Arizona Telugu Assocaition Ugadi CelebrationTop Stories

April 01, 2014 12:49

(Image source from: Arizona Telugu Assocaition Ugadi Celebration})

United States has a sizeable Telugu diaspora. The Telugu people, hailing from India's Andhra Pradesh, started migrating to the US since early 1960s. Since then they have emerged as an influential and affluent ethnic minority in the US, and have a visible presence in terms of occupational profile, increasing income levels and their remarkable contribution to the US economy.

In 2001, the diaspora had over 3 lakh Telugus in the US (according to a report prepared by Bhaskar, T.L.S & Bhat, Chandrasekhar titled "A General Note on the Telugu Diaspora in the United States"). Today the number must be at least double, if not triple of the 2001 figure.

Arizona Telugu Assocaition

In order to bring Arizona's Telugu speaking community together, the Arizona Telugu Assocaition (AZTA) was formed in 1989. At present, the AZTA has more than 800 members.

This year AZTA has organised Ugadi celebration for the Telugu people in Arizona on 19th April.

AZTA activities

The AZTA organises celebrations during festivals like Sankranthi, Ugadi and Deepavali, which help to promote Telugu culture. It's a great platform for the Telugu community in Arizona to showcase their talent. The association organizes events like picnics and sports tournaments every year. Besides AZTS makes arrangement to hold entertaining events like musical concerts and dance recitals by inviting prominent artists from India and the US.

AZTA has been making efforts to spread the understanding and appreciation of Telugu culture among the Telugu community in US. It has several programs to teach kids the Telugu language. It also promotes the rich heritage of Telugu culture and traditions among the Telugu diaspora in the US.

Arizona Telugu Ugadi celebration

The AZTA has organised Ugadi celebration on 19th April for Arizona's Telugu people. It will be held at the Indo American Cultural center in West Maryland, Phoenix. The day will be celebrated with cultural programmes and other entertaining events. Children can participate in the drawing competition, while adults and teens can take part in the fashion show. Besides people can participate in Tambola or the others attractions of the day.

What is Ugadi?

'Ugadi' is New Year's Day in Hindu calendar and is celebrated by the people of entire Deccan region of India. People in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, call this festival as Yugadi/Ugadi. Maharashtrians celebrate the day as Gudi Padwa, while people in Rajasthan observe the day as Thapna. The Sindhi community also observe the same day as New Year's day and call it Cheti Chand.

The word 'Ugadi' or 'Yugadi' has been derived from the Sanskrit words yuga (meaning age) and ādi (meaning the beginning). When the words 'yuga and ādi' are combined the new word means, "the beginning of a new age".

There is no fixed date for Ugadi as it's based on the Hindu calendar that is a lunisolar calendar. So every year the festival of Ugadi is celebrated on a different day. 'Ugadi' is the first day in the new year in the Saka calendar that begins with the month of Chaitra (March–April).

How is Ugadi celebrated

People who observe this festival celebrate it with great enthusiasm. The entire extended family tries to come together for Ugadi. And like any festival in India, food is the central attraction of this day. Family members come together and enjoy a sumptuous feast.

The day sees people observing the ritual showers (oil bath) and prayers at home and in temples. People wear new clothes and can be generally seen in traditional attire. People eat Ugadi Pachhadi and also listen to the recitation of the Panchangam.

Ugadi Pachhadi

The Hindu New Year for the Telugu people is associated with Ugadi Pachhadi. It is prepared in every Telugu home and consumed by all the family members. Ugadi Pachhadi is a special dish prepared by using six specific ingredients – neem buds/flower, jaggery, green chilly/pepper, salt, tamarind juice and unripe mango. Every home has a different recipe to prepare this flavourful dish but the basic ingredients are the same. Generally the specifix mixture is prepared by cooking all the ingredients into a sauce like consistency.

Each ingredient used in Ugadi Pachhadi symbolizes the truth that life consists of specific experiences which are represented by these food items. Neem buds/flower represents sadness, jaggery symbolizes happiness, green chilly/pepper represents anger, salt represents fear, tamarind juice symbolizes disgust and unripe mango represent surprise. Having this special mixture on the first day of the year is a reminder to people that they have to go through these experiences during the coming days of the year.

Food is an important part of any festivity in India and 'Ugadi' is no exception. Besides Ugadi Pachhadi, people relish home-made delicacies like Bhakshyalu or Obbatu.

Panchangam

On Ugadi people also listen to the recitation of the Panchangam (almanac) of the new year. This informal social function involves reading out aloud the general forecast of the entire year. The event is called 'Panchanga Sravanam'. Usually an elderly person in the family or a respected person in the community reads the almanac. It's a fun event and participated by the people with great enthusiasm.