Pongal-Republic Day 2005
Event Summary Report
Pongal/Sankranti celebrations were organized in Johnson Middle School, Walpole , MA (USA) on Sunday 9th Jan 2005. Event was started with welcoming guests and then held a moment of silence for the victims of Tsunami disaster.
Around 300 people attended and $4,656.00 was pledged during this event. Chief guest Mr.Subbu Kota has generously came forward to sponsor the education of 20 underprivileged children in India. Honorary guest Mr.Ranjan Vadlapatla has announced his $200 donation during his speech. In addition to this pledged amount, many people have promised to contribute more money and time for supporting the Bighelp's noble cause. Some of the donations were also eligible for matching gift programs to receive 100% matching from the employers. Those who could not attend the event due to inclement weather or sick kids also mailed their pledges which will increase the total pledged amount significantly.
The highlights of the event are bharatnatyam by Anshuleena Vipparla, Sankranthi Song and dance by a group of young kids, Kuchipudi Dance by Saloni Jain, Shujoya Paul and Supriya Jain of Triveni School of Dance, dance by Karishma, Monica and Sushmita for Hindi song in the movie Dev, Bharatanatyam by Mrs. Soumya Ramanathan. Kuchipudi dance by Aishwarya Ravi, Akash Ravi and Siddarta Pandhare, students of Nartanam School of Dance, Flute by Sanjay Batchu and melodious singing by Anjitha.
We have received numerous appreciations for the quality of programs and delicious food prepared by volunteers.
We are proud to offer Samar (www.samarinfo.org) to organize Bone marrow drive in this event to find the matching bone marrow for Anupama, NJ who is suffering from Lukemia. Around 30% of attendees have responded and registered their names by giving their blood samples.
Following is the list of winners for Rangoli, Art and Coloring competitions. Every participant in coloring competition has received a complimentary prize.
| Name of competition | First prize winner | Second prize winner |
|---|---|---|
| Rangoli Painting | Sukanya Tadepalli | Vahini Kuppa |
| Art | Anshuleena Vipparla (Tsunami based) | Pragna (pongal based) |
| Coloring (0-4 yrs) | Nitya Yelamanchili | Roshini M |
| Coloring (5-8 yrs) | Sarika Pokala | Sadhana |
| Coloring (9 plus) | Ravi Yelamanchili | Karishma Reddy |
Our sincere thanks to our chief guest Mr.Subbu Kota, guest speaker Mrs.Vasantha Peddireddy, honorary guests Dr.Anupam Wali, Mr.Baburao Polavarapu, Mr.Ranjan Vadlapatla, Mrs.Vahini Kuppa and all media persons for kindly accepting our invitation and taking time to attend the event.
Our sincere thanks to Nartanam School of Dance, Triveni School of Dance, Mrs. Neena Gulati, Mrs. Sudha Thotapalli, Mrs.Soumya Ramanathan, Mrs.Varalakshmi Reddy, Mrs.Paleti Sudharani, Mrs.Thilak Rada, Mrs.Madhavi Kamma, Mrs.Deepti Gora, all parents and all kids for their cooperation and contribution for exhilarating cultural programs.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who attended the event in making this event a grand success! Our sincere thanks to all who could not attend the event due to personal reasons but sending their donations through mail.
Our special thanks to Mrs.&Mr. Madhavi and Chandra Kamma, Kavitha and Srinivas Chaganti, Haritha and Srihari Valiveti, Latha and Vijay Panchakshari, Sunitha and Veera Reddy, Anantha and Amar Jayam, Akhila and Syam Prasad Reddy, Sukanya and Sudhakar Tadepalli, Deepthi and Firoz Gora, Vansantha and Durgaprasad Peddireddy, Vijaya and Ramesh Tallam, Madhavi and Adiseshu Jonnagaddala, Kunthal and Paresh Poonathar, Ganga and Sivakumar, Sathya, Padma and Subbu Kuruganti, Banu and Rajsekhar Thota, Anjani and Srinivas Batchu for their coordination and many hours of efforts in making this event a success story.
Our special thanks to Cheyuta and NETA for all their help in organizing this event.
With sincere appreciation,
Chand Pasha (president) & Bighelp team