Telangana XXIX: Reporting from Hyderabad

Ground Zero: Osmania University Arts College

Osmania University symbolizes history of this region. It was the only university of this region before Independence built during Nizam regime. And today, the Arts College fountains and lawns with the historic façade of the building in the background become the Ground Zero for Telangana Movement. From here, the student body of all Telangana universities and colleges control and spearhead the movement. Every politician worth his salt has to prove himself on this hallowed ground. The elected leaders come here to get their fame and legitimacy. They need to be endorsed in this place so that they can be part of Telangana Movement. If they are rejected, like the way the students kicked a TDP MLA, Nagam Janardhana Reddy, then they are booed by the rest of Telangana.

Anyone who visits this place cannot help but feel charged. The atmosphere is electric. You visit this ground, see the students talking and educating the others on the plight of Telangana, hear them singing the ballads which is one of the hallmarks of Telangana culture, you cannot have any more doubts about formation of Telangana. It is bound to happen, and it is palpable here- the passion, the ardor, the optimism is in the air. Their fight will not go in vain.

Of course, it looks like a battleground, with shattered glasses, broken furniture on the ground, with Rapid Action Force battalions standing some distance away, with news channels permanently stationed with their vans topped by satellite dishes.

After I met the people who are carrying out this Movement on the battlefield, it is very clear that they don’t need further education on plight of Telangana. In fact, I stand in front of them to hear what they have to say. They give out facts, they have statistics, they have accounts of history on their lips. You don’t have to convince them. They are out there to convince you.

This is undoubtedly a people’s movement. Many people of Telangana, students, even a young boy whom I met in a different context seem to roll out statistics. It almost looks like every Telangana protestor knows what he is fighting for. They don’t talk about KCR or TRS. It is all about water, it is about jobs, it is about injustice, and it is about loss of self-respect, discrimination and marginalization.

Hitec City: IT Protests

Today, I have witnessed the commitment of the IT professionals of Telangana people. This was headed by Telangana IT Forum (TITF). Some of the members have resigned their jobs to dedicate themselves to this cause 100% of their time. The agitation was carried out in front of the Hitec City building in Hyderabad, the symbol of IT industry in this city.

Once the protests started, the media was there within the first few minutes. The agitators explained that they support separation of Telangana and professed their faith in a vibrant IT industry in the new state and dismissed the rumors of industry fleeing the city as mere blackmail. And within few minutes after that, the police arrived and arrested the protestors and herded them into the jeeps

Many policemen are however sympathizers of Telangana Movement. One of them explained that the whole process will take few hours and that there is nothing to worry. He added, ‘why should you worry? You are fighting for a just cause’.

The protestors did not stop chanting ‘Jai Telangana’ and singing the songs even inside the police custody. The media appeared again to interview the protestors inside the police compound. After 2-3 hours of custody during which the formalities were done, including the mug shots, the agitators were let go.

I was hoping that there would be much bigger show of strength. Some of the IT professionals explained that though there was much wider support for the cause not many of them showed up for the protests. Many of them are shy or afraid to admit they support a separate Telangana. They feel they will have to pay the price in IT industry during yearly valuations and increments if they disclose their support. I still believe that that there should no fear or embarrassment to show one’s support for a just cause.

Fun Protests

Many towns of Telangana have seen fun-filled protests. Some of them were playing cricket, some played kho-kho and kabaddi. Even women were playing these games. They were doing this on the streets and roads with loud cheering from everyone around them. Protestors occasionally launched into Telangana ballads and songs. I am happy to see this picnicking on the streets.

Telangana XXVIII: Stickers

Here are some bumper stickers that I created. One is for cars and another is for other vehicles including motorbikes.

The PDF files for printing can be obtained at the links given below.

Link for Bumper Sticker for Cars.

Link for Bumper Sticker for Motorbikes.

http://www.4shared.com/file/183386919/dd0a61a2/_2__Jai_Telangana_1_Car.html

http://www.4shared.com/file/183387394/de4975a4/_2__Jai_Telangana_1_Motorbike.html

I have not thought about it, but if there is a great interest, I can think of accommodating shipping the stickers (no promises).

