Date:23/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/23/stories/2007122354630600.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Bonding through art and culture

Staff Reporter

Two-day ATA convention begins with focus on folk art forms and traditional games to bring together people across the State

Party time: Anam Vivekananda Reddy, Nellore MLA, and Mekapati Chandrasekhara Reddy, Udayagiri MLA, break into a jig at the two-day ATA meet in Nellore on Saturday.

NELLORE: Seeking to bring together people and their cultures across the State, the two-day American Telugu Association (ATA) convention started here on Saturday with focus on folk art forms and traditional games.

The two-day event commenced with a huge rally in which artists of traditional folk art forms like kolatam, tappetagullu, keelugurralu, toorpubhagotam, garidi, veedhinatakam and others showcased their talent, which was followed by the inaugural ceremony.

As many as 16 troupes comprising 220 members of different traditional folk art forms, who were invited from across the State, took part in the rally.

Prime objective

According to District Collector M. Ravi Chandra and Megasoft Chairman Ravindra Sannareddy, who have made the hosting the convention possible, the prime objective of the event was to uplift traditional folk art forms and artistes.

Meanwhile, all-important temples and tourist spots have been given a face-lift to hold different programmes, including folk arts festival.

Meanwhile a website www.zppnellore.org has been launched to offer details such as existing infrastructure and the requirement pertaining to hometowns of each NRI.

Besides, an NRI cell, which will provide details with regard to persons of Nellore origin living abroad, details of the funds they have provided for development of their hometowns and progress of the works taken up with their financial assistance, was also established coinciding with the two-day convention.