07-31-2007, 10:03 PM
Interesting ediorial in Deccan Chronicle, 1 Aug 2007. Looks like US has found its toehold in Hyderabad from an unlikely source. Telegana is now being recast a s caste conflict. <!--emo&
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dalit-Bahujans power Telangana demand
By Kancha Ilaiah
The question of a separate state of Telangana has been bothering the Central government for decades. The linguistic state of Vishalandhra was formed in 1956. The demand for a separate Telangana took birth right from the time the demand for a unified Telugu linguistic state started. Movements for Telangana arose and died, parties were formed; elections won and lost; leaders made and bought off.
<b>Recently, a group of teachers from Osmania and Kakatiya Universities organised a seminar to unravel the nature and characteristics of the Telangana parties and politicians, under the banner of Peopleâs Telangana Foundation.
The seminar was given direction exclusively by Dalit-Bahujan intellectuals and was supported by Dalit-Bahujan Non-Resident Indians, mostly living in the United States as first generation software and science graduates. </b>
<b>A nucleus of Dalit-Bahujan NRI network willing to work in the interest of the Dalit-Bahujan masses of Telangana is taking shape in the US as a separate force.</b> It has got divorced from the American Telugu Association (ATA) and Telugu Association of North America (TANA), as these organisations are led by Reddys and Kammas respectively. The other caste NRIs from Andhra Pradesh just work as appendages of these two caste groups.
These two US-based organisations fund their own caste leaders and maintain political contacts with them to further their own business interests.
<b>The separate Telangana NRI group formed under the leadership of the Reddys and Velamas started contributing to their own caste leaders working for the separate state of Telangana, with the TRS getting the biggest share. Telanganaâs Dalit-Bahujan NRIs realised that even on the Telangana issue, caste interests worked more seriously than regional interest. Hence, they too formed a Dalit-Bahujan nucleus in the US.</b>
The seminar issued a statement called "Agenda for Peopleâs Telangana." It is perhaps the single-most well drafted and authentic statement about Telanganaâs history and its caste, religious, cultural, economic and geographical structures. It says, "<b>Telangana has been primarily a territory of adivasis and nomads, pastorals and service castes, artisans and hide and skin workers."
It shows how this region was colonised and exploited by the Velama Doras and Reddy Patels who themselves were migrants. They were backward looking feudals who kept the region backward from within.
Then came the Kamma migrants and the local people were exploited economically, socially and culturally. Thus Telanganaâs Dalit-Bahujan masses are doubly exploited. </b>
The seminar also showed how the Brahmin migrants from Madras province formed the first intellectual force misrepresenting Telanganaâs culture, language and ethics, while at the same time serving the interests of the Muslim rulers, but not the Muslim masses. Some of them even adopted Muslim names or converted to Islam for the sake of wealth and power. These upper castes never allowed a quality education system to find a foothold in this region.
For Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas adoption of Muslim dress code, and even conversion were more of an economic question rather than a cultural one.
For the purpose of caste consolidation the Reddys started a Reddy hostel which became the centre of their caste organisation. All these three upper castes, established their own institutions where no space was given to the lower castes.
Another major issue that the document brings out is that Telinga (the earlier name of Telangana) lands were made cultivable by the lower castes. From Kapus to nomadic and semi-nomadic castes, these people participated in the process of cultivation, cattle rearing and economy building. But over time, the Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas occupied land and other resources of wealth with their caste and educational structures.
After the formation of Vishalandhra, Brahmin and Kamma migration started through sectors like education, employment, religion and cinema. The Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas of Telangana willingly colluded with Andhra upper castesâ modern exploitative economy.
A clear evidence of this is that not a single Brahmin, Reddy, Velama intellectual or social reformer emerged to challenge the coastal upper caste power. When Andhraisation of every sphere was taking place, consolidation of the upper castes took place within Telangana. Small positions of power and a good amount of wealth offered by the Andhra Brahmins, Reddys and Kammas made them dance to their tune. The real losers in the process were the productive castes.
But from the Eighties and the Nineties, when the first generation of educated representatives emerged from among the productive castes, much contesting literature challenging the Andhraisation process was produced.
The Telangana Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas could not produce even a fraction of that in their entire hegemonic life. This seminar is an evidence of this collective intellectual challenge.
It is known history that Burgula Ramakrishna Rao and Chenna Reddy sold Telanganaâs interests and mass sacrifice and even its cultural essence to become governor and chief minister. This happened with the connivance of the advanced castes of the region. No individual coming from an organised community does things totally at the level of the individual.
With the rise of Burgula Ramakrishna Rao the whole Brahmin community of the region benefited, as did the whole Reddy community with the rise of K.V. Ranga Reddy and M. Chenna Reddy.
Now is the turn of the Velamas. TRSâ Chandrashekhar Rao represents the Velamas. We have to wait and see what he does for Telanganaâs interest.
The conclusion of the seminar, however, is that he will also go the Burgula and Chenna Reddy way. If this happens, the three top communities will have every reason to laugh at the people of Telangana, not at the people of Andhra.
