The World Telugu Literary Conference was held in China for the first time. The Vanguri Foundation of America and the Shanghai Telugu Association hosted the 10th edition in Shanghai on October 24–25. Telugu people from India, the US, Malaysia, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Oman and the UAE took part in person and online.
Highlights
- More than 30 talks on Telugu language, literature, culture and diaspora writing.
- Keynote by actor and writer Tanikella Bharani; key address by Padma Bhushan Dr. Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad.
- 10 new books launched. Andhra Jyothy said Surendra Nukala's 'Bharatiya Hrudayam Pravasa Jeevitham' is the first Telugu book published from China.
- Lifetime achievement award to Dr. Maddela Achayya Kumar Rao of Malaysia.
- The Malaysia Telugu Academy staged the dance drama 'Prahlada Charitra'.
Former Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu, unable to travel for health reasons, opened the event by video. "Language is not merely a medium of communication; it represents our roots, culture, and identity," he said. He urged parents abroad to speak Telugu at home and teach children to read and write it.
The Indian Consulate in Shanghai felicitated Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad. Andhra Jyothy reported that the Telugu Book of International Records recognised the event as the first Telugu literary conference in China. The conference was dedicated to the late writer Dr. Tenneti Sudha Devi.
