Indian state marks 50th foundation

The Telugu community in the UAE will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Andhra Pradesh Formation Day in Sharjah on Wednesday and in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.

Chunduru Dharmakarta, co-ordinator of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations, said Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Konijeti Rosaiah will inaugurate the event at the Indian Association Sharjah on Thursday.

Several cultural items are lined up to mark the event, he said. The programmes aim to showcase the splendour of the south Indian state.

Renowned music director Devisriprasad will be honoured with a golden bangle and singers Sagar (Nandi Award winner), Sunita and Vijayalakshmi will be given the Golden Jubilee Awards, said Dharmakarta.

A 25-member troupe will regale the gathering with Maa Telugu Thalliki Mallepoodanda, a dance ballet to remember Potti Sriramulu who died on the 58th day of his hunger strike for a separate state for the Telugu people from the composite Madras state in 1953.

Andhra Pradesh state was formed two years later.

A Kuchipudi dance ballet titled Telugu Velugu highlighting the splendour of Andhra Pradesh will be presented by Sailaja Prasad and her disciples Jayalakshmi, Revati and Rukmini.

The programme starts at 7.30pm and entry is free, the co-ordinator said.