World congregation of Telugus

The stage is being set for the forthcoming World Telugu Conference. It’s just three weeks left for the conference to be held. Telugu literary admirers, scholars, writers, poets and literary celebrities in thousands from nook and corner of the country, from our state and from abroad as well as from the neighbouring state will grace the occasion.

The city of Hyderabad, known as the Bhagyanagar, is at the centre-stage. With welcome banners and arches all over the city of Hyderabad a festive atmosphere is around. All the preparatory works are in full swing with no hiccups thanks to the coordinated efforts from all government departments concerned.

There is total support from the government in all aspects. This would remain as a cherished memory for ever and ever. It is no exaggeration to say that the World Telugu Conference (WTC) will leave indelible mark on Hyderabad.

The proposed WTC would be steered by the Telangana Sahitya Academy on a grand scale and as an event that never ever happened and would happen in future. Several preparatory and pre-preparatory and continuous reviews, meetings and discussions are being held on a regular basis.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, himself being a connoisseur of literature, many a times chaired the preparatory meetings. The very fact that the CM is showing personal interest speaks volumes with the strong message that he himself is supervising the arrangements touching upon each characteristic.

This is an ample proof, that, the proposed WTC will be held in such a way that there will not be any lapse or lacunae in organising the meet and all those attending the conference will remember the occasion for a long time to come.

One important meeting that was held at Pragati Bhavan on November 20, 2017 presided over by the Chief Minister and attended by over 60 Telugu scholars having firm grip over the language, literature and other genres from across the state has attained a lot of prominence.

The participants each having mastery over the subject thrown a lot of light on the proposed WTC. The way CM raised certain issues and topics that should form part of the conference is simply exemplary.

The central theme behind the idea to organise the WTC dates to the erstwhile governance when the language and dialects spoken and written in Telangana were laughed at, criticised and ridiculed beyond tolerance. Our talents and merits were neglected and pushed to the background.

Now we are an independent and free state. We are in the process of building our self-respect. This will be an occasion to show to the world how Telangana had been contributing to the development and enrichment of Telugu language and literature for years together.

We are going to showcase how eminent personalities from here have contributed to the literature for ages. The proposed WTC will unveil to the world, the rich Telangana literary repository. The WTC will become a dais to explain how the literature is reflecting the ever-evolving facets of society and to show all genres of literature.

From Bammera Pothana, Palkurik Somnath to till date, poetry, prose, free verse and other genres of literature will come for a discussion. The yeomen services rendered by scholars, researchers, professors, intellectuals and Avadhaana Pundits for the enrichment of Telugu literature will also come up for discussion.

Discussions will also take place on the verse, folk songs, songs from cinema and a plethora of books written on a wide range of genres. The historic policy decision taken by Telangana CM prior to the organising the conference is to make Telugu a compulsory subject till Intermediate level.

Telugu learning is made compulsory even in Urdu medium schools and junior colleges. This historic decision will go a long way amidst the prevailing situation where people have forgotten the names of Telugu calendar months and Telugu festivals.

The proposed Telugu Conference should also discuss on how to re-introduce basic Telugu language textbooks like the “Pedda Bala Siksha”. After bifurcation, it is Telangana state that has shouldered the responsibility of organising the World Telugu Conference before anybody could do.

AP too is a Telugu-speaking state and many delegates may come from there. AP also had several eminent scholars, poets and writers like Gurram Joshua and Jandhyala Papaiah Sastry.

There could be a discussion on their contributions. While demonstrating our talents, let us behave with camaraderie and show that the original literary work is happening in Telangana. Not making room for any sort of omissions we shall unequivocally respect the delegates from our neighbouring state. Let us show our greatness with respect and dignity.

The conference should discuss about the film industry, which is contributing substantially to the Telugu literary field. Though this field is a bit controversial its impact on society cannot be ignored.

With support from the Telangana government, Hyderabad will become the Cine Hub of the country. Against this backdrop, a discussion should take place on the Telugu film industry and its issues. It is better if a Cine Musical Night is organised.

The proposed World Telugu Conference will witness the mosaic of literary, language, cultural, folk arts, fine arts and other genres and will enthral the people attending the proceedings with members of their family. It is like a common festival raising above all hues and colours.

By Vanam Jwala Narasimha Rao