By: Vijayshree Kurumilla
Language has evolved from Birdsong, some fifty to sixty thousand years ago. That means, we have learnt to speak, from hearing, birds singing or twittering. In a forest full of birds, does any species of birds attack another kind, just because they sang differently and that too, after coming into their territory? No, it never happens!
Why then does a human race attack another one, based upon the superiority which, it feels in the language that, it speaks? To my mind, the English were one such kind and Seemandhra people in our own backyard are, of the same kind. One sees, the consequences, of this feeling of superiority of the English, in the breakaway of countries speaking, the same language, but different, dialects, like America, Australia, Ireland, to name a few.
For hundreds of years, Telangana people co-existed in harmony with people speaking Marathi, Urdu, Kannada and had assimilated their words, and culture into their own. Our Telangana was a rich place, but the sadness came in the shape of a feudal system, with everything held in the hands of a few rich landlords. We rebelled, and the peasant revolution brought down this feudal system, after sacrificing many lives. Our happiness was short lived, as we were forcibly merged with Seemandhra.
They came as invaders and without bonding with us in any way, they sought to impose their own culture on us. History and school text books completely eliminated our rich history and our heroic characters. Our heritage structures which symbolised a blend of nature and human aesthetics were, reduced to rubble.
Our land was occupied, our jobs were taken, our water diverted, our coal was plundered and everything connected to us, was battered.
Then, they evolved myths, to cloak themselves, with an intention, to erase our identity completely. Lazy, good for nothing, illiterate, drunkards, speaking foul language, is what sums up their repulsive thoughts, about our race. They always say that, we are satisfied, with having, enough food and drink, in our stomachs and do not work for anything beyond, that.
Yes, we are simple folks, whose, desires and needs are limited, to simple things in life. Food and drink are being celebrated all across the globe, now. This world would be a much better place to live in, had people been satisfied with just having food and drink, in their stomachs. There would not be so much of destruction and so many wars. Greed- is what I would call, anything going beyond, such basic needs, like food, clothing and shelter.
It is in the pursuit of this greed, that Seemandhra had, unleashed their destructive nature upon Telangana. They do not like admitting to, their own reprehensible nature of wanting to be dominating, thieving, lying, backstabbing, and always lusting for more, qualities and therefore, have invented these myths for their own convenience and for that of generations to come, whom they would like, to see, in their own spitting image, of power based on calumny.
If we are drunk on anything, it is in sorrow, at seeing our own livelihood snatched from us. If we are lazy, good for nothing, illiterates, then, why are, so many of us, employed in the United States or Gulf countries? While, you are all enjoying electricity, have you given a thought, to the people who are risking their lives, to get the coal out, from our coal mines? They are our Telangana people.
Then, you even say that we do not know how to cultivate crops, in response, I would say, that it is the most ridiculous of all, and it is just a ruse, to come and occupy our land, around water rich areas and enrich yourself. What we do not know, unlike you all, is, how to steal other region’s water and we keep digging bore wells for irrigation, in spite of having water bodies all around us.
Finally, when it comes to calling our language as foul, I would say that our language is like the gurgling stream. It knows only innocence and will flow according to its heart and softens every pebble and every rock over which it flows. You, who speak often with the intent of duplicity and cannot understand the sounds of the gargling stream or a warbling bird, will never know its sweetness.
The English constantly ridiculed people speaking in other dialects, as being barbarians, so do our Seemandhra invaders. Look at how small United Kingdom is and all because of their own grand opinion, of purity, of their language. Everyone fought, and separated from them.
In the famous book, ‘How green was my valley’, the hero who is Welsh, studying in an English school, one day, sees a small girl of five years, punished with a board hung around her neck and the board says, ‘I must not speak Welsh in school’. Needless to say, the hero punches the teacher and is expelled from school. This example, sounded completely familiar to our own Andhra people’s obsession with the so called purity of their language. A lot of us remember having faced shockingly, similar kind of humiliating experiences, if we dig into our own childhood.
The problem is not about the past, we are ready to forgive and forget, if only we found a change in our Seemandhra’s attitude towards Telangana. But the change is not happening, and as long as that does not happen, we are unable to achieve closure. Even as we try to close our old wounds, you come, tearing them, open, again and so our wounds are always raw, and keep bleeding, endlessly.
When continents can fight and become free from the same language speaking English, unable to tolerate their domineering attitude, how easy should it be for the Telangana region which is choking under an even worse dominion of Seemandhra, to get demerged?, But there again, Seemandhra has taken a cue from their former rulers, the English and are using the same divide and rule policy, to thwart Telangana.
The British Empire-the sun never set in it, such was, its spread and might, and in the end, it fell, to nothing. What is Seemandhra in comparison?
Birds singing on the trees, have not just taught us language but also, are an example of how, through their birdsong, not only do they communicate with other birds, but also fill, anyone listening to them, with undiluted joy. If they were to compete for each one’s, own domination, over the other, there would, only, have been cacophony, all around us.
So, listen carefully, our Andhra brethren, to the birdsong and learn some lessons about language, from it.
Jai Telangana!