A formidable task lies ahead of modern Telugu Language movement leader and former minister Mandali Buddha Prasad, who has been appointed Chairman of the A.P. Official Language Commission.
Mr. Buddha Prasad had been a leader of the Telugu Language movement from his youth. His father and former Minister Mandali Venkatakrishna Rao organised the first-ever World Telugu Conference in 1975. The timing of his appointment was also good with the fourth World Telugu Conference to be held in Tirupati for three days beginning December 27. The second World Telugu Internet Festival is also scheduled to take place in Visakhapatnam during November.
G.V. Purnachand, Krishna District Rachayathala Sangham president and fellow activist of Mr. Buddha Prasad in the Telugu Language Movement, said the task of making the State government to come out with a comprehensive policy for the language rested on the new chairman.
There were two aspects to the development of Telugu, one was in administration and the other was in education. “There was five per cent reservation for Telugu medium students in State government jobs till 1975. That has to be revived. Persons do not need to have knowledge of English to work in the State government,” Mr. Purnachand said. In education also the demand of the Telugu movement activists was that Telugu should be made compulsory till junior college or even degree. English medium was being preferred in government schools too.
Mr. Purnanchand said in the modernising of language also Andhra Pradesh was behind other states. Many promises were made after the first International Telugu Internet Conference held in Silicon Valley towards the end of 2011, but many of them are still promises, he said.
He, however, congratulated the State government for selecting a person who knew his way in the corridors of power. PCC secretary Kolanukonda Sivaji said the efforts of Mr. Buddha Prasad in making Telugu a world language was laudable. He hailed the decision of the State government to give such an important post to the former Minister.
