Why we Telugus don’t speak Telugu

By Dhamu Chodavarapu

Many will answer, why Telugu, you can’t use it out side Andhra or Telangana, why to use it. Be international, modern, and up-dated and smart. The whole world is moving round on English.

I have been away from India for more than 40 years; I have seen much of the world, I always wonder why we Indians don‘t take pride and be proud of our mother tongue. French learn French even if they don’t pronounce all the letters, Dutch learn to speak as if they have a hot potato in their mouth, and Dane, learn to speak Danish, even if they have to eat half the words. And Arabs learn it from backwards. Chinese learn from top to bottom. We Telugu don‘t learn Telugu.

All professionals in France, Denmark, Holland, Germany; learn their professions from their mother tongue. They can and will read English but not at the expense of their mother tongue. In fact they understand their profession much better because it was given to them from their mother tongue. Mother tongue makes you realise yourself.

All Jewish soldiers were taught about “Masada”, where few hundred Jews fought against the great Roman army. This makes them feel proud, it makes them feel belongingness, it makes feel they are some thing. I wonder how many Telugu children know about Alluri Seta Rammayya, Poti Sri Ramulu, and all our great poets, writers. Take a walk on Tank Band and ask children about all the statues there, I am not sure they all know about the persons that are staring at them.

I wonder how many Telugu children know about Alluri Seta Rammayya, Poti Sri Ramulu, and all our great poets, writers. Take a walk on Tank Band and ask children about all the statues there.

In fact English language was introduced in Indian schools so that English don‘t have to import clerks for their administration in India. They wanted to make Indians fit for their clerical jobs.

Even after more than 50 years of independence we are too proud to use their clerical language.

I was told Telugu Desam was started because, Rajiv Gandhi visited Hyderabad with his mother, scolded that time chief minister of ours, because of some seating the car parading from air-port. NT.Rama Rao got annoyed by that and took initiative to start Telugu Desam. I don‘t know how it is functioning now, but I very much hope it and others will take initiative to create the feeling of proudness, belongingness, enthusiasm to develop Telugu as a language in Andhra. It is not job to be done in one day or neither in one month nor in a year, it takes generations.

In Denmark, where I live, there are many places, streets that are called after Danish heroes. In England we have Nelson Square. It reminds English, whenever they pass it, their history; make them feel proud of their country. President Kennedy was a great man, if you call your airport, as Kennedy Air port, no body feels proud in India. Likewise, if you call your air port as Rajiv Gandhi Airport, a few will be happy, but rest feel no proud for it, we do have our Telugu heroes.

But if you call as PV AIR PORT, it rings bell for all Telugu people, makes them feel that Telugu man, one of us, was the Prime Minister of India. We may differ with his politics, politics are to differ, but you can’t take away his greatness. And the fact that he was and is one of us.

Now we want to call a street by far of Muslim name, with no contacts to India or Telugu people.

If I were to be in India I would stand on every street corner in every village and collect signatures from all TELUGU people demanding our man’s name. Any other explanation is nothing but Chetta (backwass).

(The writer can be contacted at Kaj Munksvej 21, DK 9600 Aars, Denmark, Mail: dhamu@ofir.dk.)

Courtesy: Organizer