This drama of separate Telangana or United AP has been a topic of intense and vitriolic debate for past many years in general and last 2 years in particular. But there is a stark difference in agitation before and after 2009.
Before 2009, there were some vocal Telangana separatists who went hammers and tongs, but at the same time there were equal number of people in Telangana (if not more) who were pro-united who didn't endorse separate statehood despite acknowledging and realizing problems Telangana has been facing. The very reason was they thought separate statehood would only benefit politicians and scamsters but will not serve common man in any way. And its 100% right.
But the day Chidambaram made the statement that Telangana statehood process will be initiated, the entire dynamics changed and the change was due to the flagrant expression of resentment by Seemandhra masses towards Telangana movement. Seemandhra agitation which started after that announcement openly questioned the rationale behind Telangana movement and started a campaign claiming Hyderabad was developed by them and hence can't yield the city to Telangana (the movement was actually for control over Hyderabad but ironically called Samaikhyandhra - though nobody from seemandhra wants to be united with Telangana districts (except Hyd)).
Though Telangana and Seemandhra protestors criticized each other after that announcement, there was a fundamental difference. Telangana protestors were abused only because they were fighting for separation of a state, nothing else. But Telangana protestors had more reasons
These reasons obviously didn't go well with Telangana separatists, but also posed a grave identity and cultural threat to even those moderate Telanganites who resisted separate statehood movement. No Telanganite (regardless of his/her support to the separatist movement) could take a comment that their existence is solely because of somebody else. This was a major turning point for the entire Telangana movement which catapulted huge number of masses behind the movement and this difference can be easily measured with the kind of protests, strikes, bandhs going on today.
Till 2009 the issue was only development and exploitation, but since then it has become a true sentimental, emotional, egoistic and identity crisis related situation.
Contrary to the popular notion that Telangana protesters don't know the rationale behind their protests, a lot of them do know and yes, there are a hell lot of reasons. I have mentioned the most notable reasons in my previous blogpost in early 2010 (Read:My Take on Telangana Issue) in which I tried to present views of both Telangana protestors and Telangana pro-united people.
But there are still protesters and agitators who don't really know these developmental reasons for what they are protesting. They simply can't get along with Andhra people. That's because everyone of them has faced some kind of discrimination from Andhra people in their own Telangana land. This is something which a lot of people who live in Andhra and Rayalaseema don't know or can't relate with. Though Telangana people don't like Andhra slang, they never went to Andhra area and ridiculed them. While we can't generalize, that happened a lot in Telangana.
Whenever any Telangana slang or terms were used, their Andhra counterparts either laughed or "corrected" implying theirs is a correct way of speech. That happened with me too. My telugu teacher referred to Telanganites as "Telangana Vedavalu" with a pinch of agony that those "vedavalu" were adulterating the language. That might be correct but that's what these "vedavalu" were brought up around and they have been using in their own area. Their way of speech has been ridiculed in movies, literature and that's the baggage they have been carrying throughout their lives. Every person who is on streets today protesting for Telangana has faced this sometime. So they don't just need any economic, social, political reasons. Their identity has been subject to ridicule and discrimination in their own land and that's enough. Period !
The most important reason for the huge influx of Telangana protesters post 2009 is due to the claims that Hyderabad or even worse Telangana flourished only because of favors done by their Seemandhra cousins. A city with 400 years of history which was made a combined capital of AP only because of its rich infrastructure, wealth and resources and Telangana which is blessed with resources providing electricity, coal reserves for entire south India, which is blessed with affluent resources like almost 70% of Godavari, Krishna waters, an area which was the richest area in India before merging with Andhra - needed no "contribution" from any one region. (Read: Who Developed Hyderabad ?)
Telangana and Andhra were never together in the history, but were unified with a rider that they can part ways if they can't get along (Gentlemen's agreement) - which is now unfortunately not discussed. Ironically fore-fathers of same "united AP" protesters once protested for a separate state from Madras state because of the very identity crisis but cry foul if others implement the same logic.
Yes, politicians were reasons for this mess going on to an extent. But politicians can't drag students, housewives, trade unions, government employees to come to streets, commit suicides (600 since 2009 as claimed), lose their salaries, disrupt their own life, risk the brand of their city if they don't have that angst and distress in their belly.
I know that separate Telangana will not cure all issues faced by the region, but even independence from British didn't cure all issues India is facing now !
Before 2009, there were some vocal Telangana separatists who went hammers and tongs, but at the same time there were equal number of people in Telangana (if not more) who were pro-united who didn't endorse separate statehood despite acknowledging and realizing problems Telangana has been facing. The very reason was they thought separate statehood would only benefit politicians and scamsters but will not serve common man in any way. And its 100% right.
But the day Chidambaram made the statement that Telangana statehood process will be initiated, the entire dynamics changed and the change was due to the flagrant expression of resentment by Seemandhra masses towards Telangana movement. Seemandhra agitation which started after that announcement openly questioned the rationale behind Telangana movement and started a campaign claiming Hyderabad was developed by them and hence can't yield the city to Telangana (the movement was actually for control over Hyderabad but ironically called Samaikhyandhra - though nobody from seemandhra wants to be united with Telangana districts (except Hyd)).
