Telugu language policy

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Statue of Telugu Thalli, symbol of the Telugu people Telugu Talli Statue.jpg
Statue of Telugu Thalli, symbol of the Telugu people

Telugu language policy is a policy issue in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with 84 percent of the population reporting Telugu as their first language in Andhra Pradesh prior to the creation of the State of Telangana. [1] [2] Telugu-language advocates decry a lack of incentivisation and government support for the language, and press for their linguistic rights for Telugu's greater [ clarification needed ] recognition and promotion.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Present status

Telugu and English are the two dominant languages of instruction in the schools of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, while there are also schools who use other regional languages such as Urdu as the medium of instruction. Telugu is a compulsory subject in schools in both states, with fluency in the language being a requirement for matriculation. [3] [4]

The government in Andhra Pradesh is working to increase the number of English medium state schools, with some proposals calling for English to be the only medium of instruction in state schools, claiming that this policy reflects the growing desire of parents and that the state sector is losing pupils due to its inability to meet the increased demand for English medium schools. [5] [6] In Telangana, the government has issued plans to mandate English-medium education in all the private schools in the state. The trend towards English-medium education has caused alarm among some Telugu-language activists who claim that the state governments are placing the language in an inferior position and depriving Telugu-speakers of their language rights. [7] Passions have been further inflamed by anecdotal reports of students in English-language schools being punished for speaking Telugu. [8]

Many educated Telugu people began travelling around the world in search of knowledge-based jobs, and have observed that many countries are prospering faster than India by imparting education in their native languages without depending on English.[ citation needed ] Throughout India, native-language advocates are demanding less reliance on English.

Telugu promotion

In 2012 the Andhra Pradesh official-language commission resumed its activities, and was tasked with organizing the fourth World Telugu Conference (WTC) after a 22-year hiatus. The conference was a success, with 5,000 Telugu delegates from all over the world meeting in Tirupati. [9]

Implementations

Initiatives

Voluntary initiatives

Print and visual Telugu media have taken steps to reduce English in Telugu programs, using appropriate alternate Telugu words. [27] The Andhra Cricket Association has translated the National Cricket Academy's (NCA) coaching manuals into Telugu. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Pradesh</span> State in south India

Andhra Pradesh is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of 162,975 km2 (62,925 sq mi) and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants,. It is bordered by Telangana to the north-west, Chhattisgarh to the north, Odisha to the north-east, Tamil Nadu to the south, Karnataka to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. It has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat, of about 974 km (605 mi). Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on a linguistic basis in India on 1 October 1953. On 1 November 1956, Andhra State was merged with the Telugu-speaking areas of the Hyderabad State to form Andhra Pradesh. Amaravati serves as the capital with the largest city being Visakhapatnam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyderabad</span> Capital of Telangana, India

Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies 650 km2 (250 sq mi) on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of 542 m (1,778 ft), much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including the Hussain Sagar lake, predating the city's founding, in the north of the city centre. According to the 2011 Census of India, Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India with a population of 6.9 million residents within the city limits, and has a population of 9.7 million residents in the metropolitan region, making it the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India. With an output of US$74 billion, Hyderabad has the fifth-largest urban economy in India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telugu language</span> Dravidian language of southern India

Telugu is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Telugu states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language family and one of the twenty-two scheduled languages of the Republic of India. It is one of the few languages that has primary official status in more than one Indian state, alongside Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is one of six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">States and union territories of India</span> Indian national administrative subdivisions

India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telangana</span> State in southern India

Telangana is a state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the eleventh-largest state and the twelfth-most populated state in India with a geographical area of 112,077 km2 (43,273 sq mi) and 35,193,978 residents as per 2011 census. On 2 June 2014, the area was separated from the northwestern part of Andhra Pradesh as the newly formed state with Hyderabad as its capital. Its other major cities include Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam, Karimnagar and Ramagundam. Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north, Chhattisgarh to the northeast, Karnataka to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the east and south. The terrain of Telangana consists mostly of the Deccan Plateau with dense forests covering an area of 27,292 km2 (10,538 sq mi). As of 2019, the state of Telangana is divided into 33 districts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nizamabad, Telangana</span> City in Telangana, India

Nizamabad is a city in the Indian state of Telangana. Nizamabad is a major urban agglomeration and third largest city in the state. It is governed by municipal corporation and is the headquarters of the Nizamabad district. Although previously part of Hyderabad State and then Andhra Pradesh state, Nizamabad became a part of the newly formed state of Telangana by the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014.It is located about 186 kilometres (116 mi) north of the state capital, Hyderabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prakasam district</span> District of Andhra Pradesh in India

Prakasam district is one of the 13districts in the coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It was formed in 1970 and reorganised in 2022 on April 4. The headquarters of the district is Ongole. It is located on the western shore of Bay of Bengal and is bounded by Bapatla district and Palnadu districts on the north, Nandyal district on the west, Kadapa and Nellore districts on the south. A part of north west region also borders with Nagarkurnool district of Telangana. It is the largest district in the state with an area of 14,322 km2 (5,530 sq mi) and had a population of 2,288,026 as per 2011 Census of India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telugu people</span> Ethnolinguistic group native to southeastern India

Telugu people, or Telugus, or Telugu vaaru, are the largest of the four major Dravidian ethnolinguistic groups in terms of population. Telugus are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and the Yanam district of Puducherry. A significant number of Telugus also reside in the surrounding Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Kerala and Odisha, as well in the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Telugus claim descent from the Andhras, from whom the Telugus inherit their ethnonym. Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India and the 15th most spoken language in the world.

