Contemporary history charms many as it provides insights into the immediate world around us. More so in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana which embarked on a new course of history with the state bifurcation and creation of Telangana in June 2014.
This also opened up a plethora of questions over various aspects concerning the history of the two Telugu states. These range from political, administrative to social and cultural developments from the formation of Andhra Pradesh, a state for the Telugus in 1956.
The recently-released book, Contemporary History of Andhra and Telangana AD 1956-1990s , the last in an eight-volume series of Comprehensive History and Culture of Andhra Pradesh brought out by Andhra Pradesh History Congress, precisely and adeptly addresses these queries and possibilities.
It comes in handy for those who wish to understand the transition of Andhra and Hyderabad from the medieval to the modern times. It has been brought out in English and Telugu with eminent historians Vakulabharanam Ramakrisha and V Ramakrishna Reddy as General Editor and Editor respectively.
In a well-conceived introduction, Ramakrishna Reddy captures the rise of regional identities - Circars, Rayalaseema and Telangana - over a period of time which provides a good take-off for the mega book with 55 chapters/research papers well integrated thematically to cover political and administrative developments, economy and society, besides art and culture.
While all chapters are written by scholars of proven track record, of particular interest are separate Telangana movement by K Raghuram, development of irrigation by M Atchi Reddy, Viplava Sahityam by N Venugopal, growth of cinema industry in Hyderabad by R Jayadev and Anti-liquor movement by Rekha Pande, among others, that present a holistic perspective.
Hyderabad has a special position in the country as a hub of healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. N Purendra Prasad captures some interesting historical facets of this trend with a sharp criticism on the declining state of public expenditure.
On the whole, the book under review can be an apt choice both for general readers who love history of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well as serious researchers.
