Telangana Intifada

ఉజ్వలమై ప్రజ్వలనమై తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
అధుగధిగొ వస్తుందన్నా , ఇధిగిధిగోవచ్చింధక్కా

మండు తున్నా అత్మల్లో రగులుతున్న జ్వాలాల్లో
బడబాజ్ఞుల్లో రుధిరాగ్నుల్లొ
పోరు మంటల వెలుగుల్లో, జ్వలిస్తున్న ఆశల్లో
కసిగ కసికసిగ,వడిగా వడివడిగా
ఉజ్వలమై ప్రజ్వలనమై తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
అధుగధిగొ వచీంద్తమ్మి , ఇధిగిధిగో వఛిన్ధి సెల్లె


మా అమరుల ఆత్మ ఘోష మీకిప్పుడు మృత్యు ఘోషమా అమరుల ఆత్మ ఘోష మీకిప్పుడు మృత్యు ఘోష
మా వన్నె ౦  సురేంధ ర్ మొదలు మా ముస్తఫా అన్న వరకు
రక్తం చిందీంచి, అగ్గిలో బుగ్గి అయ్యీ  మా  ధిక్కు సూస్తుంటే
ఆర్తితో ఆగడుతో, కోపంతో రోషంతో
కధన్ తొక్కి యాదగిరి నర్సిమ్మలు ఉగ్రులై, రుద్రులై
దిక్కులు పిక్కటి ల్ల , లాంకోలు దద్ధరిల్ల పోరు గంట మోగిస్తుంటే
ఉజ్వలమై ప్రజ్వలనమై తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
అధుగధిగొ వచిందమ్మా , ఇధిగిధిగో వచ్చిందయ్యా

మన ద్రోహుల మట్టుబెట్టి, జగన్ ధన్దు చుట్ట బెట్టి
కావూరి హిల్స్ చడును చేసి, లాం కొను లంకల ధించి
జయభేరి బూర తీసి, రాయపాటి రంగు తీసి
సీయమ్ల, గవర్నర్ల మర్యాదగా సాగనంపి
లజ్జ లేని మన మంత్రుల గున్ పార్క్‌ల వంగబెట్టే
లాంగ్ మార్చ్ వచ్చిందయ్యా, ఇమ్మినెంట్లీ విమోచనయ్యా
ఉజ్వలమై ప్రజ్వలనమై తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
అధుగధిగొ వచిందమ్మా , ఇధిగిధిగో వచ్చిందయ్యా

గౌలీగుడ గళ్లీలో, గుల్ జార్  హౌస్ సందులో
మధీన మండ్ల ల్లో , హుస్సైని అలం బురుజుల్లో
ఫీల్‌ఖానా అడుగుల్లో, బెగమ్ బజార్ నగవుల్లొ
ఆడిక్కమెట్ సదువుల్లొ, మాంకాలమ్మ పూజల్లో
భాగులతో, చెరువులతో అలరారిన మా నేల

ఈజిప్ట్ లలను , లిబియా లను, ట్యూనీషియా లను
అగ్రాణించుకున్న నేల,ఆఫ్రికన్ కేవల్రీ ఉన్న నే ల ,
ఇరానీయన్ల కన్న నే ల
కాయస్థులు, కన్నడిగులు, మరాటీలు
తమిళులు రాజస్థానీలు , మన ముస్లిం భాయీలు
కలిసి మేలిసి ఆలయ్ భలాైలు ఇచుకున్న నేల
అసలు సిసలు మా  నేల హైధారభాధు మా స్వేధం, మా స్వంతం
మరి అహంతో, మధంతో  ఇంకా ధోచుకొనే ధాహంతో కాదంటే
అధె లాల్ దర్వాజా నుండి మీ అసెంబ్లీ అని కులుకుతున్న మా హైధెరబాధు టౌన్ హాల్ వరకు
కత్తులను చేతబట్టి మీ కుత్తుకలు ఉత్తరీయా
ఎగిసి ఎగిసి పడుతున్న తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
ఉజ్వలమై ప్రజ్వలనమై తెలంగాణ ఇంతిఫాదా
అధుగధిగొ వచింధీ భై, ఇధిగిధిగోవచ్చింది బహెన్

Jai Bholo Telangana....contrarian impressions

Jai Bholo Telangana....!

