NEW YORK (TIP): Mrs. Raji Kuncham takes over as the 30th President of Telugu Literary Cultural Association (TLCA), one of the oldest Indian American organizations in the country. On January 31st, at the Telugu Sankranti Festival event held at the Hindu Temple Auditorium in Flushing, NY. Dr. Nageswara Rao Mandava, Election Officer 2015, announced the new team and administered the Oath of Office to President Raji Kuncham.

 

Secretary Srinivas Guduru, in his introduction described Mrs. Raji Kuncham as an “amazing person, great role model and a dynamic leader.” Her contributions to TLCA for the last decade have been invaluable and noteworthy in various roles, from volunteer to EC member to Vice President. Mrs. Raji Kuncham’s contributions go way beyond TLCA, serving many other organizations. Her work in support of soup kitchens, shelters for the homeless, eye camps in India and promoting wellness programs are very dear to her.

 

Mrs. Raji Kuncham has had many firsts in her life. In her educational career, she earned many top distinctions, being a State Topper and a Gold Medalist at the District and State levels. She served as an Assistant Professor at Tirupathi Agricultural College, SV University. Subsequently, she served as an Agricultural Officer and holds the rare distinction of being the first woman to serve as an Agricultural Officer in the country in the history of Indian Bank. After moving to the United States, she earned her second Masters’ Degree in Computer Science. Currently, Raji Garu serves as a Senior Database Administrator with a major Fortune 500 company. She’s the proud mom of Bharat and Siddharth. Bharat is a graduate of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and Siddharth will be graduating this May from the School of Engineering & Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania. She and her husband, School Superintendent Dr. Kishore Kuncham, reside in Bellmore.

 

In her remarks, President Raji Kuncham expressed her gratitude for the membership’s confidence in her leadership. She added, “TLCA has made enormous strides in the last 44 years. I know you join me in appreciation of the vision and superb leadership of our beloved founders and past presidents, and the hard work of executive committee members and volunteers. We will steadfastly continue on the path of deepening and expanding the core mission of our association, in preserving and promoting the language, culture, and service for Telugu speaking people and strengthening our ties with other organizations and the community at large.” 

 

Mrs. Raji Kuncham unveiled the TLCA vision for 2015 with a focus centered on women, children, and wellness. She emphasized her team will work vigorously toward successfully executing new and current initiatives.

 

The new TLCA 2015 team includes, President: Mrs. Raji Kuncham, Vice President: Mr. Satya Challapalli, Secretary: Mr. Srinivas Guduru, Treasurer: Dr. Dharmarao Thapi, Joint-Secretary: Mr. Ashok Chintakuntla, Joint-Treasurer: Mr. Babu Kudaravalli, EC Members: Mr. Jaya Prakash Enjapuri, Dr. Jyothi Jasti, Mr. Harisankar Rasaputra, Mr. Prasad Koyi, Mrs. Sirisha Tuniguntla, and Mrs. Rama Vanama.

 

The TLCA is a 44 year old premier Indian American Association in North America established in 1971 and perhaps the oldest in the region with over 1000 families’ strong with a membership of highly accomplished Indian American professionals. The primary goal of the Association is to promote Indian culture and celebrate the rich Telugu cultural and literary activities in the Tristate area. Every year TLCA conducts prominent cultural, literary, and community service events such as medical camps, food drives, and educational seminars that are extremely valuable to the community at large. Please visit the TLCA website tlca.org for more information.

 

TLCA celebrated Sankranti with great pomp at the Hindu Temple in Flushing. The event was well attended and the audience enjoyed outstanding performances by TLCA youth groups, artists from India, and sumptuous food. Outgoing President Rao Voleti presented his report, thanked the audience and the sponsors for their support. The event included recognizing and honoring         Dr. Nori Dattatreyudu for receiving the prestigious award “Padma Shri” from the Government of India for his outstanding services in the medical field. The Hicksville Rotary Club recognized     Dr. Mandava Nageswara Rao for his contributions to gift-of-vision project supporting Sankara Eye Foundation, India.