Telangana
Encyclopedia
Telangana is a region in the present state of Andhra Pradesh
, India
and formerly was part of Hyderabad state
which was ruled by Nizam
. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra
on the north and north-west, Karnataka
on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa
to the east. Andhra Pradesh
State has three main cultural regions of which Telengana is one part and others include Coastal Andhra
region on the east and Rayalaseema
region on the south. The Telangana region has an area of 114840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi), and a population of 35,286,757 (2011 census) which is 41.6% of Andhra Pradesh state population.
The Telangana region comprise of 10 districts: Adilabad
, Hyderabad
, Khammam
, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar
, Medak
, Nalgonda
, Nizamabad
, Rangareddy, and Warangal
. The Musi River
, Krishna
and Godavari rivers flow through the region from west to east.
After the decline of the influential Mauryan Empire, the Satavahana dynasty (230 BCE to 220 CE) came to be the dominant power in the region. It originated from the lands between the Godavari and Krishna River
s. Kotilingala in Karimnagar was their first capital, before moving to Dharanikota
. Excavations at Kotilingala revealed coinage of Simukha, the first Satavahana emperor. The Satavahana Empire was important in repelling foreign empires from India, such as the Sakas
and Indo-Greeks, thereby preserving Indian culture.
The region experienced its golden age during the reign of the Kakatiya dynasty, a Telugu dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh from 1083 to 1323 AD. Ganapatideva was known as the greatest of the Kakatiyas, and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Cholas, who accepted his suzerainty in the year 1210. He established order in his vast dominion that stretched from the Godavari delta in the east to Raichur
(in modern day Karnataka) in the west and from Karimnagar
and Bastar
(in modern day Chattisgarh) in the north to Srisailam
and Tripurantakam
, near Ongole, in the south. It was during his reign that the Golkonda
fort was constructed. Rudrama Devi and Prataparudra were prominent rulers from the Kakatiya dynasty.
The region came under the Muslim rule of the Delhi Sultanate
in the 14th century, followed by Bahmanis, Qutb Shahis, and the Mughals
. It was around this time that the Telugu-speaking areas under Muslim control were named Telang-Khana (Telang being a Muslim corruption of the word Telugu and Khana meaning dwelling) and later Telangana. As the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate in the early 18th century, the Muslim Asafjahi dynasty established a separate state known as Hyderabad. Later, Hyderabad entered into a treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British Empire
, and was the largest and most populous princely state
in India. Telangana never came under direct British rule, unlike the Circars and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, which were part of British India's Madras Presidency
.
which was later supported by the Communists. It took place in the former princely state of Hyderabad between 1946 and 1951. This was led by the Communist Party of India
.
The revolt began in the Nalgonda district and quickly spread to the Warangal and Bidar
districts. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against the local feudal landlords (jagirdars and deshmukhs) and later against the Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII
. The initial aims were to do away with illegal and excessive exploitation meted out by these feudal lords in the name of bonded labour (Vetti Chakiri). The most strident demand was for all debts of the peasants to be written off.
Among the well-known individuals at the forefront of the movement were leaders like Ravi Narayan Reddy, Arutla Ramchandra Reddy
, Dr.Arutla Kamala devi, Nalla Narasimhulu, Sateesh Arjula, Anabheri Prabhakar Rao
, Puchalapalli Sundaraiah
, Chandra Rajeswara Rao
, Suddala Hanumanthu, the Urdu
poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin
, Hassan Nasir
, Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy
, Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy
, Mallu Swarajyam
.
The violent phase of the movement ended after the central government sent in the army. Starting in 1951, the CPI shifted to a more moderate strategy of seeking to bring communism to India within the constraints of Indian democracy.
. The Government of India
annexed Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army
called Operation Polo
. When India became independent, Telugu
-speaking people were distributed in about 22 districts, 9 of them in the former Nizam's dominions of the princely state of Hyderabad, 12 in the Madras Presidency (Northern Circars), and one in French-controlled Yanam
.
The Central Government appointed a civil servant, M. K. Vellodi, as First Chief Minister of Hyderabad State
on 26 January 1950. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras State
and Bombay State
. In 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
was elected Chief minister of Hyderabad State in the first democratic election. During this time there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement rule by natives of Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Telugu-speaking areas in the Northern Circars and Rayalaseema
regions were carved out of the erstwhile Madras state on the fast unto death by Potti Sri Ramulu to create Andhra State in 1953, with Kurnool
as its capital.
Paragraph 382 of the States Reorganisation Commission Report (SRC) said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit; public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallize itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future".
The people of Telangana had several concerns. The region had a less-developed economy than Andhra, but with a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which people of Telangana feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They feared that planned irrigation projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately, even though people of Telangana controlled the headwaters of the rivers. It was feared that the people of Andhra, who had access to higher standards of education under the British rule, would have an unfair advantage in seeking government and educational jobs.
The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with a two-thirds majority.
The Chief Minister
of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
, expressed his view that a majority of Telangana people were against the merger. He supported the Congress party's central leadership decision to merge Telangana and Andhra despite opposition in Telangana. Andhra state assembly passed a resolution on 25 November 1955 to provide safeguards to Telangana. The resolution said, "Assembly would further like to assure the people in Telangana that the development of that area would be deemed to be special charge, and that certain priorities and special protection will be given for the improvement of that area, such as reservation in services and educational institutions on the basis of population and irrigational development." Telangana leaders did not believe the safeguards would work. With lobbying from Andhra Congress leaders and with pressure from the Central leadership of Congress party, an agreement was reached between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders on 20 February 1956 to merge Telangana and Andhra with promises to safeguard Telangana's interests.
Prime minister
Jawaharlal Nehru
initially was skeptical of merging Telangana with Andhra State, fearing a "tint of expansionist imperialism" in it. He compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having "provisions for divorce" if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well.
Following the Gentlemen's agreement, the central government established a unified Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956. The agreement provided reassurances to Telangana in terms of power-sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.
Anti-Nehru politics emerged with the repression of the Telengana movement; many within the Congress Party
extended their hands to leftist causes. Feroze Gandhi
was among them.
Bhadrachalam Revenue Division a part of East Godavari
District up to 1959, was merged into Khammam
district for geographical contiguity and administrative ease. Same was the case with Ashwaraopet also a part of West Godavari
District up to 1959.
Telangana is the largest of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh state, covering 41.47% of its total area. It is inhabited by 40.54% of the state's population and contributes about 76% of the state's revenues, excluding the contribution of the central government. When the central government's contribution to revenue is included, Andhra Pradesh's revenue sources come from Telangana: 61.47% (including 37.17% from Hyderabad); from the central government: 19.86%; from Andhra: 14.71%; and from Rayalaseema: 3.90%. Proponents of a separate Telangana state cite perceived injustices in the distribution of water, budget allocations, and jobs. Within the state of Andhra Pradesh, 68.5% of the catchment area
of the Krishna River
and 69% of the catchment area of the Godavari River
are in the Telangana region. Telangana supporters state that the benefits of irrigation through the canal system under major irrigation projects is accruing substantially, 74.25%, to the Coastal Andhra region, while the share to Telangana is 18.20%. The remaining 7.55% goes to the Rayalaseema region. The state's expenditure on Telangana's major irrigation projects is 18.20% of the total expenditure.
