Telugu is the primary language spoken in the southeast region of India, in the states of Telangana and Seema Andhra. [Formerly Andhra Pradesh.] In 2004, the Government of India declared that languages that met certain requirements could be accorded the status of a “Classical Language in India”. Telugu was declared a classical language in 2008.
Telugu is a Dravidian language predominantly spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and in Yanam where it is an official language. It is also spoken by significant minorities in the states of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, the union territory Puducherry, and by the Sri Lankan Gypsy people.
Telugu ranks third by the number of native speakers in India (74 million), thirteenth in the Ethnologue list of most-spoken languages worldwide and is the most widely spoken Dravidian language. It is one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India.
(source: wikipedia)
Telugu Samiti of Nebraska was formed primarily to foster cultural, educational, literary, civic, social and charitable activities among the Telugu speaking community of Nebraska. Over the years it has helped foster relationships and build bridges amongst the Nebraskan Telugu community.
Organization History
The organization took birth in an informal manner around 2004. As and when the community grew, what started as celebration of Telugu culture, and festival events at the temple, took shape and became a formal organization in 2012. Many of our community members who played a major and prominent part in the earlier years, are still active and serve as Permanent Members to the Executive Council. The organization soon hopes to qualify as a non profit and serve the community better.
Activities
As a community we have three major events: Telugu New Year, Summer Picnic which is also a sporting event and a Winter Indoor event. These events allow us to meet fellow Telugu people, engage, connect and extend our network. We try to create an environment of home away from home via these activities.
Charity
As an expat community, we are also part of a broader American culture in Nebraska. To support our immediate environment, we have established tie-ups with local charities and contribute via our community. Paying it forward to society and helping those less fortunate than us, is an important aspect of TSN. Apart from this, we intend to also identify and help Indian charities in the near future.
Emergency Response Squad
Emergency Response Squad [ERS], is a concept similar to that of Telugu Association of North America’s (TANA) team square. Through this program, we shall help Nebraskan Telugus in distress. As the name suggests it is meant to support our community people in need of help. If you are facing an extremely trying event such as illness or sudden death you can reach out to TSN, and through ERS, we hope to help affected parties, in whatever small way that we can. It could be logistics, financial help, or simple guidance.