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SiliconAndhra sets 3 world records at silver jubilee celebrations in California
Silver Jubilee celebrations at Oakland Arena drew more than 10,000 attendees and honored 25 years of promoting Telugu culture.
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Malvika Choudhary - Mon, 03, Aug 2026
- 19:08 EDT
- 51
Silver Jubilee celebrations / Facebook/Ajay Bhutoria
SiliconAndhra set three Guinness World Records during its silver Jubilee celebrations at Oakland Arena in California on Aug. 1.
The records were set for Sangeethamrutavarshini (the largest Carnatic music ensemble/band performance), Layamrutavarshini (largest drum ensemble), and Sataka Sankharavam (simultaneous poetry recital), highlighting Carnatic music, percussion and Telugu literature.
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During the event, Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric officially confirmed two of the records on stage.
The largest Carnatic band title was awarded after 1,014 musicians from SiliconAndhra, Aria University and SAMPADA performed together, led by prominent Carnatic vocalist Sudha Ragunathan, surpassing the previous record of 995 participants.
The largest drum ensemble record was also broken with 286 performers, exceeding the previous mark of 250.
Organizers later announced a third Guinness World Record for the largest simultaneous poetry recital set by SiliconAndhra ManaBadi in which about 1,800 children and adults simultaneously recited verses from the Telugu classics Sumati Satakam and Vemana Satakam. SiliconAndhra said it was the first Guinness World Record centered on Telugu padyalu, or classical poetry.
Organizers described the three record attempts as representing Sruti (melody), Laya (rhythm) and Sahitya (literature)-the three pillars of Indian classical arts.
The celebrations attracted more than 12,000 attendees to Oakland Arena, including U.S. Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi, Consul General of India in San Francisco Srikar Reddy, and other elected officials and community leaders.
The event also received recognition from California leaders. Ajay Bhutoria received SiliconAndhra's Outstanding Community Service Award for advancing civic engagement, strengthening the voice of the Indian American community and building bridges between the community and civic leadership. During the event, he presented an official commendation letter on behalf of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, recognizing SiliconAndhra's 25 years of preserving, promoting and celebrating Telugu literature, culture and traditions in the state.
In a Facebook post after the event, Bhutoria said he was "deeply humbled" to receive the award and called it "a special highlight of the night" to present the governor's commendation recognizing SiliconAndhra's silver jubilee.
In addition to the record attempts, SiliconAndhra honored several leading figures in Carnatic music with lifetime achievement and distinguished artist awards.
Among those recognized were renowned vocalist Sudha Ragunathan, vocal maestro K.N. Shashikiran, mridangam virtuoso Patri Satish Kumar, percussion legend Trichy Sankaran, mridangam exponent Tiruvarur Vaidyanathan, and Bay Area musician and teacher Ramesh Srinivasan for their contributions to preserving and advancing Carnatic music, and many more.
Founded in 2001 by Anand Kuchibhotla, SiliconAndhra has spent the past 25 years promoting the Telugu language, literature and performing arts in the United States through educational and cultural initiatives.
The Silver Jubilee celebrations marked one of the organization's largest events to date, bringing together artists, volunteers, students and community members from across North America in a showcase of Telugu heritage.
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