Though I hail from Andhra, I have been a resident of Hyderabad for the past three decades and not for once did it struck to me that we are people from two different regions though I still have many roots in my native.
However, thanks to one man I am now getting reminded of all this and I am not sure how and why are his concepts based on such issues. Yes, you are right, I am talking about the one and only K Chandrasekhar Rao.
Anyways, for some time let me keep him aside. What I would like to mention is a culture of Telangana which has embedded itself into our lives as well. I am referring to the drinking culture in the region.
Apparently, there are quite few communities in the Telangana region whose custom is to have drinks. There are many friends I know whose parents have drinks together. The concept of husband and wife drinking together is quite urban and today, most of the families who hail from Andhra but settled in Telangana have imbibed this into their culture.
While the merging is happening on the cultural front and customs front, I fail to understand why fingers have to be pinpointed on Andhra folks. There are many who have considered Andhra Pradesh as their home and Telangana, Rayalaseema, Andhra never really mattered. All that mattered was we are Telugus. There are many non-Telangana families that I know who have embraced the various practices of Telangana culture and are living happily.
Even my friends who are pure Telangana folks have always been sweet and we never found any difference. There are many times when we have drinks and crack jokes on KCR and his extremist ideology. Even his son KTR whom I regarded highly as he was a foreign returned and well educated man now speaks like a roadside thug. While drinking is just one form of the culture, with the way many Andhra families have merged into the T-region, one question keeps bothering me constantly- What do people like KCR, Harish, KTR etc want and what will they achieve by bringing friction between Telugu people in the name of culture. Just a thought…
Raghuram, Hyderabad
