Government's tall claims over Gurajada memorials fall flat

A No progress on the several measures that were announced last year Hyderabad: There is a yawning gap between the words and deeds of the government in promoting Telugu language and culture. The government, which announced 2013 as the 'Year of Development and Promotion of Telugu Language', appears to be just making tall claims without any matching efforts on the ground.

Its grandiose announcements during the 150th anniversary celebrations of Gurajada Apparao, the father of modern Telugu language and the man who changed the course of not just the language but also the social system, still remained on paper. According to top sources, the government has put aside the plans for time being for reasons unknown. The government, last July, had undertaken several measures to pay tributes to the legendary writer including construction of two auditoriums � Vizianagaram, the birth place of Gurajada and Hyderabad - for which Rs 4.88 crore was sanctioned. But till date, not even an inch has moved in that direction. Minister for Culture Vatti Vasant Kumar had even said that the birth place of Gurajada would be converted into a tourist spot, on the lines of Stratford Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, the greatest English playwright. An amount of Rs 15 lakh has been earmarked for the purpose but nobody knows where the amount has gone. Vedagiri Rambabu, a renowned writer and an ardent follower of Gurajada Apparao, has renovated the house of the legendary writer at Vizianagaram by spending Rs 15 lakh �much of it from his own pocket. Rambabu, who was made a member of the 150-year celebrations committee by the government laments the government's way of functioning. "It is a sad commentary on part of the government's monumental negligence. It's nothing but humiliating the greatest man for whom the Telugus owe a lot," he said. Rambabu also took initiative with regard to other promises like reprinting of entire works of Gurajada, translation of the greatest patriotic song-'Desamunu Preminchumanna' into several languages. The government is observing Official Language week this week. But sadly, the person who has given a shape to the language-Gurajada-has been ignored by the rulers.