The seminar document says that the only alternative, therefore, is to build a Dalit-Bahujan peopleâs power base.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='sad.gif' /><!--endemo--><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Dalit-Bahujans power Telangana demand
By Kancha Ilaiah
The question of a separate state of Telangana has been bothering the Central government for decades. The linguistic state of Vishalandhra was formed in 1956. The demand for a separate Telangana took birth right from the time the demand for a unified Telugu linguistic state started. Movements for Telangana arose and died, parties were formed; elections won and lost; leaders made and bought off.
<b>Recently, a group of teachers from Osmania and Kakatiya Universities organised a seminar to unravel the nature and characteristics of the Telangana parties and politicians, under the banner of Peopleâs Telangana Foundation.
The seminar was given direction exclusively by Dalit-Bahujan intellectuals and was supported by Dalit-Bahujan Non-Resident Indians, mostly living in the United States as first generation software and science graduates. </b>
<b>A nucleus of Dalit-Bahujan NRI network willing to work in the interest of the Dalit-Bahujan masses of Telangana is taking shape in the US as a separate force.</b> It has got divorced from the American Telugu Association (ATA) and Telugu Association of North America (TANA), as these organisations are led by Reddys and Kammas respectively. The other caste NRIs from Andhra Pradesh just work as appendages of these two caste groups.
These two US-based organisations fund their own caste leaders and maintain political contacts with them to further their own business interests.
<b>The separate Telangana NRI group formed under the leadership of the Reddys and Velamas started contributing to their own caste leaders working for the separate state of Telangana, with the TRS getting the biggest share. Telanganaâs Dalit-Bahujan NRIs realised that even on the Telangana issue, caste interests worked more seriously than regional interest. Hence, they too formed a Dalit-Bahujan nucleus in the US.</b>
The seminar issued a statement called "Agenda for Peopleâs Telangana." It is perhaps the single-most well drafted and authentic statement about Telanganaâs history and its caste, religious, cultural, economic and geographical structures. It says, "<b>Telangana has been primarily a territory of adivasis and nomads, pastorals and service castes, artisans and hide and skin workers."
It shows how this region was colonised and exploited by the Velama Doras and Reddy Patels who themselves were migrants. They were backward looking feudals who kept the region backward from within.
Then came the Kamma migrants and the local people were exploited economically, socially and culturally. Thus Telanganaâs Dalit-Bahujan masses are doubly exploited. </b>
The seminar also showed how the Brahmin migrants from Madras province formed the first intellectual force misrepresenting Telanganaâs culture, language and ethics, while at the same time serving the interests of the Muslim rulers, but not the Muslim masses. Some of them even adopted Muslim names or converted to Islam for the sake of wealth and power. These upper castes never allowed a quality education system to find a foothold in this region.
For Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas adoption of Muslim dress code, and even conversion were more of an economic question rather than a cultural one.
For the purpose of caste consolidation the Reddys started a Reddy hostel which became the centre of their caste organisation. All these three upper castes, established their own institutions where no space was given to the lower castes.
Another major issue that the document brings out is that Telinga (the earlier name of Telangana) lands were made cultivable by the lower castes. From Kapus to nomadic and semi-nomadic castes, these people participated in the process of cultivation, cattle rearing and economy building. But over time, the Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas occupied land and other resources of wealth with their caste and educational structures.
After the formation of Vishalandhra, Brahmin and Kamma migration started through sectors like education, employment, religion and cinema. The Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas of Telangana willingly colluded with Andhra upper castesâ modern exploitative economy.
A clear evidence of this is that not a single Brahmin, Reddy, Velama intellectual or social reformer emerged to challenge the coastal upper caste power. When Andhraisation of every sphere was taking place, consolidation of the upper castes took place within Telangana. Small positions of power and a good amount of wealth offered by the Andhra Brahmins, Reddys and Kammas made them dance to their tune. The real losers in the process were the productive castes.
But from the Eighties and the Nineties, when the first generation of educated representatives emerged from among the productive castes, much contesting literature challenging the Andhraisation process was produced.
The Telangana Brahmins, Reddys and Velamas could not produce even a fraction of that in their entire hegemonic life. This seminar is an evidence of this collective intellectual challenge.
It is known history that Burgula Ramakrishna Rao and Chenna Reddy sold Telanganaâs interests and mass sacrifice and even its cultural essence to become governor and chief minister. This happened with the connivance of the advanced castes of the region. No individual coming from an organised community does things totally at the level of the individual.
With the rise of Burgula Ramakrishna Rao the whole Brahmin community of the region benefited, as did the whole Reddy community with the rise of K.V. Ranga Reddy and M. Chenna Reddy.
Now is the turn of the Velamas. TRSâ Chandrashekhar Rao represents the Velamas. We have to wait and see what he does for Telanganaâs interest.
The conclusion of the seminar, however, is that he will also go the Burgula and Chenna Reddy way. If this happens, the three top communities will have every reason to laugh at the people of Telangana, not at the people of Andhra.
The seminar document says that the only alternative, therefore, is to build a Dalit-Bahujan peopleâs power base.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->