The history of the Telugu Association in the Nashville area goes back to 1978. The Telugu Association of Tennessee (TAT) was registered with the State of Tennessee and informal activities were organized. As there were only a handful of Telugu families in this area at that time, the gathering used to be rare, far apart, and held in personal homes. As the Telugu community started growing, it became difficult for all Telugu families to stay in touch with each other. In 1995 there were suggestions from many quarters of the Telugu community to form a Telugu Association that would help improve communication among Telugu families and celebrate Telugu culture, in Middle Tennessee and surrounding areas. The idea was endorsed by a majority of Telugu families and the Tennessee Telugu Samithi (TTS) was formed on May 1, 1995. The constitution for TTS was adopted on July 14, 1995 and TTS applied for non-profit status shortly thereafter. The temporary non-profit status for TTS was approved in October 1996. The permanent non-profit status was awarded in 2000. Today TTS is an expanding non-profit organization serving the Telugu families in Middle Tennessee and surrounding areas. TTS has successfully raised and donated funds for cyclone victims in India, for accident victims, for assault victims, for the Kargil conflict, and for Tsunami victims.
Goals and Objectives:
- Preserve, maintain, propagate, and perpetuate Telugu cultural heritage.
- Assist and propagate Telugu cultural, educational, social, economic, and community affairs.
- Promote establishment of Telugu organizations in regions of North America, where there are no such organizations.
- Organize periodic Telugu literary, cultural, and educational meetings and functions.
- Foster friendship and understanding among Telugu and people from other communities.
- Assist the needy in the community with monetary help, e.g. for higher education and terminal medical care.
- Interact, communicate, and coordinate with other Telugu associations in North America.
- Raise, solicit, collect, and disburse funds, gifts, and donations for cultural, educational, medical, and charitable purposes either directly or in cooperation with other non-profit organizations in the USA and in India.
