The slim volume presents the case of Telangana to a wider audience
“We wanted to put together a book in English that would present the case for Telangana as well as create the groundwork for debate,” say N. Venugopal and M. Bharath Bhushan about their Telangana – The state of affairs. A slim volume of 177 pages, nobody can expect it to do justice to the cause that has been a festering sore for a few and a no-issue for others. But the book manages to present the various angles to the struggle for an English speaking audience.
Putting things in perspective is the first chapter by Duncan Forrester: Subregionalism in India: The Case of Telangana. Written in December 1969, the author digs out all the angles that have gone on to make Telangana into an issue of identity, differences and articulation. It gives a hindsight to the chapters that follow and how the debate and the issue have shaped popular imagination.
“The earlier movements for creation of Telangana were driven by people, there was mass support for it, but now the leaders are leading the movement without any support. That is the reason why it appears so flimsy and ends with implementation of GO 610. But the cause is still alive, the discrimination is very much there,” says N. Venugopal, who has followed the movement for a long time.
Instead of just statistics (there are annexures to prove the point) and adjectives to make the case, there are two stories that evoke the ground reality of life in Telangana, the people and the idiom of language. One story is written by P.V. Narasimha Rao and the other is by Allam Rajayya.
“The stories form a continuum with the art and culture of the region. Culturally, the Telangana movement is very much alive as a number of artists and painters have captured and are trying to keep the issue alive,” says Venugopal.
But is there a case for Telangana in this globalised village where jobs move around like a ball in roulette?
“Yes. And if Telangana is created the discrimination will end. The one-way flow of resources will stop. It should be done before it is too late,” says Venugopal.
- SERISH NANISETTI
Metro Plus Hyderabad, The Hindu, Sep 29, 2009