When things that are considered impossible become possible or when these happen with the interference of forces unknown, they are called miracles. Telangana movement in which people participated with gusto, the youth even sacrificing their lives in hundreds, and the resultant victory in the form of statehood also appear as great wonders. People's will remaining strong, sustaining for long to become a reality is rare, exceptionally remarkable. All the dreams associated with myriad aspirations might not be realised but when we see the few results of realised dreams we feel very proud and satisfied. This book is one such result of a realised dream. But for the Telangana movement, this anthology wouldn't have materialised; such a thought wouldn't have come in the first place. Through this anthology of selected Telugu stories, English reading people and the many non-Telugu readers will get an opportunity to understand the astitva of Telangana. This is a remarkable thing in the journey of Telangana identity and its literature. Among the many good things that the Telangana Sahitya Akademi is undertaking, this is all the more commendable.
In the second and final stage of Telangana movement, literary and cultural factors stood in the vanguard. While the voice needed for the movement was lent by song and other oral forms, literature in written form made an effort to provide the ideological platform.
Debates about the disparities in employment, irrigation and industries used to take place even earlier. But they were confined to few intellectual circles of Telanganites belonging to social sciences. Literary discussions were different. They used to exist in the form of arguments and severe clash of views. The debate as to what was the representation of Telangana and its reckoning in Telugu literature had started from 1996. In the early years of the second stage of Telangana movement the agenda was clearly marked: Questioning the periodic division of modern Telugu literary history; bringing to light the forgotten Telangana first generation writers; interrogating the validity of anthologies, histories, organisations and movements that claimed inclusiveness which, in fact, did not represent all regions and social sections. Telangana movement at that stage started questioning the bias in the "total" and "inclusive" narratives. As a result, Telangana movement has achieved three things viz. correcting the history, contending with the present and manifesting the multifaceted creativity.
Among the early story writers Achamamba's name was heard occasionally and Madapati Hanumantha Rao was remembered rarely. Not much was known about Telangana writers of the 20th century early decades. It was expected of outsiders to express their biased view that Telangana story was negligible. However, it was the time when there was no compilation here to show the treasure trove of our stories. If we notice the transformation that has taken place in these two decades, we will be surprised and delighted. The stories of first generation came out in the form of two anthologies and there were other story collections of many forgotten writers. More importantly, an index of stories with their details written before 1956 came out with the title Dastram. Collection, compilation and anthologising have been taking place at a phenomenal pace.
Amnesia here is not personal. Like memory, selective amnesia too is political. There are political and social forces behind retaining a thing and excluding the other, showcasing a thing and erasing the other. Economic changes also play a part in it. The prevailing atmosphere of a given period ordains the processes of memory-amnesia. In this respect, the regional bias was reflected in three forms: Firstly, though there are writers and writings matching those of the dominating region, they are not taken into cognizance, not given their due recognition. This is overt bias. Secondly, the tendency to dismiss the writers of the oppressed region and their writing methods as inferior while elevating the writings of the dominating region as superior works. This is tantamount to legitimisation of bias. Thirdly, the opportunities and atmosphere congenial for full realisation of creativity in the dominant region were woefully lacking in the oppressed region. This is organised bias. In the process, even people of the same region tend to continue the same discrimination, though unwittingly. Everything such as taste, standards and literary production takes the direction determined by the dominant region and no effort to highlight the history and greatness of the oppressed region takes place.
Indian literatures in English translation form a vast, diverse body that offers multiple vistas to appreciate one or many layers of the idea of India. Indian fiction in English is largely urban-based, more privileged, rich/upper middleclass-oriented dealing with themes like migration, inner conflicts, alienation, man-woman relationships, familial tensions, cross cultural encounters. It predominantly used historical events and political upheavals as the backdrop of fictional works in the last many decades whereas social issues could not be projected, primarily on account of the class/caste orientation of the English fictionists. Regional writers while handling the historical and the political effectively gave substance to social issues too lending a touch of authenticity to their fiction. In comparison, the regional and sub-regional literatures enjoy the 'privilege' of being insiders' accounts and hence could capture the 'soul' of India. These literatures are rooted in the soil, bringing the many complexities, contradictions, identities, in short, the heritage and diversity of the country into full play. With the publication of translations of these literatures in English on a large scale, finding favour both with publishers and readers, the distance between the privileged position of Indian English and hitherto marginalised Indian Literatures in translation is gradually reduced. These literatures are increasingly viewed as part of the corpus of Indian Writing in English making it copious and varied
Even geographically, it is different from other regions. The weather here, irrigation facilities, water flow are quite distinct. It is well-known that civilizations flourish depending on the availability of water and irrigation facilities. Telangana is an upland where fields are to be irrigated by lifting water from rivers. The land does not yield to natural irrigation. Water has to be diverted and lifted which required political will. Linguistically, the Andhra region, under British rule, came under the influence of English language while the impact of Urdu, the official language imposed by the Nizam, had been immense in Telangana. The Telangana story writers of first generation, as such, were influenced by Urdu writers, and their expressions find their way naturally into Telugu stories.
The story form flourished rather early in British Andhra and Telangana. Middleclass mores and social reform formed the main themes in Andhra region in the hands of such fine practitioners as Chaganti Somayajulu, Nori Narasimha Shastri, Palagummi Padmaraju, Chalam, Butchi Babu, Munipalle Raju in the first generation and Vishwanatha, Sripada, Butchibabu, Kodavatiganti, Ravi Shastry, Kalipatnam Ramarao, Balivada Kantharao, Madhurantakam Rajaram, Bina Devi, D. Kameshwari, Abburi Chaya Devi and others in the second generation. They chiefly dealt with the complex struggles in the inner life of an individual, women's choices, changing man-woman relationships, questioning the status quoism in social and moral codes, human greed and power politics in their writings. The fictional mode employed is chiefly one of social realism while humour, satire and irony are the techniques used by these stalwarts.
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist