North America Telugu Society (NATS) successfully conducted their inaugural Balala Sambaralu celebrations in Atlanta on the 12th of November. NATS had conducted this event on the occasion of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s birthday in order to encourage children and to inculcate competitive spirit as well as camaraderie amongst them. The event held in Atlanta was well received by the Telugu community with over 200 children participating in the event. The Atlanta “Balala Sambaralu” was held in 2 phases, with the preliminaries held on the 29th of October and concluded with the grand finale on the 12th of November.
Competitions were held in Music, Dance, Essay Writing, Media Presentation, Elocution, Drawing, and Quiz. Children participated in these competitions with determination and enthusiasm. The finals held on the 12th of November drew huge crowds with no only participants but also interested audience attending the event to watch the competitions. The competitions were followed by a high voltage cultural program which showcased the talent in Atlanta.
The highlight of the cultural programs were performances by special guest Ankitha Jhaveri of Simhadri fame who performed to the famous “Cheema Cheema” and “Andhra Soda” songs. All the participants then joined Ankitha on the stage to rock to the music. The children thoroughly enjoyed the awards ceremony at the end which were highlighted by medals to all participants, trophies and certificates. The joy on the children’s faces was a sight to see. This was followed by a fireworks display that matched the explosive performances on the stage. Once again the children enjoyed the fireworks display to the utmost.
The event truly reflected NATS commitment to the slogan “Neti balale repati pourulu”.
