Telangana

Telangana (Telugu: తెలంగాణ, Urdu: تلنگانہ‎) is currently a region of the state of Andhra Pradesh, which is due to become a separate state on 2 June 2014. Before Indian Independence it was part of Hyderabad State (Medak and Warangal divisions) which was ruled by the Nizams. The region is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north-west, Karnataka to the west, Chhattisgarh to the north-east and Odisha to the east. The Telangana region has an area of 114,840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi), and a population of 35,286,757 (2011 census) which was 41.6% of the population of Andhra Pradesh.

Telangana comprises 10 districts: Hyderabad, Adilabad, Khammam, Karimnagar, Mahbubnagar, Medak, Nalgonda, Nizamabad, Rangareddy, andWarangal. The main rivers are the Musi, Manjira, Krishna and Godavari, which flow through the region from west to east. Telangana's four largest cities are Hyderabad, Warangal, Nizamabad and Karimnagar.

Hyderabad State in 1956 (in yellowish-green). After reorganisation in 1956, the regions of the state west of the Red and Blue lines merged withBombay and Mysore States, respectively, and rest of the state (Telangana) was merged with Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh

Paragraph 382 of the SRC said "opinion in Andhra is overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit; public opinion in Telangana has still to crystallise itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seem to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people and that it is primarily for the people of Telangana to take a decision about their future.

The people of Telangana had several concerns. Their region had a less-developed economy than Andhra, but had a larger revenue base which people of Telangana feared might be diverted for use in Andhra. They feared that planned irrigation projects on the Krishna and Godavari rivers would not benefit Telangana proportionately, even though people of Telangana controlled the headwaters of the rivers. It was feared that the people of Andhra, who had access to higher standards of education under the British rule, would have an unfair advantage in seeking government and educational jobs.The commission proposed that the Telangana region be constituted as a separate state with a provision for unification with Andhra state, after the 1961 general elections, if a resolution could be passed in the Telangana state assembly with a two-thirds majority.

Anti-Nehru politics emerged with the repression of the Telengana movement; many within the Congress Party extended their hands to leftist causes. Feroze Gandhi was among them.

On 9 December 2009 the Government of India announced process of formation of Telangana state. After Members of Legislative Assembly & Council from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseemaregions had submitted resignations in response to the announcement, as well as violent protests raised in those regions immediately after the announcement, the decision to form to new state was put on hold on 23 December 2009. The movement continued in Hyderabad and other districts of Telangana

Telangana is the largest of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh state, covering 41.47% of its total area. It is inhabited by 40.54% of the state's population and contributes about 76% of the state's revenues, excluding the contribution of the central government. When the central government's contribution to revenue is included, Andhra Pradesh's revenue sources come from Telangana: 61.47% (including 50% from Hyderabad); from the central government: 19.86%; from Andhra: 14.71%; and from Rayalaseema: 3.90%. Proponents of a separate Telangana state cite perceived injustices in the distribution of water, budget allocations, and jobs. Within the state of Andhra Pradesh, 68.5% of the catchment area of the Krishna River and 69% of the catchment area of the Godavari River are in the Telangana region. Telangana supporters state that the benefits of irrigation through the canal system under major irrigation projects is accruing substantially, 74.25%, to the Coastal Andhra region, while the share to Telangana is 18.20%. The remaining 7.55% goes to the Rayalaseema region.

As per Volume-II of Krishna Water Dispute Tribunal Award - "The area which we are considering for irrigation formed part of Hyderabad State and had there been no division of that State, there were better chances for the residents of this area to get irrigation facilities in Mahboobnagar District. We are of the opinion that this area should not be deprived of the benefit of irrigation on account of the reorganisation of States.".