Andhra Prabha - Journalism first is a Telugu language daily newspaper of India sold mostly in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The newspaper is one of the oldest running Telugu-language daily newspapers of India. The newspaper and website (www.prabhanews.com) were owned by the New Indian Express Group of Companies but the newspaper was sold to entrepreneurs from Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. The newspaper is owned by Mootha Gopalakrishna, former M.L.A of Kakinada city. The newspaper publishes neutral news not in support of any political organisation and is the one of the most balanced and close-to-reality Telugu language daily newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Andhra Pradesh</span> Aspect of history

The recorded history of Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of 21st-century India, begins in the Vedic period. It is mentioned in Sanskrit epics such as the Aitareya Brahmana. Its sixth-century BCE incarnation Assaka lay between the Godavari and Krishna Rivers, one of sixteen mahajanapadas. The Satavahanas succeeded them, built Amaravati, and reached a zenith under Gautamiputra Satakarni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Andhra Pradesh</span>

As per the 2011 census of India, Andhra Pradesh has an overall literacy rate of 67.35%, significantly lower than the overall national average of 74.04%. Among the Indian states and union territories, it stands at 32nd position. During the same census, there are a total of 29,859,982 literates: 16,549,514 males and 13,310,468 females. In terms of district-wise literates, East Godavari has the most with 3,348,077 and Vizianagaram has the least with 1,238,388. While, in terms of district-wise literacy rates, West Godavari stands top with 74.32% and Vizianagaram at bottom with 58.89%. The government also implements fee reimbursement scheme for the economically backward sections of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telangana movement</span> Revolt for the separate state of Telangana, in India

The Telangana movement refers to a movement for the creation of a state, Telangana, from the pre-existing state of Andhra Pradesh in India. The new state corresponds to the Telugu-speaking portions of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad.

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao was-sub registrar- turned- Telugu film actor-turned-enterprenuer-turned-politician who served as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for three terms. He was the first non-Congress Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, representing the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founded by him in 1982. His first term lasted 1&1/2 years from January 1983 to August 1984. He was ousted in a coup in August 1984, but returned to power a month later, which marked the beginning of his second term. He remained Chief Minister for the next five years, completing his full 5-year term as Chief Minister. In 1989, his party lost in the assembly elections, and it was not until 1994 that he would become Chief Minister again. His third and last term as Chief Minister only lasted nine months, from December 1994 to September 1995, following which his son-in-law Nara Chandrababu Naidu took over the party and became Chief Minister.

The Telugu Diaspora refers to Telugu people who live outside their homeland of Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. They are predominantly found in North America, Europe, Australia, Caribbean, Gulf, Africa and other regions around the world. There are also few Telugus from other Indian states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Maharashtra, who live outside India. Telugus of Andhra Pradesh origin, living outside India are often referred as Non-resident Andhras (NRA). After the bifurcation of the United Andhra Pradesh, these are popularly referred as Non-resident Telugus.

The Indian state of Telangana was founded in 2014. Its territory had formerly been part of Andhra Pradesh. The Telangana movement was instrumental in the creation of the new state, and Telangana Rashtra Samithi, a party which led the Telangana movement after 2001, forms the government in the Telangana Legislative Assembly under Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao.

Telugu Language Day is observed on 29 August each year in the State of Andhra Pradesh and the State of Telangana of the Republic of India. This date was chosen to coincide with the birthday of the Telugu poet Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy. The Government of Andhra Pradesh provides funds and presents awards with the objective of the betterment of the Telugu language. The Department of Culture is responsible for organising the day on behalf of the government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balotsav</span>

Balotsav is an annual international cultural festival conducted in India for Telugu children. It includes competitions in various aspects such as painting, elocution and drama. It was started as a town-level event in 1991. Since then the event has gained popularity among the school children, and is now a national level event with thousands of participants from several states of India. Prior to 2017, the event was conducted in Kothagudem in the second week of November. Starting in 2017, the venue has been changed to the Vasireddy Venkatadri Institute of Technology, Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andhra Pradesh (1956–2014)</span> Former state in India with Hyderabad as its capital

Andhra Pradesh, retrospectively referred to as United Andhra Pradesh,Undivided Andhra Pradesh or Ummadi Andhra Pradesh, was a state in India formed by States Reorganisation Act, 1956 with Hyderabad as its capital and was reorganised by Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014. The state was made up of three distinct cultural regions of Telangana, Rayalaseema, and Coastal Andhra. Telangana was part of Hyderabad State formerly ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad, whereas Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra were part of Andhra State which was formerly a part of Madras Presidency ruled by British India.

Telugu Academy, known as Telugu Akademi in official materials and some sources, can refer to two institutes set up to promote the use of Telugu and develop, preserve and modernize the language. The original one was set up by the Andhra Pradesh state government, while a new one using the original Hyderabad offices has been formed by the Telangana state government after bifurcation. The Academy has also became responsible for the creation and printing of school textbooks.

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