Telugu community celebrates Hindu culture at festivals

By Hemananthani Sivanandam Correspondent

BRENTWOOD The first Saturday of April saw a local school auditorium in Brentwood filled with enthusiastic adults and children to celebrate two Hindu festivals among the Telugu community.

The April 1 event at the R. Paul Krey Elementary School had more than 200 area residents dressed in traditional attire attending the Ugadi and Sri Rama Navami celebrations.

Ugadi, also known as Yugadi, is derived from two Sanskrit words- “yuga,” which means era or age, and “adi,” which means beginning or start. The springtime festival signifies the New Year for the people in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka in South India.

Sri Rama Navami marks the birth anniversary of one of the most revered deities in Hinduism, Lord Sri Rama, believed to be the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The holy festival is celebrated widely in India and across the world.

These festivals typically fall in March or April, depending on the Hindu calendar. This year, Ugadi was on March 22, while Sri Rama Navami was on March 30.

Tri-Delta Telugu Association member Ravi Vedantham said such events promote Telugu culture not only to the younger gen- eration but also to people elsewhere.

Tejaswi Yenamandra, who has been practicing the traditional Bharatanatyam dance for more than 20 years, performs in Brentwood recently. She started the Saadhana School of Dance in Antioch, teaching children and adults.

“We live in Brentwood. And last year, my wife and I organized a Ugadi festival in our backyard, and we had more than 100 people attending it,” Vedantham said.

“Looking at the interest and passion see Festival page 18A