11 Facts You Should Know About Telangana On Its First Birthday

Last year on this day, a historic declaration was made. A declaration, which stated that Telangana, after years of heroic struggles, is set to function as an independent 29th state of India. The announcement was a victory of the many heroes who devoted their blood and sweat in their relentless fight to see their mission get accomplished. Their hard-work of decades sure paid off, and today, is the day they celebrate their one year old victory.

The state of Telangana government is all set to engage in almost a week long celebration, spanning from June 2 to June 7. Along with some cultural and literary programmes, there will also be certain events showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the state.

And on the Telangana Foundation Day, it is only a good idea to know a bit more about the state than the mere fact that it is newly formed.

So here goes.

1. It is the “Land of Telugus”

Telangana, formerly a part of the princely state of Hyderabad, loosely translates to “land of Telugus”. The name “Telangana” was used to distinguish the parts of Hyderabad state where people spoke Telugu, from the rest.

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2. It took abolition of Nizam kingdom for Hyderabad to function as a part of India

The Nizam wanted to keep Hyderabad as an independent state. However, after an operation conducted by the Indian Army, Hyderabad became a part of the Union of India in the year 1948.

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3. The merger with Andhra

In 1956, Hyderabad broke down and collaborated with Andhra to form what we know today as Andhra Pradesh. And around the same time, the demands for Telangana as a separate state were initiated.

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4. Osmania University served as the focal point for the Telangana movement

The renowned Osmania University of Hyderabad, played a pivotal role in the Telangana movement, from 1956 onward. The first protests however, are known to have taken place around the year 1969.

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5. The reasons that ignited the revolution

It is alleged that the people from Telangana were treated unfairly by the governments that ruled Andhra. It is also said that they were not give sufficient employment opportunities, and that their region severely lacked in business development and infrastructure. It was also argued that when it came to grabbing employment opportunities in government offices, people from Rayalaseema (geographical region in the state of Andhra) were given preference over people belonging to the Telangana region.

In addition,  Telangana is also known to have suffered cultural abuse. The Telugu spoken in the region is believed to be the less refined version and apparently, pertaining to this, the characters of most villains in Telugu films were modeled based on people from Telangana region. A fact that apparently bothered Telangana people quite a lot.

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7. And the official declaration of India’s 29th state was made!

Following several revolutions, movements, negotiations and debates, Telangana was finally declared as the 29th independent state of India on 2nd June 2014. Hyderabad, however, still continues to serve as the joint capital of both, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

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8. It is huge!

One of the most astonishing facts about this newly created state definitely has to be its gigantic size. Spread across a total area of 1,14,840 square kilometres, Telangana is vast enough to be considered as the 33rd largest country in the world.

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9. Has rivers flowing though it, yet is barren

Strangely enough, despite two major rivers Godavri and Krishna flowing through the region, the state is mostly arid.

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10. India’s former PM was from Telangana

Not many may be aware of this, but the former Prime Minister of India, P.V. Narasimha Rao hailed from Telangana region.

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11. Meet the first CM of the new state

Mr. K Chandrashekhar Rao, whose struggles in the favour of the Telangana formation are well documented, is currently serving as the first CM of Telangana. Mr. Rao speaks fluent Telugu, Urdu, Hindi and English, and is the first Hindi speaking CM in the south India!

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Here’s wishing a Happy Foundation Day to Telangana 🙂

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