Telangana XXVII: Violence mars Telangana Agitation

Indian Democracy failed

Indian Democracy has consistently failed Telangana people and other oppressed people in India. There are no mechanisms to address their grievances. All legitimate paths- electoral, legal and democratic- are closed for such minority and underprivileged. India does not take proactive or mature steps to address the aspirations of minority and underprivileged peoples or identities. It stalls all methods that can address them by bowing down to the majority and privileged who use the current flawed institutes to dominate and overpower all voices of dissent.

India has had many chances to address Telangana people’s woes. Instead, it chose to consistently pass those opportunities succumbing to the majority and privileged. Gentlemen’s Agreement of 1956 was flouted, 1969 agitation was ruthlessly suppressed, 1971 elections were hijacked, Supreme Court rulings of 1970s were overturned, 1980 GOs were repudiated, 2005 elections were once again hijacked, and 2009 election promises were broken. Telangana people were left with no choice. There was no path left open for them.

In 2009, when KCR started his fast, they found an avenue. When he wanted to end his fast, he was forced to continue by the students of Telangana. His fast gave the people of Telangana an avenue to present their case to the national scene. Most people of India had never heard of the word Telangana before that. Their riots made the Central Government sit up and take a look. On 9 December, they decided to grant Telangana statehood.

The message is clear. You riot, you get your demands. You go through democratic, electoral and legal paths, they will be denied. What kind of sham democracy did we create in India?

The message gets clearer when Samaikya Andhra protestors resort to the same tactics, riot, break, vandalize, increasing the tempo. As desired, P Chidambaram revoked his statements on Telangana bowing down to the riots of Andhra-Rayalaseema.

So, what did you establish as a rule of thumb in India by doing all this? Rioter always wins. Peaceful demonstrations, democratic, legal and electoral paths always lose. Riot, and riot more if necessary, terrorize and terrorize more if necessary, and that’s the only way you get things done in India. If you hesitate, or if you think twice, or if you pause, you lose. That’s the message we establish in India. What a pity.

Telangana people are not ready to reason now. They tell me that any peaceful demonstration is a sign of weakness. They say this is not the right time to preach restraint. This is the only way to get Telangana, they reiterate.

Yesterday’s riots

Though there has been a flare up in the city of Hyderabad, the violence was confined to few pockets. Most of the city remained calm. More importantly, other towns of Telangana which lends wider support to Telangana movement have been quite calm. Compared to agitations of 1969, the current agitation is considered mild.

I still maintain that violent protest is only one of the many expressions of Telangana Movement, and not a desirable one. The real movement is still retained by the majority of Telangana and they have not come out onto streets to riot. Their still seek a separate state but do not believe in violence. They are ordinary people with ordinary jobs and believe in peace and harmony. And they are not in a major hurry to get Telangana. They are more pragmatic and believe that if it is not now then it is later, but nobody gives up.

A Letter to Telangana people

Dear Telangana agitators:

I understand your frustrations. I understand your aspirations. You are in a hurry. You don’t want to wait. You have waited long enough – fifty three years is a long time. We are so close and yet so far. Now, every stumbling block seems like an eternity, every hiccup make us feel like the goal is moving away from us.

And yet, there is no excuse for the violence you have displayed yesterday. You have instilled fear into the people, both the Telangana people and others. Andhras who have lived in Telangana for many years in peace and comfort are now caught in a grip of fear and insecurity.

What you are doing is not momentary but will have a long lasting impression on every one in Telangana and others who are watching us. The seeds what we sow today during our agitation will have long term consequences. What kind of Telangana do you want make?

Take a minute to learn lessons from our own histories and histories of our neighbors. India stands unique in the whole world that it has sustained a non-violent movement for nearly thirty years to attain its independence. There are reasons for that. Our leaders headed by Mahatma Gandhi didn’t want to attain the freedom using violent methods. May be we would have got our freedom earlier if we had taken a violent path. But Gandhi reasoned it was better to delay the freedom by peace than get the freedom by violence.

