NEW YORK (TIP): For the first time, TLCA Women’s Forum was initiated by President Raji Kuncham when she took office in February 2015. To realize the vision Kuncham created the Women’s Forum Team: Dr. Jyoti Jasti & Vijaya Nyayapathi (CoChairs), Nirmala Shastry ( Advisor), Sirisha Tunuguntla, Rama Vanama, and Uma Reddy. The purpose of the Women’s Forum is to bring women together in order to advance women’s issues, foster networking, encourage participation and bring awareness to all members of the Telugu Community. Our mantra is to promote social and emotional wellness” said, President Raji Kuncham.

Just a month into inception of new team, the TLCA Women’s Forum rolled out its very first event,
“Women’s Health Initiative” on March 1st 2015. The program centered on educating women in recognizing a variety of critical health matters – symptoms of common pelvic, gastrointestinal ,musculoskeletal and neurological diseases and how they can be prevented, current screening guidelines in preventing breast and colon cancer, understanding and living with osteoarthritis , ergonomics to avoid repetitive strain, and the importance of wellness visits. The speakers panel included Dr. Tulasi Polavarupu, Dr. Shalini Patcha, Dr. Sridevi Bhumi and Dr. Shailaja Kalva , specialists in Obstetrics & Gynecology, Neurology ,Gastroenterology and Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation respectively. Following the talk, there was an interactive Q&A session where concerns of the audience were answered by the experts.

The program was moderated by Co Chair Dr. Jyothi Jasti, who is an Internist by profession. A sumptuous lunch, in a congenial atmosphere, was the perfect prelude to the Health Talk. The event was well attended despite the inclement weather. The overwhelming success of this first event, and the warm outpouring of appreciation and encouragement portend many more milestones to achieve for the new TLCA team. The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, Queens & Long Island Chapter (AAPIQLI) proudly joined the Telugu Literary & Cultural Association (TLCA) to bring this informative health session to the TLCA members.

The TLCA Women’s Forum is excited and already planning their next event to commemorate Mother’s Day in early May. The program will begin with an emphasis on wellness-the science of breath and mindfulness, followed by a Mother’s Day luncheon.

The next major TLCA event is the celebration of the Telugu New Year, Ugadi on March 28th at the Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing from 3:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.