The share of education funding for Telangana ranges from 9.86% in government-aided primary schools to 37.85% in government degree colleges. The above numbers include the expenditure in Hyderabad. Budget allocations to Telangana are generally less than 1/3 of the total Andhra Pradesh budget. There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. According to Professor Jayashankar
only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana; those from other regions make up the bulk of employment. He also alleged that the state was represented by Telangana chief ministers for only 6 1/2 years out of over five decades of its existence, with no chief minister from the region being in power continuously for more than 2 1/2 years. As per Srikrishna committee on Telangana
, Telangana held the position of CM for 10.5 years while Seema-Andhra region held it for 42 years. Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution.
students organised a rally to protest against discrimination in government jobs against Telangana people. Keshav Rao Jadhav and Sudershan Singh, both teachers, supported the students. Discontent intensified when some of the guarantees agreed upon were supposed to lapse in January, 1969. Student agitation for the proper implementation of the guarantees began at Osmania University
in Hyderabad and spread to other parts of the region. This agitation came to an end in September 1972 with the merger of Telangana Praja Samithi with Congress and people realised that the Prime Minister was not inclined towards a separate state of Telangana.
Due to Jai Andhra agitation in the Seema-Andra region in 1973, protesting against the protections (mulki rules) given for Telangana region, the Government of India diluted the protections in Gentlemen's agreement by initiating the Six point formula.
Various political parties were formed on a platform of pursuing for separate statehood for Telangana region, including the Telangana Praja Samithi
party in 1969, which won 11 out of 13 Parliamentory seats in 1971.
In the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) promised a separate Telangana state if they came to power.
A new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi
(TRS), led by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), was formed in 2001 with the single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana State with Hyderabad as its capital.
In the 2004 Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party promised a separate Telangana State and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region. Congress came to power in the state and formed a coalition government at the centre. TRS joined the coalition government in 2004 and was successful in making a separate Telangana state a part of the common minimum programme
of the coalition government.
In September 2006, TRS withdrew support from the Congress-led coalition government because of the failure of fulfilling the promise to create a separate Telangana state.
In July 2008, Devender Goud and E. Peddi Reddy resigned from Telugu Desam Party
(TDP) and formed a new party called Nava Telangana Praja Party
(NTPP) with Telangana formation as its main goal.
After extensive internal discussions, the TDP, the main opposition party in the state, announced its support for the creation of separate Telangana state on 9 October 2008. The Telugu Desam Party promised to work towards creation of separate Telangana state.
The Praja Rajyam Party
(PRP), founded by Telugu
Matinee cinema actor Chiranjeevi
, supported Telangana statehood. The Nava Telangana Praja Party announced that it would merge with PRP after it concluded that there was not enough political space for two sub-regional Telangana parties that had Telananga statehood as their main agenda.
On 29 November 2009, TRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao
(KCR) started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament. He was arrested by the government of Andhra Pradesh. Student organizations, employee unions, and various organizations joined the movement.
General strikes shut down Telangana on 6 and 7 December. Student organizations planned a massive rally at the state Assembly
on 10 December. The government warned that the rally did not have permission and deployed police troops throughout Telangana. All opposition parties in the state favoured creation of Telangana state at an all-party meet held on 7 December.
On 9 December 2009, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram
announced that the Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. KCR ended his 11-day fast, saying from his hospital bed that this was a "true victory of the people of Telangana."
Pro-Telangana supporters celebrated the central government decision, while those from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Andhra region) protested. Due to protests in the Seema-Andhra region, On 23 December, the Government of India announced that no action on Telangana would be taken until a consensus was reached by all parties. Rallies, hunger strikes, and suicides continued throughout Telangana to protest against the delay in bifurcating the State. The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) started relay hunger strikes and threatened the resignations of all legislators on 28 January, demanding that the Centre spell out its intentions and create a timetable for change. On 3 February the government announced the five-member Srikrishna committee on Telangana
that would look into the issue, with a deadline of 31 December 2010.
The Committee announced that they were recommending keeping the State united(one of option- which they testified is not possible in present situation), and advised constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.
Telangana leaders say the best option from the Sri Krishna committee report is the formation of separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They plan to pressure the Central government to zero in on this option as the only workable one.
On March 23, 2011, Justice L Narasimha Reddy of Andhra Pradesh high court ordered central government to make contents of 8th chapter of Sri Krishna Committee, so called 'secret report'. Justice in his 60 page judgement said "The Committee travelled beyond the terms of reference in its endeavour to persuade the Union of India not to accede to the demand for Telangana". The judgement (in para 75, 80 94) also quoted the SKC report's 8th chapter which advised central govt on how to manage Telangana political parties, how to manage Telangana public opinion using local media virtually owned by Seema-Andhra
industrialists and what kind of law and order methods to be used. The justice further said(in para 103) "The maneuver suggested by the Committee in its secret supplementary note poses an open challenge, if not threat, to the very system of democracy."
In February and March, Assembly session was boycotted for weeks and Parliament session was disrupted for several days by Telangana representatives.
Million March was organized by Telangana JAC in Hyderabad on March 10, 2011. In a move to disrupt the march, police shutdown and arrested over hundred thousand activists through out the region and closed down entry to Hyderabad city, stopped transportation services, traffic was diverted and no one was allowed to areas close to the venue 50 to 100 thousand people reached venue by hoodwinking police and organized the march. . Some Telangana activists damaged 16 statues of personalties hailed form Seema-Andhra
representing Telugu culture language on Tank Bund, the venue. They threw some of the remnants into the lake. Top leaders of all political parties in the state including KCR and various organizations condemned the vandalism.
On July 4 and 5, 2011, 100 out of 118(1 vacant) Telangana MLAs in the state, 12 out of 15 Telangana ministers, 13 out of 17 Telangana MPs in Lok Sabha, 1 Rajyasabha MP(Congress), 20 MLCs resigned protesting delay in the formation of Telangana. Resigned included 44 out of 53 ruling Congress party's MLAs from Telangana, 9 out of 12 ruling Congress party MPs in Lok Sabha from Telangana.
Except 18 MLAs; MIM(7), Congress(9) (including two ministers, Deputy speaker and Deputy CM) CPM(1), Lok Satta(1); the rest of the Telangana MLAs have resigned.