Many freedom fighters of those times were exasperated with his methods. They were frustrated by his incessant orders to maintain peace even when fighting the alien rulers. In 1920s, when his movement turned violent with incidents like Chowri Chowra where 22 policemen were killed, he called off the movement resulting in lot of frustrations amongst Indian youth. Bhagat Singh et al deviated from Gandhi’s movement and took upon themselves to fight in their own way.

Today, we have a choice. Who do we emulate? I prefer the Gandhi way and never will endorse Bhagat Singh way. Just look at the history of other countries who have achieved freedoms through violent means. They have seen tumultuous histories of civil wars, dictatorships, suppression of peoples and regions, and even worse like in case of Indo China where genocides happened within their own countries.

A country born out of hate is no great country. Pakistan got dismembered in 1971 and is now under a spell of home grown terrorist attacks on a daily basis. There are enough examples from Africa and Southeast Asia of countries that have fought their colonial masters in a violent way and those methods only led to further violence, sectarianism and suppression of identities. It is clear that the methods to achieve our freedoms is as important as achieving the freedom itself.

India is a great country and stands as a unique country, thanks to our leaders who had a foresight. India, if it was achieved with violence would have been a disaster. Our country is too varied and too diverse to be united under a violent movement.

What kind of Telangana do we want? While I do admire and respect our forefathers who have led violent movements in India, I will not endorse them and recommend them for us.

Though I am a strong supporter of Telangana Movement I am not very happy with the way things are going. There can’t be targeting of Andhras. Period. No ifs and buts. There can’t be vandalism and the threatening of people. Period. No ifs and buts. Yes, I understand that peaceful methods in India are not recognized while the violent ones get the attention and therefore the results. Result is not as important as the means that we employ, because if we create a state on hatred, it is not going to last long. Hate will not keep us united for long.

Having said, that I will not let down my campaign to educate our Telangana brothers the injustices we have endured. I will not shy away from calling certain people the oppressors and certain people the oppressed. I will not shy away from calling spade a spade, discrimination a discrimination, and marginalization a marginalization. I will not be politically right about it.

This fight for our freedoms is about restoring our identity, and if it means toppling the rule of certain majority by creating a state for ourselves we should not hesitate to do so. But this fight for our freedoms doesn’t have to be violent. We have to show utmost restraint. The whole world is watching us and asking us, what kind of state Telangana is going to be? Are we going to tell that it is going to be a violent one – the way it was telecasted yesterday?

I know it is not easy to show restraint, but you have no choice. Restraint is the only way. Greater the cause harder the work. Work hard to restrain yourself. If you think violence is the only to attain this statehood, then many of us are not for it. I would rather wait another fifty years. I don’t want a Telangana formed on intimidation of fellow people. I don’t want a Telangana that is formed by oppression and alienation of certain people. Do you want to become the masters you are going to topple? Think again.

You can’t shove Jai Telangana onto someone who doesn’t believe in it. You may force him to do it, but you have not earned your respect. You don’t want that Jai Telangana by force. Let’s celebrate Telangana identity today, but let it be with freedom, not out of force.

I am disappointed that we didn’t get our state now. But I would be more disappointed if we attain statehood at the cost of intimidation, threats and violence.

Hold peace rallies

Take the families out, take the kids out, take the grandparents out, and walk the streets, holding peaceful rallies. Sing the songs of Telangana, our ballads that have inspired us and our movements. Enjoy the movement, hold festivities and picnics. Show your support through peaceful methods. And where necessary show it through non-cooperation, but ensure nobody or no property is harmed.

Hold politicians accountable

I advise you to channel your anger to something productive. I suggest you to implore your politicians to stand united for this cause. In the last elections they told us they would get us separate Telangana. So how come some of them are still sitting on the fence, some are dillydallying, while some have gone back on their word. Make them accountable now. Now is the time.