There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. According to Professor Jayashankar only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana; those from other regions make up the bulk of employment He also alleged that the state was represented by Telangana chief ministers for only 6 1/2 years out of over five decades of its existence, with no chief minister from the region being in power continuously for more than 2 1/2 years. As per Srikrishna committee on Telangana, since 1956, Telangana held the position of CM for 10.5 years(including about 4.5years rule of coastal Andhra born Jalagam Vengal Rao representing Telangana constituency) while Seema-Andhra region held it for the rest(47+ years as of 2014), with Rayalaseema region holding the post for 27 years and coastal Andhra representing 20years(24+years including Jalagam). Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution

According to activists, from 2010-12 over 300 young people killed themselves - sixteen by self-immolation - demanding more political control for the locals of Telangana. According to Telangana Amaraveerula Kutumbala Vedika(Telangana Martyrs families forum)'s directory there have been 904 suicides in Andhra Pradesh from November 2009 to February 2013 demanding Telangana.Investigative Indian magazine Tehelka has lamented on the unfortunate glorification of suicides and propaganda by Telangana politicians that may have resulted in many ‘copycat suicides’.

On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh to the INC-led central government. Hyderabad was proposed to be the joint capital for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years. There is a movement in Seemandhra region opposing the Telangana state formation. On 3 October 2013, Union Cabinet approved the creation of a new State of Telangana by bifurcating the existing State of Andhra Pradesh. Union Cabinet has also approved the setting up of a Group of Ministers (GoM) to go into the various issues which concern both the States including setting up of a new capital for the residuary State of Andhra Pradesh.

On 5 December 2013, cabinet approved the Telangana draft bill prepared by Group of Ministers (GoM). The bill has to be approved by Parliament before it becomes 29th state of the union. On 11 December the President sent the bill to Andhra Pradesh state assembly to elicit its views; gave 42 days or until 23 January to respond. Union government plans to place the bill in front of Parliament as soon as the bill is returned from AssemblyOn 23 January the President gave 7 days extension, until 30 January for assembly to give its views on Telangana draft bill.

On 30 January 2014, Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker declared that assembly completed the debate and said, he would send to the President of India a compilation of over 9,072 suggestions and amendments he received in writing from members and transcripts of 87 members who had spoken on the Bill in the house. Further he accepted the Chief minister's notice of resolution, to reject the AP Reorganization Bill and declared that resolution passed, amidst pandemonium and protests from Telangana MLAs. The resolution was placed in the house and passed within 15 seconds The resolution has no legal effect and the supporters of telangana views the vote as an attempt to garner political mileage. General secretary of Congress Party and party's in-charge for Andhra Pradesh, Digvijay Singh said that the bill that the President sent to the Assembly was never meant to be put to vote and said that the Congress high command and the Center would go ahead with its plans to introduce and pass the Telangana Bill in Parliament during the forthcoming session.

On 7 February Union cabinet cleared the Telangana bill and planned to introduce in upper house of Parliament with 32 amendments. Amendments included the details of a financial package for Seemandhra to address their concerns.

On 18 February 2014, the Telangana Bill was passed by the UPA government in Lok Sabha with support from the BJP.  On 20 February the bill was passed by Rajya Sabha with the support from the BJP. The bill received the assent of the President and published in the gazette on 1 March 2014. On 4 March 2014 the Government of India declared that 2 June would be the Telangana Formation Day.It will then become the 29th state of India.

Telangana is situated on the Deccan Plateau, in the central stretch of the eastern seaboard of the Indian Peninsula. It covers 114,800 square kilometres (44,300 sq mi) and is the largest of the three regions of Andhra Pradesh. The region is drained by two major rivers, with about 79% of the Godavari River catchment area and about 69% of the Krishna River catchment area, but most of the land is arid.Telangana is also drained by several minor rivers such as the Bhima, the Manjira and the Musi.

The annual rainfall is between 900 to 1500mm in northern Telangana and 700 to 900mm in southern Telangana, from the southwest monsoons. Various soil types abound, including chalkas, red sandy soils, dubbas, deep red loamy soils, and very deep b.c. soils that facilitate planting mangoes, oranges and flowers. About 45% of the forest area of Andhra Pradesh is located in five districts of Telangana. There are also extensive coal deposits, which are excavated by the Singareni Collieries Company, for power generation and industrial purposes There are limestonedeposits in the area, which are utilised by cement factories. Telangana also has deposits of bauxite and mica.

