Peoples Telangana

Original article published in Telugu Prabha ,  Translated into English. — Dr. Sangishetty Srinivas, Social and Political Analyst. For the past 75 years, dominant castes have held sway in Telangana's politics. Since 1952, many leaders have fought to dismantle this dominance to the best of their abilities. However, the leaders of these dominant castes have continuously adapted their strategies to retain political power. To counter these tactics, the Backward Classes (BCs) must become aware and empowered. Awareness means being able to refute deceptive rhetoric with facts and figures. The injustices faced by BCs in all sectors must be proven. Every lie propagated must be countered with truth. The deceitful claims of governments must be exposed with reasoned arguments. As part of this effort, retired IAS officer T. Chiranjeevulu has meticulously documented how misleading narratives, manipulative strategies, caste dominance, and nepotism have systematically deprived BCs of po...

Summary Recent developments concerning Section 285 A of the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act of 2018 have thrown a spotlight on the long-standing debate surrounding reservation policies and the 50% ceiling imposed by the Supreme Court. The Telangana government's move to increase Backward Class (BC) reservation to 42% for local body polls, which would raise the total reservation for SCs, STs, and BCs to 67%, has been deemed "legally premature" by the High Court. This ruling came after the government issued an order (GO 9) before a pending amendment to the state's Panchayat Raj Act, intended to remove the 50% reservation cap, received the Governor's assent. This issue is not an isolated incident but rather a microcosm of the complex legal, social, and political challenges surrounding reservations in India. The legal fault lines The core of the Telangana dispute lies in the tension between state governments' efforts to implement welfare measures and the constitutional...

In a world tethered to the ceaseless pulse of the internet, Afghanistan has been abruptly cast into a digital void. A nationwide blackout of internet and telecommunications services has severed the country from the global grid, plunging it into an eerie silence reminiscent of a pre-industrial age. This extraordinary disruption offers a rare opportunity to examine how a modern society functions when stripped of its digital lifelines, evoking a time when news travelled by horseback or whispered rumour. More critically, it serves as a stark case study in the evolving theatre of warfare, where an enemy’s calculated destruction of communication infrastructure can paralyse a nation. Afghanistan’s descent into this communicative abyss illuminates not only the resilience of human systems but also the strategic vulnerabilities of our hyper-connected era. A Return to the Analogue Age The sudden absence of internet, mobile networks, and radio has thrust Afghanistan into a state of enforced isolat...

By Mohan Guruswamy  How did Modi end up thinking Alexander was stopped on the north bank of the Ganges opposite Pataliputra? Many years ago I visited the excavations at the site of the original Pataliputra near present day Patna. The massive columns that survived the annual ravages of the Ganga tell us of the glory of the Mauryans.  But Alexander never came this far. To understand how Modi goofed one needs to go far away to the west to Mendhar. Mendhar is an interesting and historical place. Its midway between Rajouri and Poonch. The ancient Mughal road to Kashmir is nearby. The name Mendhar is derived from the Indo-Greek king Menander (155 -130BC) who founded it. Nearby is the village of Baflias, whose name  was inspired by Alexander's favorite war horse Buchephalus. Many believe it was buried here, but it is unlikely as Alexander didn't cross the Hydapses (Jhelum).  I visited the area in 1994 as a guest of the famous 25 Division of the Indian Army and w...

China’s ascent to an innovation powerhouse is a masterclass in state-orchestrated ambition. Through meticulous planning, vast investment, and a relentless focus on technological dominance, Beijing has transformed the nation into a global leader in fields from artificial intelligence to electric vehicles. Yet, as the costs of this model mount—economic inefficiencies, geopolitical frictions, and social strains—the sustainability of China’s tech juggernaut is increasingly under scrutiny. The Engine of State-Led Innovation China’s rise rests on a potent mix of government muscle and market scale. The "Made in China 2025" initiative, launched a decade ago, targeted high-tech sectors like semiconductors, robotics, and green energy, channeling billions in state subsidies to strategic industries. Special economic zones, such as Shenzhen’s bustling tech hub, have fostered ecosystems where academia, industry, and government converge. By 2020, China’s R&D spending surpassed $400 bill...

The condition of the Telangana Muslim is exemplified by these charts. It only proves that even five centuries of Muslim rule has not done much for Muslims as a whole.  That is because the Muslim upper class has traditionally been foreign and the Deccan converts were mostly from the Hindu lower castes escaping Hindu upper caste oppression. The distribution of complexions tells the story quite vividly.  The plight of the Telangana Muslim probably means that Muslim dominated feudalism was more rapacious? The lower layers still predominate.  The difference between the old Asaf Jahi and the present day system is that more Hindus have moved to the upper layers.  During Osman Ali Khan’s period out of the 1411 civil servants as many as 1100 were Muslims. That order has been reversed now. The undeniable fact is that Muslim feudalism was just as rapacious as Hindu majority rule.

MOHAN GURUSWAMY: Till it is rewritten Indian history will remain just what it is, a compendium of defeats.  History invariably is written and rewritten to serve the political and ideological cause of the ruling elites. No wonder Winston Churchill had said: "Gentlemen, history will be kind to us — we will write it!" Take Indian history as it is being taught in our schools today. It is the history of the vanquished. It is mostly a chronological scroll down of events in the Indo-Gangetic plain. The textbooks start with the Indus Valley Civilisa-tion and after that remain largely focused on the consecutive onslaughts and occupations of India from the northwest. Like the Aryans, Greeks, Bactrian’s, Huns, Afghans, Persians, Arabs, Uzbeks, Mongols and Turks, not necessarily in that order, all of whom entered through its northwest and stayed to leave their respective imprimaturs on India. The other part of the story covers the Europ-ean era and India’s freedom struggle, which is main...

In a world fixated on the AI rivalry between the United States and China, India is quietly scripting a different narrative. “India could be a different kind of AI superpower,” declared The Economist in its latest leaders column, adding, “It won’t look like America or China. It could still be a winner.” This vision sidesteps the zero-sum race for computational dominance, instead leveraging India’s vast population, linguistic diversity, and developer talent to forge an AI ecosystem that prioritizes inclusion and practical utility. While the U.S. churns out frontier models and China deploys state-backed surveillance tech, India is betting on human-scale AI—tools that empower its 1.4 billion citizens to bridge systemic gaps in healthcare, education, and agriculture. One year on from The Economist’s earlier query—can India win at AI?—the evidence suggests it’s not just competing but redefining what victory looks like. A Data Powerhouse with a Human Touch India’s AI journe...

By Chuppala Nagesh Bhushan In an era when populism often trumps principle, the life of Konda Laxman Bapuji (1915–2012) offers a masterclass in leadership grounded in sacrifice, resilience, and an unyielding commitment to social justice. Born into a modest Padmashali (weaver) family in Wankidi village, in what is now Telangana’s Komaram Bheem district, Bapuji’s journey from a rural hamlet to the forefront of India’s freedom struggle and Telangana’s statehood movement is a testament to the power of conviction over privilege. His 97 years were a ceaseless battle against caste oppression, economic exploitation, and regional marginalisation—a legacy that holds urgent lessons for today’s leaders navigating fractured societies and rising inequalities. A Life Forged in Struggle Bapuji’s early years were shaped by the brutal inequities of Hyderabad State under Nizam rule. The feudal system, propped up by jagirdars, deshmukhs, and landlords, thrived on vetti chakiri (forced labour) a...