Padmashalis are a Telugu speaking community with roots tracing back to Markandeya Maharishi. We are the third largest community and form 12% of the population of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Our community also has a large presence across India, including Maharashtra and Gujarat. Padmashalis are traditionally a weaving and artisan community but over time, many members from our community have successfully moved into modern professions. As a result, our community spread all over the world, including the United States of America and Canada.
 

There was strong passion and zeal among US residents to reunite our family ties. This idea sparked the establishment of a strong and vibrant platform, “North American Padmashali Association” (NAPA), non-profit organization for Padmashalis. The goal of the NAPA is to build a strong vibrant community-based platform in North America to not only help ourselves locally in North America, but also help our extended family members who reside across the globe. The organization’s goals are not just limited to education, economics and social services, but we want to act as a catalyst to groom economically self-reliant citizens who can support their families and the greater community when it is required most.