One of the latest comments of T Chief Minister KCR was that Tank Bund was full of useless statues.
Now, when the state Chief Minister feels that way, it won’t be surprising if the statues are removed within no time.
Already, during the Telangana agitation, some of the statues were disfigured and destroyed. Later, the statues were repaired and re-installed. Now, there is no united Telugu state. Though Hyderabad is a common capital for the next decade, Telangana government enjoys all powers.
So, if they decide to dismantle the statues, it won’t take them long to put their plan into action. It will be less than 24 hours before they will bring them down.
But before going into the ethics of such a move, let us look at the statues that already exist there. Gurram Joshua, Annamayya, Vemana, Bellari Raghava, Arthur Cotton, Veeresalingam Pantulu, Sri Krishnadevarayalu, Alluri Seetarama Raju, Thyagaraju, Ramadasu, Potuluri Veera Brahmendra Swamy, Potana, Erra Pragada, Tikkana, Nannayya... these are names of Telugu people who have influenced people over the centuries.
Of course, once again, a discussion about why he came to that conclusion is immaterial. Instead, it would be nice if KCR gives a list of people he thinks are ‘useless’ from the above-mentioned names.
Now, the Andhra Pradesh government has requested the T government to remove the statues that it does not want and replace them with people they want. The only condition being that the removed statues are handed over to the AP government.
One has to note one important point here. Mahatma Gandhi, Gurajada Appa Rao, Annamayya or any other great personality did not ask to be remembered. They simply went about what they wanted to do for mankind.
While some did that through their art, others instigated social consciousness among people. And that is exactly what the current rulers should help people understand.
By saying that ‘nobody knows them’ and that they are ‘useless’ is slighting our existence, our history and our roots. The state might have been divided into two. But Telugu people are one and we share a lot of history together. One cannot ignore the role and contribution of great minds that have inspired and revolutionized the minds of Telugu people through centuries.
If at all a day comes when the T government decides to remove the statues, then they must abstain from destroying them. If they are given away, Telugu people who are aware of the greatness of these people will make sure that good care is taken of them.