Starting September 13, as part of 'strike by all section of people' supporting Telangana state formation, government employees, lawyers, coal miners, health workers started indefenite strike. Within days, they were joined by teachers, state transport corportion employees, electricity board employees, sanitation employees, temples employees etc. Due to the strike, administration collapsed in Telangana,court activity paralysed, public trasport still stand due to RTC strik, due to the strike in Singareni coal caused power cuts through out South India.
Telangana is situated in the central stretch of the eastern seaboard of the Indian Peninsula. Of the three regions of the state of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana has the largest area, with 114800 square kilometres (44,324.5 sq mi). The Deccan plateau
is drained by two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna. 69% of the Krishna River and 79% of the Godavari River catchment area is in Telangana region. Telangana is also drained by other minor rivers such as Manair, Bhima
, Dindi
, Kinnerasani, Manjeera, Munneru, Moosi, Penganga, Praanahita, and Peddavagu and Taliperu.
The area is divided into two main regions, the Eastern Ghats
and the plain
s. The surface is dotted with low depressions.
excavates coal for industrial purposes and for thermal power stations. The power generated is supplied to the entire of South India. There are limestone
deposits in the region, which cater to cement factories. Telangana has other resources such as bauxite
and mica
.
Telangana (including Hyderabad) has 86% Hindu
, 12.4% Muslim
, and 1.2% Christian
population. Hyderabad city(district) has 55.4% Hindu, 41.2% Muslim, 2.4% Christian population. Other districts in Telangana region (outside of Hyderabad district) have 8.4% of the Muslim population.
About 11% of Telangana people speak Hyderabadi Urdu
http://www.languageinindia.com/april2003/urduinap.html. Urdu speakers are mostly Muslims, though people of other ethnicities also use Urdu for day-to-day life. Most non-Muslims in Hyderabad also use Urdu/Hindi in day to day conversations. Most people outside Hyderabad speak Telugu. Hindi
is spoken by people from other states of North and Central India. The people bordering other states speak Kannada and Marathi
.
The Hyderabad's Deccani or Dakkini culture is evolved on its own as a distinctive culture due to confluence of different people who came from different places to serve under the Golkonda rulers.
, Bathukamma, Diwali
, Dassera, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Milad un Nabi, Christmas
, Sri Rama Navami , Vinayaka Chaviti and Ugadi
are prominent festivals in Telangana. Other festivals of Hindus and Muslims such as Holi
, Raksha Bandhan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Milad un Nabi are also celebrated with equal enthusiasm as in rest of India. The Sankranti
festival is celebrated at the beginning of harvest season, generally, on January 14 every year. Bathukamma and Bonalu are regional festivals of Telangana.
, the poet who composed the classic SriMad Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham, authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit
, belongs to Telangana region. Golkonda Nawab Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah had the distinction of being the first Saheb-e-dewan Urdu poet and is credited with introducing a new sensibility into prevailing genres of Persian/Urdu poetry . Other prominent poets of the Telangana region in the early era include Kancherla Gopanna
or Bhakta Ramadasu, Gona Budda Reddy, Palkuriki Somanatha
, Mallinātha Sūri
, Hulukki Bhaskara and in modern era poets include Padma Vibhushan
Kaloji Narayana Rao, Sahitya Akademy award recipient Dasarathi Krishnamacharya, Vachaspathi Puraskar award recipient Sribhashyam Vijayasarathi and Jnanpith award recipient Dr. C. Narayana Reddy, Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao the 9th Prime Minister of India
.
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and formerly was part of Hyderabad state
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
which was ruled by Nizam
Nizam
Nizam-ul-Mulk of Hyderabad popularly known as Nizams of Hyderabad was a former monarchy of the Hyderabad State, now in the states of Andhra Pradesh , Karnataka , and Maharashtra in India...
. It is bordered with the states of Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
on the north and north-west, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
on the west, Chattisgarh on the north-east and Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
to the east. Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
State has three main cultural regions of which Telengana is one part and others include Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra
Coastal Andhra or Kosta, is a region of India's Andhra Pradesh State. This region was part of Madras State before 1953 and Andhra State from 1953 to 1956. According to the 2011 census, it has an area of and a population of 3,41,93,868...
region on the east and Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
region on the south. The Telangana region has an area of 114840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi), and a population of 35,286,757 (2011 census) which is 41.6% of Andhra Pradesh state population.
The Telangana region comprise of 10 districts: Adilabad
Adilabad district
Adilabad District is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is at Adilabad town. A famous Temple of the Goddess Saraswathi, the Hindu Goddess of Education, is located here in the town of Basara.-Origin of name:...
, Hyderabad
Hyderabad District, India
Hyderabad District , is a district in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India that contains a part of the metropolitan area of Hyderabad. It is headed by a district collector who is drawn from the IAS cadre and is appointed by the state government.-History:...
, Khammam
Khammam district
Khammam District is a district in Andhra Pradesh, India. It had a population of 2,565,412 of which 19.81% were urban as of 2001 census. Khammam town is the district headquarters. The present name of Khammam is derived from the old name Kammamet. Later it was called Khammam Mettu and subsequently...
, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar
Mahbubnagar district
Mahabubnagar or Mahboobnagar , also known as Palamooru is a district in the Andhra Pradesh state of India, in the Telangana region. It is named after its largest city and district headquarters, Mahabubnagar.It is the second largest district in the state in terms of area...
, Medak
Medak district
Medak District is located in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. Sangareddy is the district headquarters of Medak. The district had a population of 2,670,097, of which 14.36% were urban as of 2001...
, Nalgonda
Nalgonda district
Nalgonda / Nallagonda District is a district in Andhra Pradesh. It has a population of 3,483,648 of which 13.32% is urban as of 2001.-Etymology:Its name is derived from two Telugu words Nalla & Konda i.e...
, Nizamabad
Nizamabad district
Nizamabad District is located in the north-western region in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It is also known as Induru. Nizamabad is the current and official name of the district....
, Rangareddy, and Warangal
Warangal district
Warangal District is located in the northern area in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The administrative seat is Warangal.Warangal District has an area of 12,846 km², and a population of 3,246,004 of which 19.20% was urban as of 2001...
. The Musi River
Musi River (India)
The Musi River is a tributary of Krishna River in the Deccan Plateau region of Andhra Pradesh state in India. It flows through a major portion of Hyderabad, India and divides the historic old city with the new city. Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar is known as gandipet are the two dams built on it...
, Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and Godavari rivers flow through the region from west to east.
History
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
s. Kotilingala in Karimnagar was their first capital, before moving to Dharanikota
Dharanikota
Dharanikota or Dhanyakatakam or Palden Drepung is a town near Amaravati in the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in India, which means a town of rice or paddy.- Location :...
