of the sacrifices made by the Telangana martyrs. Mr. Livingston praised the ATF community for its contributions.
Mr. Lee gave his introduction in fluent Hindi and his namaskar drew a thunderous applause from the audience. A regular at Indian events, he praised the Parliamentary system that gives communities the freedom to celebrate their religion and culture.
The event began at 5.30 pm with a welcome address by ATF president Pradeep Tedla and general secretary Kishore Panthula. The Australian and Indian national anthems were sung, followed by a candle lighting (Jyothi Prajwalana) ceremony during which prayers were offered to Lord Ganesha.
Cultural activities kick started with young children performing popular numbers. “I am overjoyed with the response. ATF was established in 2006 with a vision to connect the Telangana community to promote culture and commerce. So we need support,” said Mr Tedla, introducing members who helped organise the cultural evening.
Mr Panthula thanked those gathered and those who performed. He also thanked artists who came from India to participate in the event and requested the younger generation to be part of ATF.
For more information: https://australiantelanganaforum.org/
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