Telangana is a semi-arid area within Andhra Pradesh and has a predominantly hot and dry climate. Summers start in March, and peak in May with average high temperatures in the 42 °C (108 °F) range. The monsoon arrives in June and lasts until September with about 755 mm (29.7-inch) of precipitation. A dry, mild winter starts in late November and lasts until early February with little humidity and average temperatures in the 22–

About 76% of the population of Telangana speak Telugu, 12% speak Urdu, and 12% speak other languages. Before 1948, Urdu was the official language of Hyderabad State, and due to a lack of Telugu-language educational institutions, Urdu was the language of the educated elite of Telangana. After 1948, once Hyderabad State joined the new Republic of India, Telugu became the language of government, and as Telugu was introduced as the medium of instruction in schools and colleges, the use of Urdu among non-Muslims decreased.

Hyderabadi biriyani

Telangana has two types of cuisines, the Telugu cuisine and Hyderabadi cuisine. Telugu cuisine is the part of South Indian cuisine characterized by their highly spicy food. Hyderabadi cuisine, an amalgamation of Arab, Marathwada, Mughlai, Telugu, Turkish cuisines, developed by the Qutb Shahi dynasty and the Nizams of Hyderabad. It comprises a broad repertoire of rice, wheat and meat dishes and various spices and herbs. Specific dishes include lukhmi (savoury starter), Hyderabadi biriyani (rice dish), mirchi ka salan (chilli curry), Hyderabadi haleem (stew), Hyderabadi Marag(mutton soup), and qubani ka meetha (apricot pudding). Distinctive ingredients include coconut, tamarind, peanuts and sesame seeds. Traditionalutensils made of copper, brass, and earthen pots are used for cooking.

Festivals

Bathukamma flower arrangement

A number of festivals are observed and celebrated in Telangana. Regional festivals include Bonalu (celebrating the Hindu goddess of power, Mahakali),Bathukamma (celebrating the Hindu goddess Mahagauri) and Sammakka Saralamma Jatara (celebrating tribal goddesses). Hindus in Telangana also celebrate the more widespread festivals of Holi (festival of colours), Raksha Bandhan (celebrating siblings), Vijayadashami (the victory of good over evil),Ganesh Chaturthi (rebirth of the god Ganesha), Ugadi (South Indian New Year), Diwali (festival of lights), Rama Navami (birth of the god Rama),Ekadashi (monthly fasts), Varalakshmi Vratam (the goddess Lakshmi), Naga Chaturthi/Nag Panchami (serpent gods), Krishna Janmashtami (birth of the god Krishna). Muslims in Telangana observe the Islamic festivals of Eid al-Fitr (marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan), Eid al-Adha (marking the end of the Hajj pilgrimage), Muharram (first month of the Islamic calendar) and Mawlid (birth of the prophet Muhammad).

Telangana's cultural heritage includes the poet Pothana who composed SriMadh Andhra Maha Bhagavatamu, a Telugu translation of Sri Bhagavatham.Muhammad Quli Qutb Shah was the first Saheb-e-dewan Urdu poet. Other poets of Telangana from the early era include Kancherla Gopanna or Bhakta Ramadasu, Gona Budda Reddy, Palkuriki Somanatha, Mallinātha Sūri, and Hulukki Bhaskara. In the modern era poets include such figures as Padma Vibhushan, Kaloji Narayana Rao, Sahitya Akademi Award recipient Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu, Vachaspathi Puraskar award recipient Sribhashyam Vijayasarathi, and Jnanpith Award recipient C. Narayana Reddy, as well as P. V. Narasimha Rao, ninth Prime Minister of India. Samala Sadasiva has been selected for the Kendra Sahitya Puraskaram distinction. His book Swaralayalu on the subject of Hindustani classical music won the award for the year 2011.