. Excavations at Kotilingala revealed coinage of Simukha, the first Satavahana emperor. The Satavahana Empire was important in repelling foreign empires from India, such as the Sakas
Indo-Scythians
Indo-Scythians is a term used to refer to Sakas , who migrated into Bactria, Sogdiana, Arachosia, Gandhara, Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th century CE....
and Indo-Greeks, thereby preserving Indian culture.
The region experienced its golden age during the reign of the Kakatiya dynasty, a Telugu dynasty that ruled most parts of what is now Andhra Pradesh from 1083 to 1323 AD. Ganapatideva was known as the greatest of the Kakatiyas, and the first after the Satavahanas to bring the entire Telugu area under one rule. He put an end to the rule of the Cholas, who accepted his suzerainty in the year 1210. He established order in his vast dominion that stretched from the Godavari delta in the east to Raichur
Raichur
Raichur , is a city municipal council in Raichur district in the Indian state of Karnataka. Raichur, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, is the headquarters of Raichur district. It was in the princely state of Mysore during the rule of Tipu Sultan...
(in modern day Karnataka) in the west and from Karimnagar
Karimnagar
As of 2011 India census Estimation, Karimnagar city had a population of 2,99,660. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49% has an average literacy rate of 86.75%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 92.61%, and female literacy is 80.79%. In Karimnagar, 12% of...
and Bastar
Bastar state
Bastar state was a princely state in India founded in early 14th century, by Annama Deva, the brother of Kakatiya king Pratapa Rudra Deva of Warangal ....
(in modern day Chattisgarh) in the north to Srisailam
Srisailam
Srisailam is a holy town and mandal, situated in Nallamala Hills of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is located on the banks of River Krishna, about 232 km south of Hyderabad....
and Tripurantakam
Tripurantakam
Tripurantakam is a village and mandal in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh, India.Tripurantakam is located at a distance of 40 km from Markapur, 93 km from Ongole and around 150 km from Vijayawada. A famous temple dedicated to Sri Tripurantakeswara Swamy is located here.The temple is on the top...
, near Ongole, in the south. It was during his reign that the Golkonda
Golkonda
Golkonda or Golla konda a ruined city of south-central India and capital of ancient Kingdom of Golkonda , is situated 11 km west of Hyderabad.The most important builder of Golkonda was a Hindu Kakatiya King...
fort was constructed. Rudrama Devi and Prataparudra were prominent rulers from the Kakatiya dynasty.
The region came under the Muslim rule of the Delhi Sultanate
Delhi Sultanate
The Delhi Sultanate is a term used to cover five short-lived, Delhi based kingdoms or sultanates, of Turkic origin in medieval India. The sultanates ruled from Delhi between 1206 and 1526, when the last was replaced by the Mughal dynasty...
in the 14th century, followed by Bahmanis, Qutb Shahis, and the Mughals
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire , or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...
. It was around this time that the Telugu-speaking areas under Muslim control were named Telang-Khana (Telang being a Muslim corruption of the word Telugu and Khana meaning dwelling) and later Telangana. As the Mughal Empire began to disintegrate in the early 18th century, the Muslim Asafjahi dynasty established a separate state known as Hyderabad. Later, Hyderabad entered into a treaty of subsidiary alliance with the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and was the largest and most populous princely state
Princely state
A Princely State was a nominally sovereign entitity of British rule in India that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule such as suzerainty or paramountcy.-British relationship with the Princely States:India under the British Raj ...
in India. Telangana never came under direct British rule, unlike the Circars and Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh, which were part of British India's Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
.
Telangana Rebellion
The Telangana Rebellion was a peasant revoltPeasant revolt
Peasant, Peasants' or Popular is variously paired with Revolt, Uprising and War and may refer to :*Daze Village Uprising 209 BC*Yellow Turban Rebellion 184...
which was later supported by the Communists. It took place in the former princely state of Hyderabad between 1946 and 1951. This was led by the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
.
The revolt began in the Nalgonda district and quickly spread to the Warangal and Bidar
Bidar
Bidar is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the north-eastern part of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of the Bidar District....
districts. Peasant farmers and labourers revolted against the local feudal landlords (jagirdars and deshmukhs) and later against the Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII
Osman Ali Khan, Asif Jah VII
Sir Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi MP, GCSI, GBE Asaf Jah VII , born Mir Osman Ali Khan Siddiqi Bahadur , was the last Nizam of the Princely State of Hyderabad and of Berar. He ruled Hyderabad between 1911 and 1948, until it was merged into India...
. The initial aims were to do away with illegal and excessive exploitation meted out by these feudal lords in the name of bonded labour (Vetti Chakiri). The most strident demand was for all debts of the peasants to be written off.
Among the well-known individuals at the forefront of the movement were leaders like Ravi Narayan Reddy, Arutla Ramchandra Reddy
Arutla Ramchandra Reddy
Arutla Ramchandra Reddy was an Indian freedom fighter. He was among the leaders and fighters in the armed freedom struggle against the rule of Nizam . The communists joined with the poor peasants in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh during the 1940s to throw out the regime...
, Dr.Arutla Kamala devi, Nalla Narasimhulu, Sateesh Arjula, Anabheri Prabhakar Rao
Anabheri Prabhakar Rao
Anabheri Prabhakar Rao is a telangana armed struggle martyr and is also considered a foremost authority of the Telugu language. He was an Indian freedom fighter, considered to be one of the most influential revolutionaries of the Indian independence movement...
, Puchalapalli Sundaraiah
Puchalapalli Sundaraiah
Puchalapalli Sundarayya was a founding member of the Communist Party of India and a leader of the peasant revolt in the former Hyderabad State of India, called the Telengana Rebellion...
, Chandra Rajeswara Rao
Chandra Rajeswara Rao
Chandra Rajeshwara Rao is an Indian freedom fighter . He was one of the top leaders of the Telengana Rebellion . He also worked as Communist Party of India general secretary for 28 years until he gave up the job in 1992 for health reasons..-Family:His son and grandson, Chandra Chandrasekhar and...
, Suddala Hanumanthu, the Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
poet Makhdoom Mohiuddin
Makhdoom Mohiuddin
Makhdoom Mohiuddin or Abu Sayeed Mohammad Makhdoom Mohiuddin Huzri was an Urdu poet and Marxist political activist of India. He was a distinguished revolutionary Urdu poet...
, Hassan Nasir
Hassan Nasir
Hassan Nasir was a Pakistani proletariat leader and Secretary General of the banned Communist Party of Pakistan . Hasan Nasir belonged to Hyderabad and had fought, along with Makhdoom Mohiuddin and others, in the Telangana armed struggle. He was a maternal grandson of Nawab Mohsin-ul-Mulk...
, Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy
Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy
Comrade Bhimreddy Narasimha Reddy was a freedom fighter and a leader of the Telangana Rebellion, fighting for the liberation of the Telangana region of India from the oppressive rule of the Nizam...
, Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy
Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy
Comrade Mallu Venkata Narasimha Reddy was one the leaders and fighters of the armed struggle against the oppressive rule of Nizam...
