Auto drivers and Telangana
suneetha achyuta
Last Thursday (5th March), when Kaneez and I took an auto to go to
Moghalpura near Charminar from Anveshi office, I got my first ‘class’
on Telangana from an auto-driver. In his late 20s he spoke in chaste
Dakhani.
‘Madam, do you think Telangana will be given?’, he started the
conversation.
‘We don’t know. What do you think?’, we asked him in turn.
‘It should be given, madam. Look, I travel all round the city. There
is not a single colony consisting of Telangana people. Dilsukhnagar,
Kukatpally, Ashoknagar, Nallakunta, Vanasthalipuram, wherever I go,
these are the colonies of Andhra people. Where are the Telangana
people? Yes, they are in the bastis, doing small petty jobs –
mechanics, daily labour, tailors, plumbers, electricians etc. But they
can’t buy land in these colonies. They don’t have a single colony for
themselves. We are all educated. I also completed my intermediate.
There are people who have done their MA, speak good English, but who
can’t get jobs. Look at all our Osmania University students. They
can’t get jobs. All the jobs are taken by these Andhra people. I heard
that even in industries, they don’t take Telangana people. They give
jobs to their own people. If we get separated (alag kar diye to), they
will look after themselves, we will take care of ourselves. What do
you say?”
“Yes, yes”.
“A person needs education and a steady job, madam, to settle and think
of future. I don’t know as much as you people do, but I know about
Telangana. We need it. What will a person do if he doesn’t get a
steady job after getting education? It is essential. If Telangana
comes, the educated people here will get jobs. It is the educated
people who can think and do something for the society.”
“Where are you from?”
“I am from Shamshabad. (the village?) yes, where the airport is. Isn’t
the airport beautiful? Did you see it? (Yes!)You won’t believe it, but
I was born right there in the baag, where the airport is situated now.
My grandfather told me about Telangana. I didn’t know anything about
it. He knows a lot. People didn't get independence when all the others
got it, I believe. We were under the Nizam. He wanted this place to
merge with Pakistan. How could he think of such a thing, being right
in the middle of India? Anyway, the army came here and brought us
indepdence, it seems. When this Andhra Pradesh was formed, I believe,
the Telugus here wanted to merge with the Telugu-speaking people
there. My grandfather was working for building Nagarjuna Saagar dam, I
believe. They worked hard to lift those stones. But what is the point?
All the water goes off to Andhra people. There they get good crops,
they amass wealth and send their children for higher education in US.
And now they can sit back and live in leisure. Look at our villages.
Either there is no work, or children would have come off to Hyderabad
or gone to Dubai, leaving the old folk to fend for themselves…”
“What do you think of MIM’s stand on Telangana?” (both of us assuming
he is a Muslim, as he was speaking pure Dakhani, wearing surma and
referred to Hindus as Telugus)
“They say, if we support Telangana, what will happen to Muslims in
Andhra area? They should learn the problems of the people, talk to
them, and then take a stand. Why do they go on taking the same old
stand? May be they will say - give us the city and go!”
“But that will mean that they will lose power, isn’t it? If the city
becomes Union territory, they won’t get anything!”
“I don’t know why they are taking that stand, madam. Probably they
also don’t speak to the people, like all political parties..I talked
too much. I never spoke to any passenger like this”.
Before getting off, we couldn’t resist asking his name. “Rajesh” he
replied shyly.
R Srivatsan
sajaya kakarla
Susie Tharu
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Susie Tharu
A 27/2 , 1st Crescent Road, AFOCHS, Sanikpuri. Hyderabad 500 094