- Asthakala Balakrishna Murthy

           ANDHRA Cultural heritage is shared by the Telugu speaking people living in Canada. There are about 2,000 people scattered all over the countrythough most of the people live in cities like Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton. Telugu speaking people are in the categories of professionals, technical people and students and they all make their contribution in meeting the economic goals of Canada. Being small in numbers, Telugu speaking people cannot make any significant cultural impact in the country. However, they try to preserve and expose their cultural concerts and Telugu movies for their own people and also for the Canadians. Andhra Cultural Association of Edmonton has been in existence since 1969 and has served well in accomplishing the above objective.

           Canada is one of the Commonwealth countries with a population of 23 million people and a large land area. It has vast natural resources and is highly industrialized. The Universities in Canada offer educational as well as research facilities to foreign students. A combination of all these factors attract students as well as others from India to come to Canada. Telugu speaking people are un-known for their willingness to travel abroad in pursuit of their educational and career goals. A substantial number of people come to Canadian Universities for graduate studies and post-doctoral research work. Some of these students find employment and settle down in this country. The other category of people who live in Canada are professionals like doctors, engineers, university professors, teachers and technical people. They are employed in provincial government departments, universities, hospitals and other similar institutions. They contribute their professional and technical skills which are needed for the fast growing economy of Canada. Their earnings are comparable to others in similar positions and they enjoy the same standard of living and social status.

           Telugu people in Canada are conscious of their rich cultural heritage. They try to preserve it by being involved in cultural and literary activities. Also, they expose their find and colourful art forms by organizing music and dance concerts and Telugu motion pictures for their own and Canadian audiences.

           Many Telugu families have been living in this country for a long time. Children who have grown up here cannot speak Telugu and are not familiar with Telugu customs and traditions. So they need exposure to the Telugu language and culture to whatever extent it is possible. The cultural activities, music and dance concerts, Telugu movies organized by their parents would familiarize children with Telugu language and culture. Teaching Telugu language to children is still a responsibility left with parents. However, this is a very difficult task for both parents and children because of lack of educational materials and time or proper instruction. If there is sufficient demand, it is possible to request for Telugu language classes in schools for Telugu children.

           Andhra Cultural Association of Edmonton was founded in January, 1969 with about 50 members. The objective in forming this association was to provide an opportunity for Telugu speaking people in Edmonton to meet occasionally for celebrating Telugu festivals and pursue other cultural and social activities. The association was kept informal because of small membership. The activities were organized by an executive committee consisting of a President, a Secretary and a Treasurer. In the following years the association grew significantly in all activities and to some extent in membership. The association was run by a Secretary and a Joint Secretary and representatives for specific tasks. In 1975, the association was formally constituted and registered in Alberta. In the same year, the association received a generous grant from the Government of Alberta to support its cultural activities.

           A library was started in 1970 with a small collection of about 200 publications of classical and modern literature. Since then the collection has increased to about 600 books and magazines like Bharati, Chandamama and weeklies like Andhra Prabha and Patrika with financial contributions from the members and also with a small grant from the Government of Canada. In 1970, an yearly publication called 'Vani' was commissioned for the benefit of the members. Members with literary interest are encouraged to contribute articles to Vani which is usually released around Ugadi. Since 1976, literary articles from other interested people have been included in Vani.

           Picnics are organized in summer months. There are a number of recreational parks in the city as well as within 50 miles outside of Edmonton. Games and outdoor activities are organized for both members and children. Part of the picnic is a delicious lunch prepared by the lady members, in winter, usually around Sankranti competitions in indoor games like table tennis, chess and caroms are organized for members and children and prizes are awarded to the winners.

           Andhra Association cooperated with other Indian associations in Edmonton in inviting outstanding artists like Smt. Rajasulochana (dance), Smt.Padmini and her dance group, Sri Chittibabu and party (Veena), Sri A.K.C. Natarajan and party (Clarinet) for concerts in Edmonton. For the first time in 1976. Andhra Association took the lead in organizing, with the cooperation from other Indian associations, a concert by Smt. M. L. Vasantha Kumari (vocal music) and Kumari Vidya (dance). Part of the expenses were covered by a generous grant from the Government of Alberta. Thjese concerts provided cultural entertainment for Indian patrons, and also gave an opportunity for the Canadian audience to see the fine music and dance traditions of Andhra and South Indian culture. Andhra association arranges Telugu movie shows for the members whenever movies are available from the distributors from Canada.

           Andhra Cultural Association of Edmonton sent a delegate to the First Telugu International Conference held at Hyderabad in 1975, at the invitation of the State Government of Andhra Pradesh. The delegate participated in conference discussions and cultural activities.

           The Andhra Cultural Association has grown from its modest beginnings to a well organized group of significant accomplishment. The association owes its success largely to the enthusiastic support given by the members in all activities and also the organizing efforts of all the members who served on the executive committees from the inception of the association until now. It is also fortunate that both the Government of Canada and the Government of Alberta encourage the concept of multicultural society where the various cultural backgrounds are respected.

           In conclusion, Andhra Cultural Association has served well in accomplishing the objective of preserving the culturaol heritage of Telugu speaking people in Edmonton. Telugu speaking people elsewhere in Canada have shown their cultural identity in their own ways.

Acknowledgements
           This article has been prepared on behalf of the Andhra Cultural Association of Edmonton, Canada.