, Mallu Swarajyam
Mallu Swarajyam
Mallu Swarajyam was an Indian politician.-Early life:Born into a semi-feudal family in the backward Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh in India.-Career:During the period, Nalgonda district was a part of the Hyderabad State under Nizam...
.
The violent phase of the movement ended after the central government sent in the army. Starting in 1951, the CPI shifted to a more moderate strategy of seeking to bring communism to India within the constraints of Indian democracy.
Post-independence
When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the Nizam of Hyderabad did not want to merge with Indian Union and wanted to remain independent under the special provisions given to princely states. He even asked for a corridor, a passage from India. Rebellion had started throughout the state against the Nizam's rule and his army, known as the RazakarsRazakars (Hyderabad)
Razakars were a private militia organized by Qasim Razvi to support the rule of Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII and resist the integration of Hyderabad State in India....
. The Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
annexed Hyderabad State on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army
Indian Army
The Indian Army is the land based branch and the largest component of the Indian Armed Forces. With about 1,100,000 soldiers in active service and about 1,150,000 reserve troops, the Indian Army is the world's largest standing volunteer army...
called Operation Polo
Operation Polo
Operation Polo code name for The Hyderabad Police Action was a military operation in September 1948 in which the Indian Armed Forces engaged those of the State of Hyderabad and ended the rule of Nizam, annexing the state into the Indian Union....
. When India became independent, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
-speaking people were distributed in about 22 districts, 9 of them in the former Nizam's dominions of the princely state of Hyderabad, 12 in the Madras Presidency (Northern Circars), and one in French-controlled Yanam
Yanam (India)
Yanam or Yanaon is a town in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry ; it is located in Yanam district. Yanam has some 300 years of history and is well known as French Yanam even now although it was transferred to India in 1954. It forms a 30 km² enclave in the district of East Godavari in...
.
The Central Government appointed a civil servant, M. K. Vellodi, as First Chief Minister of Hyderabad State
Hyderabad State
-After Indian independence :When India gained independence in 1947 and Pakistan came into existence in 1947, the British left the local rulers of the princely states the choice of whether to join one of the new dominions or to remain independent...
on 26 January 1950. He administered the state with the help of bureaucrats from Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....
and Bombay State
Bombay State
The Bombay State was a state of India, dissolved with the formation of Maharashtra and Gujarat states on May 1, 1960.-History:During British rule, portions of the western coast of India under direct British rule were part of the Bombay Presidency...
. In 1952, Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was the first elected Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State who led the struggle against the Nizam in the princely State.-Early life:...
was elected Chief minister of Hyderabad State in the first democratic election. During this time there were violent agitations by some Telanganites to send back bureaucrats from Madras state, and to strictly implement rule by natives of Hyderabad.
Meanwhile, Telugu-speaking areas in the Northern Circars and Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema
Rayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
regions were carved out of the erstwhile Madras state on the fast unto death by Potti Sri Ramulu to create Andhra State in 1953, with Kurnool
Kurnool
Kurnool is located at . It has an average elevation of 273 metres .Kurnool lies on the banks of the Tungabhadra River. The Handry and Neeva rivers also flow through the city. The K.C...
as its capital.
Merger of Telangana and Andhra
In December 1953, the States Reorganization Commission was appointed to study the creation of states on linguistic basis. The States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was not in favour of an immediate merger of Telangana region with Andhra state, despite their common language.Paragraph 382 of the States Reorganisation Commission Report (SRC) said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit; public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallize itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future".
The people of Telangana had several concerns. The region had a less-developed economy than Andhra, but with a larger revenue base (mostly because it taxed rather than prohibited alcoholic beverages), which people of Telangana feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They feared that planned irrigation projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately, even though people of Telangana controlled the headwaters of the rivers. It was feared that the people of Andhra, who had access to higher standards of education under the British rule, would have an unfair advantage in seeking government and educational jobs.
The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with a two-thirds majority.
The Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of Hyderabad State, Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
Burgula Ramakrishna Rao
Dr. Burgula Ramakrishna Rao was the first elected Chief Minister of the erstwhile Hyderabad State who led the struggle against the Nizam in the princely State.-Early life:...
, expressed his view that a majority of Telangana people were against the merger. He supported the Congress party's central leadership decision to merge Telangana and Andhra despite opposition in Telangana. Andhra state assembly passed a resolution on 25 November 1955 to provide safeguards to Telangana. The resolution said, "Assembly would further like to assure the people in Telangana that the development of that area would be deemed to be special charge, and that certain priorities and special protection will be given for the improvement of that area, such as reservation in services and educational institutions on the basis of population and irrigational development." Telangana leaders did not believe the safeguards would work. With lobbying from Andhra Congress leaders and with pressure from the Central leadership of Congress party, an agreement was reached between Telangana leaders and Andhra leaders on 20 February 1956 to merge Telangana and Andhra with promises to safeguard Telangana's interests.
Prime minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
initially was skeptical of merging Telangana with Andhra State, fearing a "tint of expansionist imperialism" in it. He compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having "provisions for divorce" if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well.
Following the Gentlemen's agreement, the central government established a unified Andhra Pradesh on November 1, 1956. The agreement provided reassurances to Telangana in terms of power-sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.
Anti-Nehru politics emerged with the repression of the Telengana movement; many within the Congress Party
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
extended their hands to leftist causes. Feroze Gandhi
Feroze Gandhi
Feroze Jehangir Gandhi was an Indian politician and journalist, and publisher of the The National Herald and The Navjivan newspapers from Lucknow....
was among them.
Bhadrachalam Revenue Division a part of East Godavari
East Godavari
East Godavari District is a district situated on the northeast of the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. Its district headquarters is Kakinada. It is the second richest district in the whole country...
District up to 1959, was merged into Khammam
Khammam
Khammam , is the headquarters of the Khammam District in Andhra Pradesh state of India and is located about east of state capital, Hyderabad...
district for geographical contiguity and administrative ease. Same was the case with Ashwaraopet also a part of West Godavari
West Godavari
West Godavari District is one of the 23 districts of Andhra Pradesh, India. Eluru, is the district headquarter...
District up to 1959.
Grievances of Telangana proponents
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of the Krishna River
Krishna River
The Krishna River , is one of the longest rivers in central-southern India, about . It is also referred to as Krishnaveni in its original nomenclature...
and 69% of the catchment area of the Godavari River
Godavari River
The Godavari is a river that runs from western to southern India and is considered to be one of the big river basins in India. With a length of 1465 km, it is the second longest river in India , that runs within the country and also the longest river in South India...
are in the Telangana region. Telangana supporters state that the benefits of irrigation through the canal system under major irrigation projects is accruing substantially, 74.25%, to the Coastal Andhra region, while the share to Telangana is 18.20%. The remaining 7.55% goes to the Rayalaseema region. The state's expenditure on Telangana's major irrigation projects is 18.20% of the total expenditure.
