Andhra Association, Calcutta, (13A Sahanagar Road, Kolkata 700026) was established on an auspicious day 9th September, 1936 (Vinayaka Chavithi) by our founding father Sri Vadlamania Venkatesam Pantulu garu with just 20 members and it has crossed many a milestones since then. The first Governor of united Andhra Pradesh Sri C M Trivedi and first Chief Minister Sri Taguyurl Prakasam Pantulu have graced this Association with their visit. They were followed by many other dignitaries, noteworthy of them was Sri Mandatary Taraka Rama Rao garu.
Our main vision is to cater to the social, cultural and educational needs of Telugu Community of Kolkata. We identify and address Community issues using this platform. Andhra Association, Calcutta is committed to promote and adapt economically sustainable measures to preserve rich literature and cultural heritage of Telugu community in Kolkata.
In its long journey through the years, the Association has done commendable service to the community and created assets and service centre. At present, it has a large establishment at Sahanagar Road, Kolkata and still remains a nucleus of Telugu community activities in the city.
It has been the Association s earnest intension to promote community activities and culture. There has been a continuous effort and urge for developing fraternal relations with other organizations having similar objectives in Kolkata and surrounding areas as an integral part of its other activities.
The Association has been managing the Andhra Association Building Trust. it has started first Telugu medium school in Calcutta in 1938 at the initiative of Dr. C. Sambasiva Rao, a prominent educationalist and social worker, for the benefit of children of Telugu community in Calcutta, the Andhra Association can legitimately take the pride in fulfilling one of its prime objectives-promotion of education amongst the children of our community with Telugu being the main teaching language since inception of Andhra Association. The school has a strength of about 1000 students and having classes up-to class XII . The school alumni comprises of achievers across the country and the world, in fields as wide as IT, Corporate, Civil Service, Armed Forces etc who make the Telugu community proud. The school is equipped with a huge library and has TTD booking counter within its campus.
We regularly conduct social and cultural activities like Telugu New Year (Ugadhi), Srirama Navami, Sri Vinayaka Chavithi, Sri Samuhika Satyanaryanavrathamulu and other events.
On April 11, 2010, Salt Lake Telugu Samajam, in association with Andhra Association, had arranged a get together of 1000 Telugu software engineers working in and around Salt Lake and Rajarhat area at Eastern Zone Cultural Centre s AC Hall, Sector 111, Salt Lake. Print and electronic media has given wide coverage of the event.
In the year 2010-11 we had celebrated as the Platinum Jubilee Year of the Association. In the same year, with kind association of Sri Potti Sri Ramulu Telugu University, we had presented a comedy plays with renowned cine artists, Sri Rallapalli garu, Sri Hanumanth Rao garu and Smt Padma Priya, TV artist. University has also helped us in conducting unique programmes like Janapada Geetalu by Sri Damodara Ganapati, Astavadhanam and Kavi Sammelanam by Dr. Gopi Garu in it s endeavour to promote our rich heritage.
We not only provide a platform to preserve our culture and heritage and pass same onto future generations, but we also participate in social welfare activities like providing clothes to Blind Schools in Kolkata and also providing books and other stationeries to student belonging to under-privileged sections.
In the month of August, 2014 when huge team from Ongole district on their pilgrimage to Kasi, fell sick and were got admitted to Apollo Hospital in Kolkata, a swift initiative taken by members of Andhra Association, Calcutta. The yatris were put back on flight to Chennai after administering initial medication with help of Govt. of Andhra Pradesh to which Andhra Association had earned a praise from Chief Minister Sri Nara Chandrababu Naidu.