Spread Telugu Velugu far and wide

Hyderabad: The fifth five-day World Telugu Conference got off to a glittering start here on Friday with Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu declaring it open and making a fervent appeal to both the Telugu states to promote Telugu at all levels of education and administration.

The much-awaited literary extravaganza began with a spell-binding show of Perini Shivathandavam with the chief guests, Venkaiah Naidu, Telangana and AP Governor ESL Narasimhan, his Maharashtra counterpart Ch Vidyasagar Rao and host Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao watching the dance in rapt attention.

After inauguration of the conference, the Vice-President expressed serious concern over the way Telugu was being used in day-to-day life in both the states. “It was unfortunate that people are habituated to speak in alien language (English) and forgot the importance of their mother tongue in their local dialect,” he said.

Under the influence of English, the Vice-President said Telugu has been pushed to the verge of extinction. “Telugu is intertwined with our heritage, culture and tradition. Future generations will not know that a great language existed if no steps are taken to promote it now,” he said.

He praised Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for promoting Telugu language by making it a mandatory subject from elementary education to Intermediate. Following KCR’s footsteps, AP Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu also took similar decision, he said.
Stating that the decision to promote Telugu in education will help strengthen the language, Venkaiah Naidu suggested that the language should be used in administration from grass-root level to Secretariat level.

Venkaiah Naidu suggested the government to provide a special quota for those who write competitive and public service exams in Telugu. He asserted the need to work in tandem with the government, people and media to promote Telugu in a big way. He wanted the Telugu states to create a ‘Maha Nighantuvu’ for the preservation of Telugu.

It was a misconception to think that Telugu would not help youngsters in their careers, he said.Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao said he will address the long-pending problems faced by the Telugu pundits.

He called upon the Telugu teachers, poets and writers to make use of their talent in Telugu and encourage future generations to pursue Telugu as part of their profession. KCR enthralled people by reciting poems which were taught to him during his childhood in the government schools.

Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao suggested Telangana Chief Minister to constitute a committee to study the problems encountered by the state government in the promotion of Telugu. He appealed parents to develop persuasive skills to make their children take up Telugu with interest.

Delivering his address in Telugu, Telangana and AP Governor ESL Narasimhan said that Telugu was the largest spoken language after Hindi in the country. He praised KCR for promoting the language at all levels. Deputy Chief Ministers -- Kadiam Srihari and Mohammad Mahmood Ali, and MPs were present.

At the end of the inaugural, a spectacular show of pyrotechnic lit up Hyderabad skyline, as though sending a message that Telugu would get a new lease of life, going forward.