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 ]
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.
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]
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]
Andhra Pradesh is a state in the southern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state with an area of 162,970 km2 (62,920 sq mi) and the tenth-most populous state with 49,577,103 inhabitants. It shares borders with Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and the Bay of Bengal. It has the second-longest coastline in India at about 974 km (605 mi). After existence as Andhra State and unified Andhra Pradesh, the state took its present form on 2 June 2014, when the new state of Telangana was formed through bifurcation. Amaravati is the capital of the state, with the largest city being Visakhapatnam. Water sharing disputes and asset division with Telangana are not yet resolved. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India used by the majority of people, is the first official language.
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. 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.
Telugu is a Dravidian language native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. Spoken by about 96 million people (2022), Telugu 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 the six languages designated as a classical language by the Government of India. It is the 14th most spoken native language in the world.
The Telugu Desam Party is an Indian regionalist and Telugu nationalist political party with influence in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It was founded by the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh N. T. Rama Rao (N.T.R.) on 29 March 1982 and has focused on supporting Telugu speakers. The party has won a five-time majority in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly and has emerged as the most successful political outfit in the state's history. It is currently the ruling party in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Anantapur, officially Anantapuramu, is a city in Anantapur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the mandal headquarters of Anantapuru mandal and also the divisional headquarters of Anantapur revenue division. The city is located on National Highway. It was also the headquarters of the Datta Mandalam in 1799. It was also a position of strategic importance for the British Indian Army during the Second World War.
Telangana is a state in India situated in the southern-central part of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It was the eleventh largest state and the twelfth most populated state in India as per the 2011 census. On 2 June 2014, the area was separated from the northwestern part of United Andhra Pradesh as the newly formed state of Telangana, with Hyderabad as its capital. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken and the primary official language of the state.
Rajahmundry, officially Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and district headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the seventh most populated city in the state. During British rule, the district of Rajahmundry was created in the Madras Presidency in 1823. It was reorganised in 1859 and bifurcated into the Godavari and Krishna districts. Rajahmundry was the headquarters of Godavari district, which was further bifurcated into East Godavari and West Godavari districts in 1925. It is administered under Rajahmundry revenue division of the East Godavari district. The city is known for its floriculture, history, culture, agriculture, economy, tourism, and its heritage. It is known as the "Cultural Capital of Andhra Pradesh".
Nizamabad or Induru is a city in the Indian state of Telangana. 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.
Ranga Reddy district is a district in the Indian state of Telangana. The district headquarters is located at Kongara Kalan Village, Ibrahimpatnam Mandal,. The district was named after the former deputy chief minister of the United Andhra Pradesh, K. V. Ranga Reddy. The district shares boundaries with Nalgonda, Yadadri Bhuvanagiri, Hyderabad, Medchal–Malkajgiri, Nagarkurnool, Mahabubnagar, Sangareddy and Vikarabad districts.
Telugu people, also called Andhras, are a Dravidian ethno-linguistic group who speak the Telugu language and are native to the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Yanam district of Puducherry. They are the most populous of the four major Dravidian groups. Telugu is the fourth most spoken language in India and the 14th most spoken native language in the world. A significant number of Telugus also reside in the Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Maharashtra. Members of the Telugu diaspora are spread across countries like United States, Australia, Malaysia, Mauritius, UAE, and others. By 2024 Telugu is spoken by 95.7 million people all over world, which makes it the third largest Indian diaspora after Hindi and Bengali. Telugu is the fastest-growing language in the United States. It is also a protected language in South Africa.
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 one of the most balanced and close-to-reality Telugu language daily newspapers.
Gidugu Venkata Ramamurthy (1863-1940) was a Telugu writer and one of the earliest modern Telugu linguists and social visionaries during the British rule. He championed the cause of using a language comprehensible to the common man as opposed to the scholastic language.
Jalagam Vengala Rao was for much of his life a member of the Indian National Congress and was the Chief Minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh which is now divided into two states, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Yeduguri Sandinti Jagan Mohan Reddy, also known mononymously as Jagan, is an Indian politician, currently serving as the Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) representing Pulivendula Assembly constituency in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative assembly. He served as the 17th Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh from 2019 to 2024, and is the current president of the YSR Congress Party (YSRCP). He is also the son of Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
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. There were a total of 29,859,982 literates: 16,549,514 males and 13,310,468 females. In terms of district-wise literates, united East Godavari has the most with 3,348,077 and united Vizianagaram has the least with 1,238,388. The government also implements fee reimbursement scheme for the economically backward sections of the state.
The Telangana movement refers to a movement for the creation of a separate 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, which were merged with Andhra Pradesh in 1956, leading to the Mulki Agitations.
Samaikya Andhra Movement was a movement organized to keep the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh united, and to prevent the division of the state - separating the Telangana districts of the state into a separate Telangana state. The movement was supported by government employees, advocates in Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions along with students from 14 universities, various occupational, caste & religious groups of Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions. The last set of protests were triggered after the Congress Working Committee decision to divide the state came to an end after President of India gave nod to Telangana Bill which would make the latter to come into existence from 2 June 2014.
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, formed the government in the Telangana Legislative Assembly under Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao. The political landscape of Telangana is dominated by the Indian National Congress and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi, with the Bharatiya Janata Party and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen being other significant forces.
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.
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. Before the 1956 reorganisation, Telangana had been part of Hyderabad State ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad, whereas Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra had been part of Andhra State, formerly a part of Madras Presidency ruled by British India.