Tens of thousands of Indian Americans attend events.
By Hajra Ajlan
Traditionally, America’s birthday weekend is conference time for many Indian American groups. Every year, a host of organizations, among them ethnic, professional and social associations, host their national confabs during the July 4th weekend. This year was no exception.
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Tens of thousands of Indian Americans gathered in different cities across the United States last weekend for various conferences. Many of these conferences featured prominent political leaders and cultural icons from India, such as Minister for Urban Development Venkaiah Naidu, who attended the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) conference in Detroit and the North American Telugu Society’s (NATS) “Sambaralu” in Anaheim; and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who attended the Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal of North American conference in Los Angeles.
We take a look at some the conferences held during the Fourth weekend:
TANA Conference
The Telugu Association of North America hosted its 20th conference at the Cobo Center in Detroit on July 2, 3 and 4. Besides Naidu, Indian Supreme Court Judge N.V. Ramana, Telugu superstar Venkatesh and a number political leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana attended the event.
According to the organizers, the conference attracted more than 10,000 people from all over North America and it presented an opportunity for the Telugu community to participate in cultural, literary and business activities, celebrate their achievements and interact with thought leaders and celebrities over three days of authentic Telugu fun and food.
This was the third time Detroit hosted the conference. The previous two TANA conferences in the city were in 1979 and 2005.
NATS ‘Sambaralu’
The 4th Sambaralu by the North American Telugu Society (NATS) was held in Anaheim Convention Centre in Los Angeles from July2 -4, 2015. Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, political leaders from Andhra Pradesh and Telengana and actor Kajol Agrawal were among attendees.
A number of cultural shows were performed by Telugu artists from the United States, India and other parts of the world. The cultural performances included Anoop Ruben’s music show, instrumental ensemble led by the UK-based Jyotsna Srikanth, and a ballet by Dr. Sindhuri Jayasinghe.
Odisha Society of the Americas conference
The Odisha Society of the Americas (OSA) celebrated its 46th anniversary convention at the Gaylord Resort in National Harbor, MD, just outside Washington, DC. The Global Odisha Conference was held in conjunction with the convention which was held from July 2 to July 4.
The event was inaugurated at the Kennedy Center of Performing Arts, Washington DC. During this annual event the Odias from various parts of the United States, Canada and from all over the world got an opportunity to display and share the pride and rich heritage of the culture of Orissa and pass it on to each other. Seminars and forums related to the development of the Orissa and the Oriya community of North America were held along with popular performances by artists from Orissa.
The first day of the convention was celebrated as the Odisha Development Day and it featured presentations and workshops on literature, women’s issue, poetry reading, youth events, dance and music competitions, cultural performance by invited artists, drama competition, shows, food samplings, art and crafts shows, vendor displays, employment and investment fairs.
FeTNA convetion
The Federation of Tamil Sangams of North America, or FeTNA, held its 28th convention in San Jose, California, on July 3 and 4. A number of Tamil scholars and guests from the United States and across the world attended the event.
It also featured cultural events, discussion on Tamil literature, arts, and current affairs, forums for young professionals, networking events for entrepreneurs, and a chess tournament.
Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal convention
The 7th Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal Convention was held in Los Angeles from July 2 to July 5. The chief guest at the event was the visiting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The convention featured business and professional seminars, entertainment and educational programs, and art exhibition.
Assam Convention
The 36th Assam Convention, celebrating the Assamese culture, was held in Las Vegas from July 2 to July 4. It featured various cultural programs for children and adults, business events, literary workshops and discussions on contemporary issues affecting the Assamese people the world over.
Kerala Hindu North America convention
The 8th biennial convention of the Kerala Hindu North America (KHNA) was held in Dallas, TX, from July 2 to July 6. Held under the leadership of the newly elected president T. N. Nair, the event featured cultural programs, religious and spiritual speeches, music, kathakali, classical and contemporary musical performances.