Those 3 words stir so many intense emotions...defiance, sacrifice, pride, identity assertion, cultural awakening, acute sense of loss. Telangana history and culture contains an incredible range of events, tales, stories, experiences fit to create multiple compelling fares that have an enormous potential to inform, educate and goad general masses into action. The overwhelming scope of the movement may actually need a series of movies to capture the true essence

and spirit all the while setting the appropriate context fit for a battle-hardened activist as well as a disinterested outsider.

Jai Bholo Telangana movie is a pioneering, sincere and bold attempt by Shankar to tell the current story of Telangana interleaving with the truly epoch making events of the past. The still continuing intense struggle, heightened knowledge of all the issues surrounding Telangana and the roaring success of music made one breathlessly wait for the movie with humongous expectations almost akin to the expectations on the imminent statehood itself. Did Jai Bholo Telangana deliver on the enormous promise....a useful anecdote shall suffice methinks. My father took me and my brother, then in 4th and 1st grades, to 'Maabhoomi' in Sudershan (i think) and we watched the movie with rapt attention and really were spellbound. When the crowds filed out at the end, an acquaintance spotted my father and was curious to know his reaction to which my father tellingly remarked 'memu inka entho mahattara poratam chesnam' clearly not very satisfied with the movie. Those would be the feelings on 'Jai Bholo Telangana' too, seen from the eyes of a deeply passionate, restive, defiant Telanganite...an underwhelming experience. This is no criticism of Shankar for he is the one who surmounted a zillion odds in producing, directing and releasing JBT. It's just that Telangana udyamam is so vast, so powerful, so ennobling, so stirring that it's actually unfair to expect one movie to encompass everything.

It was very heartening to see true Telangana life, with all it's unique rhythms, depicted in the movie albeit in a rushed manner. But depiction of Telangana life is not sufficient for a Telanganite who is outraged by the constant attack on his/her culture, customs,mores,accent, language and brazen loot of resources, opportunties and the destruction of livelihoods. The tone of the movie for the red-blooded Telanganite is frustratingly mild! There seemed a special emphasis to sound reconciliatory in advance! Leave alone the seemandhra politicians and businessmen, who are diabolically opposed to Telangana as a rule, the multitude of bourgeois who built their comfortable lives literally on the ashes of our Telangana brethren also are as equally culpable in the crime and as inimical to our self-assertion. Who is the common man of Seemandhra that is sympathetic to our cause that we are hell bent on assuaging?

The current and the past history provides numerous examples of communities across the world who are fighting as much as for their basic rights as for preserving their own unique culture. The case study for Telangana purely on cultural/ethnical dimensions alone is very, very powerful given the rich and long history and the vastness of the community. It was a golden opportunity for the movie to bring this to sharp releif but seems like it makes only a furtive attempt or at least that's how it appears on the screen.

The systematic and rampant loot and resultant destruction of Telangana life in every sphere is not captured coherently, at best reduced to general statements. Though a love story may be a practical way of telling Telangana story on the big screen, it inevitably deprives it of the needed gravitas and intensity. May be, just may be if the lead pair had better character arc-my thoughts went to Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa- it would have truly integrated into the core theme. One cannot but feel the teenagish romance was simply incongruous and even flimsy given the context of the moment and the many young lives that were literally burning and sacrificing!