During the time of Independence there were many detractors within India who didn’t want British to leave India. There were many princes, industrialists, kings, who had a privileged life under British Empire. They didn’t want British to go. It was the Iron Man of India who saved the day for all of us, including the people of Telangana. He liberated us from the oppressive regime of Nizam. We celebrated our freedom on 17 September 1948 only to lose it on 1^st November 1956. Like what they say, we fell from pan into the fire when Andhra Pradesh got formed.

Learn from Samaikya Andhra agitation. Look how the politicians of Andhra got united, irrespective of their parties. Now is the time we want our politicians to stand united on this people’s movement! Channelize your angst to pressurize your politicians. Spare everyone else.

Telangana XXVI: Untoward Incidents and Unity

Attacks against other people

Many commenters asked me to explain why certain Andhra people were attacked, insulted, and targeted in Telangana region. Some have said that Telangana has now become hostile to ‘settlers’. They have written to me describing some incidents of attacks on Andhra people. They asked me, what kind of Telangana we are going to have. Is this going to continue? If so, shouldn’t settlers now live in fear? Will they have leave Telangana eventually?

They want me to explain why these incidents happen. But at the same time, they use these attacks to besmirch and sully Telangana Movement. They want us to concede that this agitation is agitation of goons, and gundas, the movement of uncouth and unruly. They want to use these attacks to discredit the entire Telangana Movement. I am not going to do that.

In every people’s movement there have been such sporadic incidents of violence. But eventually when things settled down, those traces were removed. Take a look at contemporary history. When Gujarat was formed, it was a not a smooth transition. There were similar incidents. The same happened in 1953 when Andhra State was formed. Tamils threatened Telugu people and went about blacking out every Telugu writings in the city. Eventually when each people get their state, those feelings of anger and hatred subside and normalcy will prevail.

One such incident

Here I relate one incident that happened in Andhra-Rayalaseema region during Samaikya Andhra agitation. A Telangana professor in one of the universities of Rayalaseema was targeted for being Telangana. His effigy was burnt by the students. He had to flee the region for ten days during those agitations.

Though he now lives in fear, he is mature enough to understand that these incidents are sporadic. He has lived in that region for 20 years now. He does not believe that this animosity will continue. He believes it is an untoward incident that is an outcome of the current political imbroglio. He had every option to believe very differently. He had an option to write like others on my blog and completely discredit the Samaikya Andhra movement. He chose not to.

I have an option to use such incidents that I get to hear to discredit the entire Samaikya Andhra agitation. I chose not to do it because I know that I cannot characterize an entire movement based on such sporadic incidents.

I know that once these periods of turmoil are over, people would get back to their lives accepting people of other regions amidst them without feeling malice or hatred. Extrapolating these sporadic incidents to think of a dreadful tomorrow is of course your choice. If I were you, I wouldn’t do it.

I still recommend that we divide the state as soon as possible not to allow more hatred and anger to be sown. The longer it takes to separate, more the turmoil, more the hatred. There is no reason why we should stall the eventuality.

United we stand Divided we fall

Please don’t tell us again and again that we should stay united, because it is quite boring to hear these clichés. If you are so interested in staying united, you can stay united as Andhra-Rayalaseema or just united Andhra. And if you want, you can go back to being with Tamil Nadu and form Madras State once again and called it United Madras or whatever. I dismiss all such naïve arguments where ‘united’ is used to make a case. Those people just don’t know what they are talking about. First discredit Potti Sriramulu for breaking up India and then preach us unity.

Or how about this? Today, we would like to stand united on one single banner and leader, called Samaikya Telangana. You can have your Samaikya Andhra, we will have our Samaikya Telangana. ;-)

Unity is not defined the same way. It is not a universal definition. If that was case, we should have one district, one state and one nation on this planet. Why limit unity to your convenience?

Why Telangana loses out

We lose out because of our own people. There are many detractors within us who consistently tell us that we are good for nothing, that there is no hope for that. That it is better for us to be with Andhras who are better rulers than our own Telangana rulers.

During the time of Independence, there were many detractors from India who were not sure if we would have a better life after British left. Many babus, many princes, many landlords preferred to be under British because they thought they would lost their power if Indians ruled themselves. The selfish, the myopic, the ignorant amongst us continue to believe that Telangana people are no good, that we can’t rule ourselves, that we will lose out eventually. Such vested parties and interests within us should be fought as much as fighting the masters who rule us.