Though Telangana and Seemandhra protestors criticized each other after that announcement, there was a fundamental difference. Telangana protestors were abused only because they were fighting for separation of a state, nothing else. But Telangana protestors had more reasons
- Seemandhra protestors were against their main objective of achieving Telangana statehood.
- They have been facing issues with seemandhra people in terms of culture, economy, development, imbalances.
- Govt of India almost granted them their state but was wrested by a counter-movement by Seemandhra protestors thus arm-twisting the government
- They had to bear new claims from Seemandhra protestors that they have developed Hyderabad and without their contribution, Telangana would be an under-developed, dark-age place.
- They were dubbed as mindless thugs who were playing in the hands of politicians and nobody knows why they needed Telangana
These reasons obviously didn't go well with Telangana separatists, but also posed a grave identity and cultural threat to even those moderate Telanganites who resisted separate statehood movement. No Telanganite (regardless of his/her support to the separatist movement) could take a comment that their existence is solely because of somebody else. This was a major turning point for the entire Telangana movement which catapulted huge number of masses behind the movement and this difference can be easily measured with the kind of protests, strikes, bandhs going on today.
Till 2009 the issue was only development and exploitation, but since then it has become a true sentimental, emotional, egoistic and identity crisis related situation.
Contrary to the popular notion that Telangana protesters don't know the rationale behind their protests, a lot of them do know and yes, there are a hell lot of reasons. I have mentioned the most notable reasons in my previous blogpost in early 2010 (Read:My Take on Telangana Issue) in which I tried to present views of both Telangana protestors and Telangana pro-united people.
But there are still protesters and agitators who don't really know these developmental reasons for what they are protesting. They simply can't get along with Andhra people. That's because everyone of them has faced some kind of discrimination from Andhra people in their own Telangana land. This is something which a lot of people who live in Andhra and Rayalaseema don't know or can't relate with. Though Telangana people don't like Andhra slang, they never went to Andhra area and ridiculed them. While we can't generalize, that happened a lot in Telangana.
Whenever any Telangana slang or terms were used, their Andhra counterparts either laughed or "corrected" implying theirs is a correct way of speech. That happened with me too. My telugu teacher referred to Telanganites as "Telangana Vedavalu" with a pinch of agony that those "vedavalu" were adulterating the language. That might be correct but that's what these "vedavalu" were brought up around and they have been using in their own area. Their way of speech has been ridiculed in movies, literature and that's the baggage they have been carrying throughout their lives. Every person who is on streets today protesting for Telangana has faced this sometime. So they don't just need any economic, social, political reasons. Their identity has been subject to ridicule and discrimination in their own land and that's enough. Period !
The most important reason for the huge influx of Telangana protesters post 2009 is due to the claims that Hyderabad or even worse Telangana flourished only because of favors done by their Seemandhra cousins. A city with 400 years of history which was made a combined capital of AP only because of its rich infrastructure, wealth and resources and Telangana which is blessed with resources providing electricity, coal reserves for entire south India, which is blessed with affluent resources like almost 70% of Godavari, Krishna waters, an area which was the richest area in India before merging with Andhra - needed no "contribution" from any one region. (Read: Who Developed Hyderabad ?)
Telangana and Andhra were never together in the history, but were unified with a rider that they can part ways if they can't get along (Gentlemen's agreement) - which is now unfortunately not discussed. Ironically fore-fathers of same "united AP" protesters once protested for a separate state from Madras state because of the very identity crisis but cry foul if others implement the same logic.
Yes, politicians were reasons for this mess going on to an extent. But politicians can't drag students, housewives, trade unions, government employees to come to streets, commit suicides (600 since 2009 as claimed), lose their salaries, disrupt their own life, risk the brand of their city if they don't have that angst and distress in their belly.
I know that separate Telangana will not cure all issues faced by the region, but even independence from British didn't cure all issues India is facing now !
4 comments:
Well written Chandu..
but I would like to bring this to your notice.. Telangaana Vedhavalu ane kaadu, ee language teachers or good telugu speakers make fun of any local slang.. I have been at the recieving end many times, but Hydlo untoo, akkadi vaallani, cultureni tidatam moolana ani pedda issue aipoyindi tappite, many people Seema slang, typical coastal slang, WG, EG slang, srikakulam slang..everything other than the cinema telugu or proper telugu is made fun of and we kind of get used to it, feel bad definitely but it is not just place isolated..!!
there are quite a few of my own friends who feel bad for speaking the way they do, so they adopt a "proper Telugu" when speaking to outsiders other than family. I am sure this feeling comes from being ridiculed at some point in time.. but trust me it is not just Telangaana accent I am talking about.
Completely understand and agree with you Sree ! But as you mentioned being ridiculed in their own land was the reason for these bad vibes.
And yeah, no generalization at all. There are good and bad examples from both sides. I was just trying to analyze the reasons for the issue. Those who never faced any issues are still neutral !
What completely baffles me is why Andhras are yet so non-inclusive as far as Telangana people are concerned. I have my own relations who rejected many of their daughter's marriage proposal on grounds of the prospective groom's (their family's) Telangana accent. Even at this peak moment, I don't hear reconciliation from Andhras. Andhras will only fight a losing battle if they say they just want Hyderabad.
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