The biggest challenge for Telugu associations in the United States is to attract the American-born and raised second-generation Telugu generation to the associations' activities as Telugu culture, language and literature are protected and distributed to future generations must be passed down through generations, says Jayanth Challa. Elected President of the American Telugu Association (ATA), one of the first Telugu associations founded in the USA.

“This challenge is real and as President-elect of ATA, my focus is to ensure the active participation of second generation Telugu speakers, otherwise the next generation will lose contact with their mother tongue and ancestral land,” says Mr. Challa.

Therefore, during his tenure, he will focus on the theme of “Connect-Bond and Bridge” and target second-generation Telugu children: “They need to be lured into the organization and that will happen when there are more professional activities. “

The ATA cannot limit itself to the preservation of language and culture, which was the primary goal when it was founded. With thousands of engineering graduates and other professionals from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana landing in the US every year and the community growing, there is huge potential for business exploration between Indian and US companies. The growing trade between both countries needs to be exploited by the Telugu companies and here ATA has done a good job.

“There is a startup culture in India. Telugus and Indians have the financial resources to pump money into them. There are millions of dollars available to invest and ATA will play a key role in building these bridges between Hyderabad and the US business community,” says Virginia-based Mr. Challa, who serves as a strategic advisor.

He was appointed to the Virginia Small Business Commission and is the only Telugu to have served on such a dynamic commission. He has extensive experience in connecting small businesses. The Small Business Commission investigates, reports and makes recommendations on issues of concern to small businesses in Virginia. “This experience gave me the opportunity to explore similar areas in the two Telugu states and I will use this experience to connect the companies.”

As thousands of engineering graduates from Telugu states land in the US, Mr Challa says he will utilize his experience working with the US government. They have issues with practical training, work permits and immigration, and ATA wants to make a difference.

Mr. Challa worked with IT Serve, a political advocacy committee that lobbied US governments for an increase in H1B visas and the need to attract skilled professionals to the US to help Telugu students.