TAM AIMS TO HOST 2026 WORLD TELUGU CONFERENCE

RAWANG, May 10 (Bernama) -- The Telugu Association of Malaysia (TAM) plans to host the World Telugu Conference in Kuala Lumpur next year, in conjunction with its 70th anniversary and the Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign.

Its deputy president, Sathiah Sudakaran said this would be the third time Malaysia hosted the event, having done so in 1981 and 2013, adding that the association is currently in early preparations and will submit a proposal to the government soon.

“There are about 100 million Telugu people worldwide, with India having the largest population, followed by the United States and Malaysia. We hope to successfully organise this event in line with our 70th anniversary,” he told reporters during the 2025 Ugadi Fest held at the Telugu Academy of Malaysia here, today.

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Meanwhile, TAM has submitted four requests to the government, including a RM5 million annual grant to support language classes and cultural development programmes.

Sathiah also said the association hopes the government would declare Ugadi, the Telugu New Year typically celebrated in April, as a day of unrecorded leave, as well as calling for the reinstatement of the Telugu language in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examination.

Deputy National Unity Minister K Saraswathy, who officiated the festival, said she would bring TAM’s four requests to the relevant government agencies for consideration.

“Though the Telugu community is a minority within the Malaysian Indian population, they have played a significant role in the country’s development. I will forward these requests to the appropriate authorities,” she said.

-- BERNAMA