Saturday, February 13, 2010

What Telugu (language) means to a Telanganite (me)?

                         Ever since Chidambaram’s announcement came out on 9th Dec 09 to initiate the process to create Telangana state, my dearest Andhra friends started saying that all Telugu should remain in one state. Perhaps that is the only time they are woken up to realize that there are Telugu speaking people in Telangana. Thank you Mr. Chiddu for waking my fellow Telugu. They in fact are running so-called united – Telugu movement ( or should I call it as moment as in fact it did last for just more than a moment). Since then, following questions have been puzzling me for quite some time.

What “Telugu” means to me?
Is language an ideology?
Is it a sin to share a language with others?
Is the language is unifying factor or dividing factor?
My quest for answers for all these queries with my learned friends and in literature available in the public domain, did not meet with much success. I commanded all my mental faculties to search for answers; I did find answers to most of them in solitude.

What “Telugu” means to me?
Telugu for me is “Suppression”
Telugu for me is “Looting”
Telugu for me is “Cheating”
Telugu for me is “Cultural invasion”.
Note: It is a myth that languages will have cultures. I feel places/regions will have culture.
Telugu for me is “Violation of agreements”
Telugu for me is “Mask”
Is language an ideology?
                       It is common knowledge that ideology keeps the flock together. Take capitalism, it unites some to become one group and communism brings other to form different group. From the days of nomads it is the common ideology that have brought people together. People of Telangana have been advocating that development, rightful use of resources, self rule, and fight against cultural invasion should decide the direction of the society. To sum up Telangana ideology is “Fight for rightful share and respect”. But my dear Andhra friend is conveniently ignoring all that and is saying “we speak one language” so we should remain in one state, so is Andhra wala effectively saying that “Language is an ideology”. Is it a buyable argument? Is it a rational argument?
Is it a sin to share a language with others?
                          Going by my Andhra friend’s argument that all Telugu should live in one state, I was made to feel incalculable times in recent times that is it a sin to have shared language with them? Had language not been shared, Telangana people would have been better off ? Sharing language with these Andhra people denied us rightful share in resources and also denied us right to live with respect. If this is the case, should we feel proud of the so called Italian of the east  -Telugu?
Is language an unifying factor or a dividing factor?
                             To say frankly, it is none. It should not be one either. It is just an instrument to understand others view point. Uniting based on that and dividing based on that does not make any sense to any rational mind. Then why my dear Andhrawala is so much concerned about all Telugu to be in one state? Don’t you think there is other rational (or irrationalJ) reason behind this canting-United AP, United AP?
Dear Telangana compatriot, I am all for agreeing to disagree. Please post your answers to above queries.

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