The share of education funding for Telangana ranges from 9.86% in government-aided primary schools to 37.85% in government degree colleges. The above numbers include the expenditure in Hyderabad. Budget allocations to Telangana are generally less than 1/3 of the total Andhra Pradesh budget. There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. According to Professor Jayashankar
Kothapalli Jayashankar
Kothapalli Jayashankar popularly known as Professor Jayashankar Kothapalli Jayashankar popularly known as Professor Jayashankar Kothapalli Jayashankar popularly known as Professor Jayashankar (Telugu: జయ శంకర్, (6 August 1934 – 21 June 2011) was an Indian academic and politician. He was the...
only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana; those from other regions make up the bulk of employment. He also alleged that the state was represented by Telangana chief ministers for only 6 1/2 years out of over five decades of its existence, with no chief minister from the region being in power continuously for more than 2 1/2 years. As per Srikrishna committee on Telangana
Srikrishna committee on Telangana
Srikrishna committee on Telangana or Committee for consultations on the situation in Andhra Pradesh is a committee headed by former chief justice B. N. Srikrishna to look into the demand for separate statehood for Telangana or keep the state united in the present form, Andhra Pradesh...
, Telangana held the position of CM for 10.5 years while Seema-Andhra region held it for 42 years. Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution.
History of the movement
In December 1968 Osmania UniversityOsmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
students organised a rally to protest against discrimination in government jobs against Telangana people. Keshav Rao Jadhav and Sudershan Singh, both teachers, supported the students. Discontent intensified when some of the guarantees agreed upon were supposed to lapse in January, 1969. Student agitation for the proper implementation of the guarantees began at Osmania University
Osmania University
Osmania University , , since 1918, is a public university located in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. It was established and named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India. It is the first Indian University to have Urdu and...
in Hyderabad and spread to other parts of the region. This agitation came to an end in September 1972 with the merger of Telangana Praja Samithi with Congress and people realised that the Prime Minister was not inclined towards a separate state of Telangana.
Due to Jai Andhra agitation in the Seema-Andra region in 1973, protesting against the protections (mulki rules) given for Telangana region, the Government of India diluted the protections in Gentlemen's agreement by initiating the Six point formula.
Various political parties were formed on a platform of pursuing for separate statehood for Telangana region, including the Telangana Praja Samithi
Telangana Praja Samithi
Telangana Praja Samithi or Telangana Peoples Association was a Indian political party which fought for statehood for the Telangana region.-History:TPS was founded in 1969. The founding president of the party was Madan Mohan...
party in 1969, which won 11 out of 13 Parliamentory seats in 1971.
In the 1990s, the Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) promised a separate Telangana state if they came to power.
A new party called Telangana Rashtra Samithi
Telangana Rashtra Samithi
Telangana Rashtra Samithi is a regional separatist political party in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.-Ideology:Telangana Rashtra Samithi's main aim is to separate Telangana region from Andhra Pradesh and to regain regional autonomy as it existed before the formation of Andhra Pradesh...
(TRS), led by Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), was formed in 2001 with the single-point agenda of creating a separate Telangana State with Hyderabad as its capital.
In the 2004 Assembly and Parliament elections, the Congress party promised a separate Telangana State and the TRS had an electoral alliance in the Telangana region. Congress came to power in the state and formed a coalition government at the centre. TRS joined the coalition government in 2004 and was successful in making a separate Telangana state a part of the common minimum programme
Common minimum programme
The Common Minimum Programme is a document outlining the minimum objectives of a coalition government in India. The document has acquired prominence since coalition governments have become the norm in India.-References:...
of the coalition government.
In September 2006, TRS withdrew support from the Congress-led coalition government because of the failure of fulfilling the promise to create a separate Telangana state.
In July 2008, Devender Goud and E. Peddi Reddy resigned from Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party
Telugu Desam Party or TDP is a regional political party in India's Andhra Pradesh state. It was founded by former Telugu film star N. T...
(TDP) and formed a new party called Nava Telangana Praja Party
Nava Telangana Praja Party
Nava Telangana Party was a political party in Andhra Pradesh, India. The party was founded by Tulla Devender Goud to achieve separate statehood for Telangana...
(NTPP) with Telangana formation as its main goal.
After extensive internal discussions, the TDP, the main opposition party in the state, announced its support for the creation of separate Telangana state on 9 October 2008. The Telugu Desam Party promised to work towards creation of separate Telangana state.
The Praja Rajyam Party
Praja Rajyam Party
Praja Rajyam was a regional political party in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India, founded by Telugu cinema actor Chiranjeevi on August 26, 2008.On 2011, 6 February it was officially announced that the party would be merging into Indian National Congress...
(PRP), founded by Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
Matinee cinema actor Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi is a Telugu film actor and a politician. He has appeared primarily in Telugu Cinema along with a few Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films. He made his acting debut in Punadhirallu . However, Pranam Khareedu released at the box office earlier...
, supported Telangana statehood. The Nava Telangana Praja Party announced that it would merge with PRP after it concluded that there was not enough political space for two sub-regional Telangana parties that had Telananga statehood as their main agenda.
On 29 November 2009, TRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao
K. Chandrashekar Rao
Kalvakuntla Chandrashekar Rao , abbreviated KCR, is a member of the 15th Lok Sabha of India. He is a Member of Parliament from the Mahaboobnagar constituency of Andhra Pradesh and is the president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi. He was the cabinet minister for Labour and Employment.-Early...
(KCR) started a fast-unto-death, demanding that the Congress party introduce a Telangana bill in Parliament. He was arrested by the government of Andhra Pradesh. Student organizations, employee unions, and various organizations joined the movement.
General strikes shut down Telangana on 6 and 7 December. Student organizations planned a massive rally at the state Assembly
Vidhan Sabha
The Vidhan Sabha or the Legislative Assembly is the lower house or the sole house of the provincial legislature in the different states of India. The same name is also used for the lower house of the legislatures for two of the union territories, Delhi and Pondicherry...
on 10 December. The government warned that the rally did not have permission and deployed police troops throughout Telangana. All opposition parties in the state favoured creation of Telangana state at an all-party meet held on 7 December.
On 9 December 2009, Union Minister of Home Affairs P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram
P. Chidambaram or Chidambaram Palaniappan, sometimes written Palaniappan Chidambaram is an Indian politician with the Indian National Congress and present Union Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of India. Previously he was the Finance Minister of India from May 2004 to November 2008...
announced that the Indian government would start the process of forming a separate Telangana state, pending the introduction and passage of a separation resolution in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. KCR ended his 11-day fast, saying from his hospital bed that this was a "true victory of the people of Telangana."
