Welcome addition to Telangana statehood literature

For a socially inclusive movement like that of Telangana, which has inexplicably received scant coverage in the national English media over the four decades and more it remained as an issue unresolved, books like these are a welcome addition to the meagre lot available in public domain. In fact, in the new millennium as the Telangana statehood issue gained traction, only around half a dozen books, with varying levels of impact and sales hit the bookshelves, an enigma at best. This latest one, a compilation of lectures in memory of B Janardhan Rao, (1956-2002), a noted academic and ardent Telangana protagonist, had been released at a well-attended public function at Warangal in the final week of February 2015. Rao had articulated forcefully the demand for Telangana centered on five issues – finances, irrigation water, employment, livelihood and decision making power.

M Bharath Bhushan, the publisher of this recent book, comprising lectures rendered between 2003 and 2014, was among the pioneers, if not the trendsetter, six years ago, when his critically acclaimed book ‘Telangana: The State of Affairs’, co-edited with well-known journalist and activist N Venugopal had a low-key release at the 2009 Delhi Book Fair. The book went on to sell nearly 1,500 copies, a sleeper hit of sorts, running into two editions, most of it in Hyderabad and the national capital, with it being considered an authoritative reference for arguing out a case in the creation of Telangana by stakeholders before various national forums including the Srikrishna Committee. This time around, this 235- pages book brings about a bouquet of opinions from learned scholars and domain experts from across the country.

From the much-in-the-news M Kodanda Ram of the Telangana Joint Action Committee to the venerated Prof. K Jayashankar, the father figure of the decade-and-a-half movement in its recent avatar, the book has much more to offer from other luminaries too.

Names that roll off the pages are ones like that of K G Kannabiran, D Narasimha Reddy, J M Girglani, CH Hanumantha Rao, G Haragopal, Manoranjan Mohanty, Justice Sudershan Reddy and C R Bijoy, all stellar names in their respective work sectors. This review may not be able to capture the entire range of opinions at one go but the key points that emerge surely deserve mention. K Jayashankar’s paper talks about the need for separate statehood, while K G Kannabiran highlights how the state has been deprived of the best of the best of leadership by killing bright young men and women through encounters.

Amrit Srinivasan talks about growing powerlessness of the youth which makes them prone to violence witnessed in several regions affected by poverty and eroding democratic spaces. Kodanda Ram makes the point that given the historical experience with violence, Telangana society as a whole treated violence as a major obstacle for wider participation in development. J M Girglani concludes in his lecture that the saga of tribals is one of weak against the powerful like the ‘oil lamp and the storm’. The impact of economic reforms and its exacerbation of regional disparities is the focus of D Narasimha Reddy’s address. Manoranjan Mohanty attempts to highlight a broad theoretical framework for pondering over the identity politics and a separate statehood movements from the lens of autonomy and self-determination.

The other notable contributions include Justice B Sudershan Reddy’s paper which examines the constitutional dimensions of the division of powers between Union of India and the states which is only quasi federal in nature in his opinion. On the vital issue of tribal rights, an interesting insight is provided by C R Bijoy who says that Adivasi struggles have resulted in redrawing contours of democracy and governance. In all, a very interesting, well-researched book which at times makes one feel that it need not have carried such a serious demeanour, at least as far as the cover page went.

At times, one could see that there were varying spellings for the same person referred to in the same copy, which are minor irritants, but speed breakers, nevertheless.