HYDERABAD: Telangana Telugu, which has been neglected, rejected and heckled over several decades in combined Andhra Pradesh, is now free from the shackles of dishonour and disgrace. Finally, Telangana Telugu is all set to raise its head high and is here to exist and flourish with much pride.The first World Telugu Conference after the formation of Telangana will be kicked off with much fanfare and gaiety at LB Stadium here on Friday. The five-day event will definitely give much-needed fillip and recognition to Telangana Telugu language, literary works, poets and writers of the past across the globe.
During the statehood movement, its champion K Chandrasekhar Rao talked about Telangana’s cultural and literary renaissance. Accordingly, Rao, himself a man of letters, has decided to preserve and protect Telangana Telugu. “We are holding World Telugu Conference to give Telangana Telugu the prominence it deserves,” Telangana Sahitya Akademi chairman Nandini Sidha Reddy said. Recently, the State government has made Telugu a compulsory subject from Class I to Intermediate.
The first World Telugu Conference was held in Hyderabad in undivided state of AP in 1975. The second was held in Malaysia in 1982 and the third in Mauritius in 1990. When the then combined AP government held the fourth conference at Tirupati in 2012, Telangana people opposed it, alleging that Telangana Telugu was being neglected. Now, with Telangana emerging as a state, conducting the conference for the first time in the new state would bring recognition to its dialect and cultural traditions. Sahitya Akademi, Telugu University and other government bodies have decided to bring out a large number of books, including a dictionary with one lakh words used mostly by commoners in TS.
During the conference, the government will felicitate around 20 poets and present a cash reward of `10,000 to each of them. Deputy CM (education) K Srihari said Telangana Telugu language and culture has been neglected over the years and the history of Telangana too was not properly depicted.
We were not invited, allege oppn parties
Even as there is no clarity on whether the State government invited Andhra Pradesh CM N Chandrababu Naidu to Prapanch Telugu Mahasabhalu, the Opposition parties in the State are also learnt to have not been invited to the conference so far. Congress has come down heavily on CM KCR for not inviting opposition parties. TPCC chief spokesman Sravan Dasoju said elected representatives of opposition parties were ignored. “Is it not ridiculous that a world conference will not be having the participation of local representatives?” he wondered. He slammed TRS for not inviting famous poets and writers of Telangana.
Virasam boycotts Telugu Mahasabhalu
Revolutionary Writers Association (Virasam) led by Varavara Rao which contributed a lot to the modern Telugu literature with its poems, free verse and other form of literary works, has decided to boycott the World Telugu Conference. Writers, poets and cultural artists such as balladeer Gaddar and Vimalakka belonging to the Virasam, will keep themselves away from the conference. Varavara Rao on Thursday announced that their association had decided to boycott the Telugu Mahasabhalu as they are being organised in support of the capitalists. The members of the Virasam will stage protests in front of the statue of Mahakavi Sri Sri, located at Tank bund on Friday evening.
TELANGANA TELUGU
Adi Kavi (first poet):
Pampana
First Vaggeyakarudu: Krishnamacharyulu (Simhagiri Vachanamulu)
First Padyakavi (poet): Haaludu (Gatha Saptasati)
First inscription by:
Jina Vallabhudu
First poet to pen Sanskrit work: Madhava Varma
(Chando Vicchiti)