The 3-day 18th conference of Telugu Association of North America (TANA) began on July 1 at the Santa Clara Convention Centre at Santa Clara in California on a grant note with a key note address by Mr GM Rao, industrialist.

TANA, which has been working for unity and cultural and social and integration among the Telugu NRIs in the US ever since its inception, is felicitating several top Telugu personalities on the occasion.

Eminent personalities from various walks of life are gracing the conference and the organizers are felicitating some of the Telugu legends with the life time achievement awards on the occasion.

The organizers announced the TANA Lifetime Achievement Award to Kalatapaswi Mr K. Viswanath and the TANA Literary Achievement Award to veteran cine writer and actor Mr Gollapudi Maruthi Rao.

On the first day of the conference, the organizers facilitated the industrialist of the Chittor district Mr U.Sundara Naidu with a life time achievement award. The award was given away to him by the Narasaraopet MP Mr Venugopala Reddy.

Entertainment programmes and business conferences

As part of the conference, several entertainment programmes, spiritual discourses, business and investment seminars and literary debates are being conducted by the management of the TANA enthrall the participants.

Several politicians including the Assembly Speaker Nadendla Manohar, MP Mr Lagadapati Rajagopal, Union Minister Pallam Raju, former union minister Ms Renuka Choudary, Ministers Mopidevi Venkataramana, Dokka Manikya Varaprasad, CPM state secretary Raghavulu, Nannapaneni Rajakumari and several others have become part of the celebrations.

Literary experts Samavedam Shanmugha Sarma and Jonnavithula, spiritual speakers Matha Siva Chaitanya, Sri Viswayogi Viswamji and Karunamayi Matha are also gracing the occasion.

As usual, several film personalities including Muralimohan, AVS, Paruchuri Gopalakrishna, hero Nadamuri Bala Krishna and some of the Tollywood heroines would make special appearances.