News from Newspaper 25/5/02

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Saturday, May 25, 2002 Group PublicationsBusiness LineThe SportstarFrontlineThe Hindu

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Malaysian Telugus' plea to Naidu

By Our Special Correspondent


HYDERABAD May 24. The three lakh Telugus living in Malaysia feel culturally starved and look to their roots in Andhra Pradesh for help.

A large contingent of MLAs from Andhra Pradesh, which visited Kuala Lumpur earlier this month on a study tour, was given an affectionate welcome by the Telugu Association of Malaysia (TAM) at the Indian High Commission.

The Indian High Commissioner, Veena Sikri, said that Malaysia was home to the largest chunk of people of Indian origin, a good lot of them Tamils and Telugus.

The TAM was set up in 1955 and has 24 branches all over the country to serve the Telugus and boasts of a Sri Venkateswara temple in Perak. It is headquartered in a five-storeyed building in Kuala Lumpur while the Kedah branch is located in a three-storeyed structure. It has also set up a ``samkruthika nilayam'' at Rawang in Selangor.

K.M.N. Paul Naidu, president and Enkatesulu Juvalu, secretary-general, TAM, explained that the Telugus were handicapped by shortage of ``purohits'' to perform ceremonies as also good Telugu teachers. In a representation to the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, the TAM leaders sought allocation of seats for Malaysian Telugus in colleges and universities in Andhra Pradesh, particularly in professional and technical courses.

Qualified students were required to take examination again in Malaysia. The State Government may take the issue up with the Malaysian Government, it urged. Tamil Nadu had been able to sort out this problem.

The Telugu Association requested the State Government to send poets, writers, artistes and Telugu and English books on the language and culture, and students under cultural exchange programme