I am in Hyderabad

Dear Friends of Telangana Movement:

I will be in Hyderabad for the next 9 days. I would like to meet up with student leaders behind Telangana Movement. If you can introduce me to some of them it would be great. Please let me know.

Thank you.

Sujai

Question to Andhras

I have a question to my Andhra brothers:

Do you feel that Andhra politicians and people are responsible for change in P Chidambaram’s stance from 9 December to 23 December?

[This must be the shortest post on this blog. Also this is the only time I have a posed a question to my readers. I am hoping that our Andhra brothers will volunteer to answer the above question. You can start your answer with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. Thanks in advance.]

Telangana XXV: Congratulations Andhra

Congratulations Andhras! Today Andhras have once again won against their arch rivals Telanganas. The goal score stands at 200-0.

The game is still on. Telanganas have been facing the onslaught of the majority Andhras for fifty years now and are being ruthlessly and mercilessly beaten, but looks like there is no respite for Telangana because Andhras are not letting Telangana stop the game. Andhras want to continue the game and keep Telangana playing so that they can better their score. They want to break all records eventually, that of Nizam rule of Telangana, British occupation of India, Sri Lankan suppression of Tamils, that of Israeli occupation of Palestine, that of White discrimination of Blacks. May be they want to keep the game on so that one day they can even break the record of Nadir Shah and Genghis Khan.

Andhras scored the first goal within the first second of the game when Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy dismissed the idea of Deputy CM that was agreed upon in Gentlemen’s Agreement right on 1^st November of 1956, thereby starting the saga of humiliation of Telanganas.

Later on, every point of Gentlemen’s Agreement was flouted meticulously making the score 10-0. All the agreements of 1960s were flouted. Various GOs that were agreed upon were eventually flouted. The decimation of Telangana has just begun. It was the turn of irrigation where every agreement was ignored depriving the region of its share of water decreasing the irrigated land of 20 Lakh Acres in 1956 to 12 Lakh Acres in 2004, thereby proving that Telangana was better off under Nizam Regime than under Andhra Regime. With that the score reached 100-0.

Andhras scored a major victory when they launched ‘Jai Andhra’ movement to seek a separate state in 1973 to overturn a Supreme Court ruling that protected Telanganas. Then it was the case of government jobs. 25,000 illegal jobs based on bogus Mulki certificates were given to Andhras by 1975 and about 60,000 illegal jobs by 1985. The score reached 150-0.

For the last twenty years, Telangana was cheated on every front, from moving funds that belonged to Telangana to Andhra, from allocation of lopsided budgets for colleges and schools favoring Andhras, stalling implementation of GO 610 and other presidential orders. The score was standing at 199-0 last night.

Tonight, Andhras have done very well for themselves. They have used the power of majority to cow the minority into submission. They used fasts, riots on streets, protests, strikes, bandhs, and even antics like fleeing from Vijayawada hospital to Hyderabad hospital, to stifle the voice of a minority region in their state. All the Andhra politicians who have earlier promised Telangana State did a blatant U-turn as if it was preordained.

P Chidambaram, Home Minister of India, has put the Telangana state formation on hold giving another victory to Andhras. While Andhras rejoice on depriving Telangana of their state, Telanganas stand dejected once again. Looks like there is no respite for Telanganas! They continue to lose to Andhras without any let down. They are tired of this game. It was Nizam before and it is now Andhras. They want to opt out, but they are not allowed to. Andhras want to score few more goals. They are not done yet. ‘Abhi game baki hai dost’, they tell us. One of the pending goals is to take away Hyderabad from Telangana. That way they can leave Telangana completely sucked dry, emasculated, emaciated, humiliated and battered.

Today, everyone in Telangana is clear on one thing. The only reason P Chidambaram changed his stance on Telangana is because of Andhra-Rayalaseema people and politicians. Most of us, even the most reasonable, literate and rational people of Telangana, hold Andhra politicians and people responsible for what happened today and grant you the victory. All the democratic institutions of India have failed us today.