Pro-Telangana supporters celebrated the central government decision, while those from the Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions (Andhra region) protested. Due to protests in the Seema-Andhra region, On 23 December, the Government of India announced that no action on Telangana would be taken until a consensus was reached by all parties. Rallies, hunger strikes, and suicides continued throughout Telangana to protest against the delay in bifurcating the State. The all-party Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) started relay hunger strikes and threatened the resignations of all legislators on 28 January, demanding that the Centre spell out its intentions and create a timetable for change. On 3 February the government announced the five-member Srikrishna committee on Telangana
Srikrishna committee on Telangana
Srikrishna committee on Telangana or Committee for consultations on the situation in Andhra Pradesh is a committee headed by former chief justice B. N. Srikrishna to look into the demand for separate statehood for Telangana or keep the state united in the present form, Andhra Pradesh...
that would look into the issue, with a deadline of 31 December 2010.
Srikrishna Committee report
The Srikrishna committee on Telangana submitted its report in two volumes to the Home Ministry of India on 30 December 2010. In an all-party meeting on 6 January 2011, the Home ministry made the 505-page Srikrishna committee report public. Section 9-3 (page 440) of the report discusses six solutions.The Committee announced that they were recommending keeping the State united(one of option- which they testified is not possible in present situation), and advised constitutional and statutory measures for socio-economic development and political empowerment of Telangana region through the creation of a statutorily empowered Telangana Regional Council.
Telangana leaders say the best option from the Sri Krishna committee report is the formation of separate Telangana state with Hyderabad as its capital. They plan to pressure the Central government to zero in on this option as the only workable one.
On March 23, 2011, Justice L Narasimha Reddy of Andhra Pradesh high court ordered central government to make contents of 8th chapter of Sri Krishna Committee, so called 'secret report'. Justice in his 60 page judgement said "The Committee travelled beyond the terms of reference in its endeavour to persuade the Union of India not to accede to the demand for Telangana". The judgement (in para 75, 80 94) also quoted the SKC report's 8th chapter which advised central govt on how to manage Telangana political parties, how to manage Telangana public opinion using local media virtually owned by Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra is used to specify the combined region of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions of Andhra pradesh, India. This term became more popular during the Telangana movement. Seema-Andhra is another name for the region that forms the Andhra state that existed in between 1953 and 1956...
industrialists and what kind of law and order methods to be used. The justice further said(in para 103) "The maneuver suggested by the Committee in its secret supplementary note poses an open challenge, if not threat, to the very system of democracy."
After the SKC Report
On February 17, 2011 noncooperation movement was started and it last for 16 days which was participated by 300,000 government employees and caused a loss of Rs 8 billion per day in revenue to government. It has as well caused 14,000 crore Rupees loss in the 25 day strike in September.In February and March, Assembly session was boycotted for weeks and Parliament session was disrupted for several days by Telangana representatives.
Million March was organized by Telangana JAC in Hyderabad on March 10, 2011. In a move to disrupt the march, police shutdown and arrested over hundred thousand activists through out the region and closed down entry to Hyderabad city, stopped transportation services, traffic was diverted and no one was allowed to areas close to the venue 50 to 100 thousand people reached venue by hoodwinking police and organized the march. . Some Telangana activists damaged 16 statues of personalties hailed form Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra
Seema-Andhra is used to specify the combined region of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra regions of Andhra pradesh, India. This term became more popular during the Telangana movement. Seema-Andhra is another name for the region that forms the Andhra state that existed in between 1953 and 1956...
representing Telugu culture language on Tank Bund, the venue. They threw some of the remnants into the lake. Top leaders of all political parties in the state including KCR and various organizations condemned the vandalism.
On July 4 and 5, 2011, 100 out of 118(1 vacant) Telangana MLAs in the state, 12 out of 15 Telangana ministers, 13 out of 17 Telangana MPs in Lok Sabha, 1 Rajyasabha MP(Congress), 20 MLCs resigned protesting delay in the formation of Telangana. Resigned included 44 out of 53 ruling Congress party's MLAs from Telangana, 9 out of 12 ruling Congress party MPs in Lok Sabha from Telangana.
Except 18 MLAs; MIM(7), Congress(9) (including two ministers, Deputy speaker and Deputy CM) CPM(1), Lok Satta(1); the rest of the Telangana MLAs have resigned.
Starting September 13, as part of 'strike by all section of people' supporting Telangana state formation, government employees, lawyers, coal miners, health workers started indefenite strike. Within days, they were joined by teachers, state transport corportion employees, electricity board employees, sanitation employees, temples employees etc. Due to the strike, administration collapsed in Telangana,court activity paralysed, public trasport still stand due to RTC strik, due to the strike in Singareni coal caused power cuts through out South India.
Geography
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau in India, making up the majority of the southern part of the country. It rises a hundred meters high in the north, rising further to more than a kilometers high in the south, forming a raised triangle nested within the familiar downward-pointing triangle of...
is drained by two major rivers, the Godavari and the Krishna. 69% of the Krishna River and 79% of the Godavari River catchment area is in Telangana region. Telangana is also drained by other minor rivers such as Manair, Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
, Dindi
Dindi
"Dindi" is a song composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Aloysio de Oliveria. English lyrics were added by Ray Gilbert. Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote this piece especially for Brazilian singer Sylvia Telles whose nickname was Dindi...
, Kinnerasani, Manjeera, Munneru, Moosi, Penganga, Praanahita, and Peddavagu and Taliperu.
The area is divided into two main regions, the Eastern Ghats
Eastern Ghats
The Eastern Ghats or Eastern Ghauts are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats run from West Bengal state in the north, through Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka. They are eroded and cut through by the...
and the plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
s. The surface is dotted with low depressions.
Natural resources
The Telangana region has rich natural resources. 45% of the forest area in Andhra Pradesh state is in Telangana region, spread across five districts. 20% of the coal deposits in the country are in Telangana region. The Singareni Collieries CompanySingareni Collieries Company
The Singareni Collieries Company Limited or SCCL is a government-owned coal mining company in India. One of the public sector undertakings, the company is jointly owned by the Andhra Pradesh government and the Union Government . The Union Government's administration of the company is through the...
excavates coal for industrial purposes and for thermal power stations. The power generated is supplied to the entire of South India. There are limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
deposits in the region, which cater to cement factories. Telangana has other resources such as bauxite
Bauxite
Bauxite is an aluminium ore and is the main source of aluminium. This form of rock consists mostly of the minerals gibbsite Al3, boehmite γ-AlO, and diaspore α-AlO, in a mixture with the two iron oxides goethite and hematite, the clay mineral kaolinite, and small amounts of anatase TiO2...
and mica
Mica
The mica group of sheet silicate minerals includes several closely related materials having highly perfect basal cleavage. All are monoclinic, with a tendency towards pseudohexagonal crystals, and are similar in chemical composition...
.
