- Saturday, July 27, 2024
The Gulf is a home to sizable Telugu diaspora which celebrate the formation of Telangana as a separate state on June 2, 2024.
By: Shubham Ghosh
RENOWNED Indian poet and lyricist Ande Sri has remarked that the dialect and culture of the south Indian state of Telangana is alive in the Gulf region compared to many other parts of the world.
The award-winning artiste, who is originally known as Ande Yellanna, wrote the popular song ‘Jaya Jaya he Telangana…’ during the state’s movement to gain recognition which it did in June 2014. Some of the lyrics of the song were incorporated by K Chandrasekhar Rao, the first chief minister of the state who also played a key role in the statehood movement. Telangana was carved out of the southern state of Andhra Pradesh and like the latter, is home to Telugu-speaking people.
The song was declared as the state anthem by its government, led by the Indian National Congress, in February 2024.
The 65-yrear-old Sri, who was in Dubai in the UAE recently to take part in the decennial celebrations of the State Formation Day of Telangana, praised the Indian diaspora’s enthusiasm towards the cultural identity and their admiration for the anthem, Telangana Today reported.
Speaking in an event related to the celebration on Sunday (9), Sri said he met members of the Indian diaspora across the globe and is planning to pay a visit to Saudi Arabia. V Prakash, a Telangana ideologue, also spoke on the occasion where he acknowledged the contribution of the diaspora in the formation of the state.
Filmmaker Vinay Babu was also present.
The event was presided by prominent non-resident Indian (NRI) activist Katukam Ravi.
Similar events were also held by Telangana Friends Association in Abu Dhabi in the UAE; Telangana Cultural Association in Bahrain and the Telugu Kala Samithi, a prominent Telugu NRI body.