The visit to the village and the protagonist's realization(Telangana awakening) was the best piece and true to life. But even this episode suffers from to-do list syndrome....recital of events but not many unfolding of events. When hero's grandfather(Vidya Sagar Rao in a delightful cameo) says 'eeroju telangana pallelu anni takattulo unnayira' he doesn't explain the 60 year loot of our share of waters in Krishna/Godavari or the plight of Telangana projects that are forever in making. The counter argument could be...don't we all know the truth....still it would have been powerful on big screen for a variety of audiences (not only resonable folks of Seemandhra but national audience).

The issue of lack of opportunity, employment deprivation for Telangana masses doesn't come through meaningfully. It could be utterly misleading to say that we Telanganites are struggling to even find an ordinary job in current times, which is ammunition for the suddenly globalized, corporate(IT) workforce infested by hordes of Seemandhraites! It could have been illuminating if we saw the juxtaposition of the current workforce and what their previous generations did for a living. It doesn't take too much research to understand that Govt was the only sector that provided any sorta opportunity for better living and the so called moving through the ranks. The hordes of Seemandhrites who descended on Hyderabad from eary 50's have illegally usurped a majority of these opportunities, becoming stronger with each successive generation of their own and that of Andhra government. The current generation of this early intruders are economically entrenched and many times more well equipped to grab the so called new opportunities in the globalized world not because of any intrinsic superiority but simply owing to their systematic, exploitative loot of our rightful opportunity generation upon generation. Just to quote one

glaring example, if we were to calculate the number of seats usurped in our own OU Eng and Medical colleges by fake locals through 50's until now, the social and financial loss suffered by local population would be truly staggering. Imagine how many generations would have had better life if we could take our rightful share in professional institutions. Multiply this loss across length and breadth of Govt machinery then we begin to understand the scope of the

incessant loot. I am not even getting to all too well-known saga destruction of Telangana agriculture, livelihoods, culture and ethos.

If it was heartwarming to see true Telangana life in the village episode where people spoke naturally, unaffectedly and marvel at the unique sense of community even in wretched times it was also gut-wrenching to actually be reminded of the scale of deprivation and destruction. Chary's character though is a winner ....winner in a heartrending manner of reflecting truth. The actor displayed all the angst, pain,loss,deprivation compellingly literally infusing fire

into the proceedings.

The businessmen, politicians coterie and their vile machinations are caricatured and simplistically handled. These thugs are so dangerous, cold-blooded, machiavellian that caricaturing made them look little harmless when in truth they are vile beyond words. The judas Telangana politicians are also caricatured accidentally exempting them the sorta serious scrutiny needed for their slovenly, selfish,craven, criminal behaviour for the past so many years. Telangana politicians in power are worse than Ghazni in their overwhelming desire to loot and plunder all but caring a fig for Telangana society. Their role should have been exposed in starker terms...

The final denouement and fast-unto death of hero's mother Jayamma....there's no accompanying crescendo developing to the extent that Vimalakka's song seemed a filler....any one of Telangana dhoom-dhams could have been effectively used to depict the reawakening. Gaddar though delivers bigtime....podiche poddumeeda nadustunna ganama poru Telanganama is truly anthemic and watching it on big screen is a goosebumps moment! The chorus, choreography and Gaddar's rendition is utterly captivating.....the power of this song is in fact better leveraged on YT videos where a montage of pictures are shown and there are several moments where one wants to grab the metaphorical weapons and jump right into a battle....if 'maa neellu mavenani kathula kolatama kanneti ganama' inflection cannot boil your blood and make you simmer with rage then you are not a Telanganite. KCR's gadibida chesthundru is catchy and fun. The only issue with'fun'things is they dilute the intensity of the original issue. Manushuluga kalisundamu, pranthaluga vidipodamu is also overdone as it mistakenly signifies status quo even after Telangana becomes a reality.

The lead pair's re-union is unbeleivably filmy with bullet and knife wounds having no effect. The conclusion is understandably inconclusive though the message is loud and clear about the inevitability of Telangana. For this alone Shankar should have our everlasting gratitude!

Jai Telanagana!