A hectic and tedious week came to a screeching halt this weekend. I planned to have a blast: lunch with friends on Saturday; ‘Carol Sunday’ at church and socializing with relatives on Sunday.After a lazy morning and crisp Dosa’s for breakfast, I was all set to leave home. Stopped by the petrol bunk and fuelled my car with 10 litres of petrol and was set to head for IMAX. All hell broke loose when my mom called and asked me to return home ASAP.
“It’s the TRS again causing some disturbance in ameerpet and panjagutta”. I heeded to her advice and was driving past the Liberty Circle, Himayat nagar lane. The Bandh backdrop in the city came alive again – Malls, Restaurants, Factory outlets shutters closed to a half; a wee bit of panic across people’s faces; media photographers taking pix of traffic jams; bikes and scooters carrying Telangana supporters shouting “Jai Telangana” slogans. This sounds so much like the Vandemataram and Quit India movement I read in my history books.
The freedom movements in history made sense. Today, the world has progressed in leaps and bounds. Countries are not only free but are also embracing globalization, diverse and cosmopolitan culture where you allow every culture to exist and evolve while accepting and appreciating it. To put it succinctly, asking for a separate Telangana appears to be an anomaly in today’s post modern world. I’m a pucca Telangana but I don’t want a separate Telangana! It made sense in 1960’s & 70’s when people from Telangana region were averse to Andhraites migrating to the city, buying lands and depriving them of job opportunities. Andhra Pradesh state was newly formed and these were some of the teething issues plaguing the Telangana folks then. I have no clue what good it holds in today’s modern context. And what is worse is resorting to violence – pelting stones at common man, breaking window panes of private cars and spawning commotion for no good reason.
Its just heights of madness and lunacy I say. If they don’t have better things to do, we do have! And the culmination of this drama is immolating oneself. Need I say more?