But since the game is still on, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Andhra people and politicians on their decisive victories. Congratulations on your score of 200-0.

[The related posts are at: Case for Telangana, Telangana VI: Hyderabad State?, Telangana VIII: You need to make a case, History of Telangana I, Telangana X: Congratulations!, History of Telangana II, Telangana XI: Why so much opposition?, Telangana XII: Ignorance, Bad Faith and Low Opinion. Telangana XIII: Let’s stay United!, Telangana XIV: Letter to Andhra Brothers, Telangana XV: Concerns, Telangana XVI: Samaikya Andhra, Telangana XVII: More Concerns, Telangana XVIII: Betrayal, Telangana XIX: Hyderabad a Union Territory?, Telangana XX: Welcome the Change, Telangana XXI: Status of Hyderabad, Telangana XXII: Cheat the Cheated, Telangana XXIII: Tidbits, Telangana XXIV: United we Stand ]

Telangana XXIV: United we Stand

There was an interview last night on Telugu TV news channel of some girls of a college who were fasting and fighting for Samaikya Andhra. The reporter asked a series of questions to the girls and their teacher. He asked, ‘what are you fighting for?’ A girl answered, ‘for Samaikya Andhra’. He asked why. She replied, because kalasi unte kaladu sukham (which means ‘if we stay together then we are happy’).

When the reporter asked the other girl, she said, ‘we want Samaikya Andhra, we don’t want Telangana’. (What she meant was she doesn’t want separate Telangana.) The reporter said, ‘but people of Telangana are asking for a separate state, so that means you are anti-Telangana?’ to which said, ‘we want to live together under Samaikya Andhra’.

All the girls repeated the same sentences. When probed further they could not answer his questions. One girl even suggested she will fast till death. [You have to understand that this brainwashing of students by leaders and teachers is not unique to Andhra. Even Telangana regularly resorts to this and it is unfortunate.]

After this the teacher was asked the questions. She responded, ‘Varu Swarthaparulu, Memu Niswarthaparulam’. Meaning they are selfish people, we are unselfish people. She went on to add, ‘They are behaving like British who used Divide and Rule’. ‘They’ refer to Telangana people.

Divide and Rule

Many Andhra protestors who are fasting now are standing or sitting next to a statue of Potti Sriramulu while people around them chant Samaikya Andhra. When asked, they say they are against separation, against divide and rule. They tell you with a haughty attitude that they stand for integration, for united Andhra.

But the irony cannot be missed.

Potti Sriramulu is the epitome of division. He divided Madras State to carve out Andhra State. His death spurred the First SRC which divided the nation along linguistic lines. In fact, he can be credited with biggest ‘break up’ of this country. If ever, he should be a hero for ‘division of the country’ not for integration of the country.

United we stand Divided we Fall

Lack of historical knowledge can result in naïve people coming out onto streets blurting out clichés like United we Stand, Divided we Fall. If someone is fasting you would expect little stronger reasons than those clichés.

Someone should tell the Andhra protestors that their Andhra leaders have asked for a separate state whenever they wanted to. Their biggest icon, Potti Sriramulu, stands for division of states, not unification of states, and their chant that we should ‘stay united and not divide’ standing next to his status doesn’t make sense.

In 1973, guided only by one selfish motive, to overturn the guarantees given to Telangana people, Andhra leaders have demanded for a separate state under the slogan ‘Jai Andhra’ holding the center for ransom. They succeeded in overturning the Supreme Court ruling that protected interests of Telangana people. Today, when they chant ‘United we Stand, Divided we fall’ we can’t help but only admire their Machiavellian strategies.

So the slogan should change to:

United when Andhra wants to, Divided when Andhra wants to, and Damn Telangana!

