If the Telangana agitation was all about Neellu, nidhulu, niyamakalu (water, funds and jobs), a silent yet powerful element that sent the slogan soaring was the unique dialect that people of Telangana once avoided using in public, due to fear of being mocked.
While the separate State agitation injected the arrogance to use it publicly, the formation the State infused pride in people to speak in the dialect even at official forums. Over the last four years, it has gained respect and acceptance even among those who once mocked it.
Television shows weaved around the dialect suddenly became popular.
Channels were obligated to air such shows, while the characters involved in these shows attained stardom overnight.
In Telugu films, earlier, the dialect was relegated to usage by only comedians or antagonists. However, that has changed, with even protagonists and lead characters now speaking in Telangana dialect as a part of regular conversation. This reflects how the dialect has arrived to become a part of mainstream life.
The film Pelli Choopulu was a breath of fresh air, where the characters spoke in Telangana dialect, but the success of Sekhar Kammula’s ‘Fida’ proved the dialect will remain as a mainstay of Telugu cinema now. Towns in the State like Warangal and Nizamabad have replaced those such as Vijayawada, Rajamundry or Kakinada in the storylines of films.
If this respectability was attained in just four years, it reflects the beauty and richness of the dialect.
Families that once were worried about their children picking up the dialect at home for fear of being mocked in schools now consciously encourage them to learn it.
Grace and elegance
Such is the impact that even those with Andhra roots take pride in the dialect. “There is some grace and elegance laced with affection in the dialect,” agrees Prabhakar Rao, whose roots are in Krishna district. “I grew up seeing Telangana families imitating Andhra neighbours, but it is the other way round now,” says Vijaya Raju, an employee with Irrigation Department in Nalgonda.
He says Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao deserves to be credited for the mainstreaming of the dialect.
“After all, it was his smart use of the dialect that sent the masses into a frenzy, taking him closer to his goal of achieving a separate Telangana State,” he said.