Telangana people in US say TATA to TANA

HYDERABAD: Nearly 10 months after the creation of Telangana, the bifurcation of the Telugu-speaking state has crossed the Atlantic. The Telugu community in the US and North America, one of the most influential among the Indians there, is all set to celebrate their diversity from now on.
With the launch of Telugu association of Telangana in the US in the first week of April, the Telugu divide is set to be formalized in North America.
The Telugu community is nearly 10 lakh-strong in the US and Canada, and post-bifurcation, the majority numbers appear to be loaded heavily in favour of Andhra Pradesh. “Of the 10 lakh Telugu population here, only about 1.5 lakh are from Telangana,” Anugu Srinivas Reddy, a professional from Washington DC and hailing from Telangana, told TOI over telephone. Srinivas Reddy is the founder of Telangana American Telugu Association (TATA) whose formal launch is to take place at the Royal Albert Palace in New Jersey on April 5 at the hands of Nizamabad TRS MP K Kavitha.
After the Telugus landed in big numbers in the US, the Telugu Association of North America (TANA) was among the first major community organization floated by them in the year 1977. However, with people from coastal Andhra dominating the association, splinter groups emerged. If the earlier splits were based on caste dynamics, it is the regional divide that has given rise to TATA. “Telangana state has become a reality. And there has been a tremendous response from the Telangana Telugus to the association. We hope to secure a primary membership of about 10,000 Telugus soon after the launch,” Srinivas Reddy said.

Representatives of both the associations (TANA and TATA) conceded that regional frictions between them rose in the recent past and simmer even after the bifurcation of the state. “We will all work for the growth of the Telugu community, the only difference being we will promote the culture and heritage of our respective states. I welcome the formation of TATA,” TANA’s current president Mohan Nananpaneni told TOI. According to him, TANA has spent nearly Rs 300 crore so far in philanthropic activities and that will not stop just because a separate Telangana association has been formed.
For TATA’s Srinivas Reddy, except for extending support to the people of Telangana, there is no regional divide. “In fact, we will be inviting other Telugu associations for our launch” he pointed out.
And unlike bitterness and animosity back home, the representatives of the two Telugu states in North America promised to work in close coordination.