Corollary: Because of this issue, Telangana politicians are more united than ever before. So are Andhra and Rayalaseema politicians. Their unity is cutting across political parties. We should celebrate that we are uniting our politicians under one common cause, may be, two commons causes. That should still count as unity ;-)

Telangana XXIII: Tidbits

Plebiscite in Hyderabad

When I said that there can’t be any plebiscite in the city of Hyderabad to decide its future, some commenters interpreted it as a sign of Telangana’s fear or cowardice. If I challenge Mike Tyson for the title of World Heavy Weight Boxing, and if Mike Tyson fails to hold a match, then I have an option to believe that Mike Tyson is afraid of fighting me. But then I would be suffering from bouts of self-aggrandizement and self-delusion.

The only reason why a plebiscite cannot be held in a city is because cities in India are not treated as distinctly different from their regions. A region is a collection of districts and cities. Gates of cities are opened to all kinds of people to come in and live. But that does not mean the city dwellers will now start believing they can somehow escape the outcome of regional politics. If cities in India are given an option for plebiscite then all of them would show their disenchantment with the regional politics and would like to opt out. If that happens no region would like to build cities in future because they will lose out eventually.

A demand for plebiscite in a city does not make a case. If there is no response it is a result of common sense, not because of fear or cowardice.

The offensive T-word

An MP from Andhra, Purandeshwari, was commenting on Samaikya Andhra agitation on TV yesterday. This is what she said: [Translated from Telugu]

Since I was a little kid, I always learnt I was a Telugu. I never learnt I belonged to Andhra region or Rayalaseema or.. (pause) any other region...

She couldn’t say the word ‘Telangana’. It has almost become an offensive word like F-word that we don’t normally use. The whole charade of Samaikya Andhra is quite amusing to me. Never do they say anything about Telangana. They don’t mention the word ‘Telangana’ and they don’t talk about it. They only talk about one person – KCR, as if he is Telangana.

One sided love story: Tu hain Meri Kiran

During 1990s there was a movie released called Darr starring Shah Rukh Khan who is obsessively in ‘love’ with Kiran (played by Juhi Chawla). The sad part is that Juhi Chawla does not love him back. So Shah Rukh Khan goes after her like a mad man. He sings:

Tu Haan Kar, Ya Na Kar, Tu Hain Meri Kiran [Whether you say YES or NO you are still mine]

That’s how Samaikhya Andhra is wooing Telangana. They are forcing themselves onto us when we are completely over them. This one sided love story is becoming a little bit suffocating for Telangana.

In the beginning Juhi is still sympathetic to this obsessive lover. But over a period of time she starts hating him and eventually the whole one-sided love affair becomes quite violent. That’s what is happening in Andhra Pradesh now. Samaikhya Andhra people are becoming violently in ‘love’ with Telangana; and are not letting them go.

Andhras and British

When I wrote that British left India on a good note in my previous post Welcome the Change, some Andhras got offended by such a comparison. Some asked if such a comparison was warranted. Here I explain.

Though British build Indian Railways, Indian Administrative Service, Post and Telegraph, and installed democratic institutions, judiciary, rule of law, and built the cities of Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, and build Lutyens Delhi, British did not claim any of these when they had to leave India. They didn’t intend to carry any of them with them when they left India. Their exit was graceful because they didn’t play any such antics.

Unlike British, Andhras are making this separation really messy by clamoring for Hyderabad claiming they have built the city.

Andhras had a miniscule contribution to development of Hyderabad and yet they make a claim to the entire history as if their insignificant contribution in taxes and investments actually makes a case. Even if there is any contribution, it is easily compensated by the loss Telangana endured because of this union in the last fifty years. Telangana people believe that they have lost more than what they have gained because of their forced association with Andhras.

Are small states really bad?

Some detractors warn us that as a separate state Telangana would not be able to improve or develop. Just take a look at the examples of other small states that have broken up from their mother states.

Here is an article from Times of India, 20 December 2009:

Amazingly, all three new states have grown fabulously fast. Uttarakhand has averaged 9.31% growth annually, Jharkhand 8.45%, and Chattisgarh 7.35%. All three states belong to what was historically called the BIMARU zone, a slough of despond where humans and economies stagnated. Out of this stagnant pool have now emerged highly dynamic states.