Demography and language
According to the Backward Regions Grant Fund 2009–10, 13 backward districts are located in Andhra Pradesh; 9 (Except Hyderabad) are from Telangana region and the rest are from other regions.Telangana (including Hyderabad) has 86% Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, 12.4% Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
, and 1.2% Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
population. Hyderabad city(district) has 55.4% Hindu, 41.2% Muslim, 2.4% Christian population. Other districts in Telangana region (outside of Hyderabad district) have 8.4% of the Muslim population.
About 11% of Telangana people speak Hyderabadi Urdu
Hyderabadi Urdu
Hyderabadi Urdu is a dialect of Urdu spoken in the Indian region of Hyderabad State and its diaspora. It is also known as Deccani Urdu from its former name Hyderabad Deccan...
http://www.languageinindia.com/april2003/urduinap.html. Urdu speakers are mostly Muslims, though people of other ethnicities also use Urdu for day-to-day life. Most non-Muslims in Hyderabad also use Urdu/Hindi in day to day conversations. Most people outside Hyderabad speak Telugu. Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
is spoken by people from other states of North and Central India. The people bordering other states speak Kannada and Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
Culture and identity
Festivals
BonaluBonalu
Bonalu is a Hindu festival of the Goddess of power, Mahakali, celebrated in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and parts of Telangana and Rayalaseema in India. It is celebrated in the month of Ashada masam, in July/August. Special poojas are performed for Yellamma on the first and last day of the festival...
, Bathukamma, Diwali
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
, Dassera, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid al-Adha, Milad un Nabi, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, Sri Rama Navami , Vinayaka Chaviti and Ugadi
Ugadi
Yugadi or Ugadi or "Samvatsradi" , Konkani/Marathi: युगादी yugādi, , formed by sandhi of yuga "age" and ādi "beginning": the beginning of an age) is the New Year's Day for the people of the Deccan region of India. It falls on the different day every year because the Hindu calendar is a lunisolar...
are prominent festivals in Telangana. Other festivals of Hindus and Muslims such as Holi
Holi
Holi , is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Holi is also known as festival of Colours. It is primarily observed in India, Nepal, Pakistan, and countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, United...
, Raksha Bandhan, Eid-ul-Fitr and Milad un Nabi are also celebrated with equal enthusiasm as in rest of India. The Sankranti
Sankranti
Sankranthi means transmigration of Sun from one Rāshi to the other. Hence there are 12 such Sankrantis in all.* Makara Sankaranti: or Sankranti or Sankranthi marks the transition of...
festival is celebrated at the beginning of harvest season, generally, on January 14 every year. Bathukamma and Bonalu are regional festivals of Telangana.
Literature
BammeraPothanaPothana
Bammera Potana was an Indian Telugu poet best known for his translation of the Bhagavata Purana from Sanskrit to Telugu. He was a Telugu and Sanskrit Scholar. His work, Andhra Maha Bhaagavathamu, is popularly called as Pothana Bhagavatham in Telugu.-Early life:Bammera Potanamatyulu was born into...
, the poet who composed the classic SriMad Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham, authored by Veda Vyasa in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
, belongs to Telangana region. Golkonda Nawab Muhammed Quli Qutub Shah had the distinction of being the first Saheb-e-dewan Urdu poet and is credited with introducing a new sensibility into prevailing genres of Persian/Urdu poetry . Other prominent poets of the Telangana region in the early era include Kancherla Gopanna
Kancherla Gopanna
Kancherla Gopanna , popularly known as Bhadradri Ramadasu or Bhadrachala Ramadasu, was a 17th century Indian devotee of Rama and a composer of Carnatic music. He is one among the famous vaggeyakaras in the Telugu language, the others being Tyagaraja, Annamayya, Kshetryya...
or Bhakta Ramadasu, Gona Budda Reddy, Palkuriki Somanatha
Palkuriki Somanatha
Palkurthy Somanatha was one of the most noted Telugu language writers of the 12th or 13th century. He was also an accomplished writer in the Kannada and Sanskrit languages and penned several classics in them...
, Mallinātha Sūri
Mallinatha Suri
Mallinātha Sūri was an eminent critic, known for his commentaries on five mahakavyas of Sanskrit. During his times, he is said to have received the titles of Mahamahopadyaya and Vyakhyana Cakravarti. He lived during the reigns of Racakonda king Singabhupala and Vijayanagara king Deva Raya I...
, Hulukki Bhaskara and in modern era poets include Padma Vibhushan
Padma Vibhushan
The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian award in the Republic of India. It consists of a medal and a citation and is awarded by the President of India. It was established on 2 January 1954. It ranks behind the Bharat Ratna and comes before the Padma Bhushan...
Kaloji Narayana Rao, Sahitya Akademy award recipient Dasarathi Krishnamacharya, Vachaspathi Puraskar award recipient Sribhashyam Vijayasarathi and Jnanpith award recipient Dr. C. Narayana Reddy, Pamulaparti Venkata Narasimha Rao the 9th Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
.
See also
- States Reorganization Act
- Northern Circars
- Kosta/Coastal Andhra
- RayalaseemaRayalaseemaRayalaseema is a geographic region in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It includes the districts of Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Kurnool. These Telugu speaking districts were part of Madras Presidency until 1953 when Telugu speaking districts of Madras presidency were carved out to form...
- UttarandhraUttarandhraThe Uttarandhra region consists of three north coastal districts in Andhra Pradesh state in India. This region is also called Kalingandhra. The people speak Telugu language and most people depend on agriculture for farming.- Districts :...
- Samaikhya Andhra
- List of notable Telangana people
External links
- Demand for Telangana State: genuine and justified., Vijaya Bhaskar, 2010
- Official history of AP on AP Government website
- Telangana movement article in US Library of Congress
- Committee on Telangana surpluses – 1969 Report by Justice Bhargava
- Telangana Information Task Force – by rashu.
- Subregionalism in India – A case of Telangana by Duncan B. Forrester. Alternate link
- Planning Commission Document: Regional Balances in AP
- The Historical Context of Andhra and Telangana, 1949–56 – Economic & Political Weekly, February 20, 2010 vol xlv no 8
- State reorganization committee reports at Wiki Source
- Fasting, Mining, Politicking? Telangana and the Burdens of History, D. Parthasarathy
- Modern Hyderabad(Deccan) by John Law, 1914
- The Hyderabad Political System and its Participants by KAREN LEONARD ; Source: The Journal of Asian Studies, Vol. 30, No. 3 (May, 1971), pp. 569–582 Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2052461
- Nizam – British Relations 1724–1857 by Sarojini Regani published 1963
- Srikrishna Committee Report – Vol I (Main Report)
- Sri Krishna Committee Report – Vol II (Appendix to the report)
- Srikrishna Committee on Telangana: Recommendations at Variance with the Analysis - C.H Hanumanth Rao