AMN / HYDERABAD
President Ram Nath Kovind has said the Telugu language became a global language making name for itself and for the country and appreciated the contributions made by Telugu speaking people to the socio-cultural and economic development of the country.
Mr Kovind, who is on a two-day visit to Hyderabad, participated as the Chief Guest in the closing ceremony of the World Telugu Conference held last evening in the capital city of Telangana. He said Telugu has been a bridge between the North and the South of India.
The President also lauded services of Telugu leaders and his predecessors like S Radhakrishnan, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy and VV Giri besides former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao to the nation. He commended the contributions of Telugu poets and writers to the society and nation building through their writings. He congratulated Chief Minister Chandrasekhar Rao and the government for successfully organising the five-day event.
Using the opportunity, the Chief Minister announced that given the tremendous response to WTC from Telugu lovers, the State government has decided to organise a two-day Telangana Telugu Mahasabhalu (Telangana Telugu Conference) every year from December next for promotion of Telugu literature and culture. He pointed out that learning Telugu has been mandated for every student in Telangana State for which the government had already issued orders making Telugu language mandatory for students of KG to Class XII.
The grand finale of the World Telugu Conference has been a spectacular affair with laser beams of different hues engulfing the Lal Bahadur Stadium and pyrotechnics lighting the evening sky to the beats of various instruments. The dazzling display of fireworks, laser beams and drum beats in perfect unison left everyone in the packed stadium spell-bound.
While the literary festival spread over five days was a inspiring feast of words, the show on the closing ceremony, sans lengthy speeches, provided the perfect setting to bring the curtains down on the one-of-its-kind exercise to promote Telugu language. The event saw over 16 thousand delegates out of which about 500 from 42 countries.