Venkat Raman
Auckland, June 8, 2019
People of Telangana origin from the Southern State in India marked the fifth anniversary of the formation of their territorial entity with enthusiasm and unity in Auckland last weekend.
National MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar, Waitakere Indian Association President Mahendra Sharma. Sunita Sharma, Vice-President Sunil Kaushal and community leaders were among the Guests of Honour at the event organised by the Telangana Association of New Zealand (TANZ) at Mount Eden War Memorial Hall on Sunday, June 2, 2019.
TANZ President Narendra Reddy Patlola led a team of officials including Vice-Presidents Uma Salvaji and Dayananda Katakam, General Secretary Vinod Erabelly, Treasurer Arunkumar Paidgummula and members of the Executive Committee in organising the Programme that included classical and modern dances and other entertainment items.
While the officials and special guests held a vigil in honour of those who fought for the creation of Telangana as a separate State, the Association facilitated many members of the Telangana community in Auckland for their services to the Association and the people of New Zealand over the years.
Progressive State
The State of Telangana was formed on June 2, 2014 after 60 years of struggle and it now stands as the Number 1 State in India in all aspects, Mr Patlola said.
Located at the Centre-South stretch of the Indian Peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau, Telangana is the 12th largest and most populated State in India with a geographical area of 112,077 kms. As per 2011 census, the population of the State was 350 million.
According to available figures, Telangana’s Gross Domestic Product during the current financial year (2018-2019) is expected to have reached US$ 130 billion, the eighth largest in India. The State economy is expected to grow at 10.4% with per capita income of US$ 2700.
Services dominate
The Services Sector continues to the largest in the State economy, accounting for 65%, followed by Agriculture (18%) and Industry 16%.
However, Agriculture has the largest labour force at 55.6%, while the Services Sector has only 26.6%, indicating the high level of technology being used. The State’s Industrial sector has only 17.8% of the total workforce.
Rice is the major food crop and staple food of Telangana. Other important crops include tobacco, mango, cotton and sugarcane.
Telangana is blessed with good water resources with the Godavari and Krishna Rivers flowing through, along with smaller Rivers such as Tungabhadra, Bima, Dindi, Kinnerasani, Manjeera, Manair, Penganga, Pranahitha, Peddavagu and Taliperu.
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam, built across the Krishan River is the biggest in the world.
‘Promise’ fulfilled
Telangana was ruled by the Nizam of Hyderabad. It joined the Union of India in 1948 after an Indian military invasion.
The ‘Promise’ of a separate State for the people of the Telangana goes back to August 15, 1947 when India became independent. The ‘Promise’ was not fulfilled even in 1957 when the ‘Linguistic Reorganisation of States’ was implemented.
Since then, the people of Telangana have been demanding delivery of that ‘Promise’ peacefully. It became a reality in February 2014, one of the major acts of the outgoing government of Dr Manmohan Singh. Telangana is an independent State today with Hyderabad as the Capital.
Andhra Pradesh (AP) continues as an independent State sharing Hyderabad as the de jure Capital, while Amaravathi is its de facto capital.
The promulgation of a Statute declaring Telangana as an independent State provided for such sharing for ten years. ‘Telangana Formation Day’ is therefore a very important and emotional event for the people of Telangana.
Tributes by Jacinda Ardern
Last year, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern paid tributes to the people of Telangana at the same venue (on October 12, 2018).
Participating in the ‘Maha Bathukamma Festival’ organised by TANZ, she said that hard work and penchant for progress of Telanganites were inspiring.
“I have heard a lot about the people of this great State in India and I have witnessed their unity and loyalty. I remember (the then) TANZ President Kalyan Rao Kasuganti waiting at the steps of Parliament Buildings to greet me as I drove to the Beehive from the Residence of Governor General after being sworn in as the Prime Minister about a year ago (October 26, 2017),” she said.
