A new programme, Telugu Baata, aimed at regaining the past glory of the Telugu language will be launched this year, which is being observed as Telugu renaissance year.
Announcing this at Ugadi celebrations at Ravindra Bharati here on Thursday, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy said that as part of the programme, activities would be undertaken once in two months at village, mandal and district levels through Nehru Yuva Kendras and Mahila/Bal Bhavans highlighting Telugu culture and heritage. Space would be earmarked in public parks and labelled as ‘Telugu Thota’.
The programme would be funded from the Rs. 25 crore provided in the budget. An action plan released by Mr. Kiran Reddy said school textbooks in Telugu would be revised to include chapters on poems, proverbs and profiles of great Telugu personalities. Telugu dictionaries would be modernised to include latest words.
At the celebrations, a rural landscape was depicted on the dais through a flexi backdrop which showed lush green paddy fields, canals and crop harvesting. More than a dozen Ministers and several other dignitaries listened as Dr C. V. B. Subrahmanyam of Telugu University read out the almanac. The Chief Minister released the almanacs of TTD and Agriculture and Horticulture Departments, and honoured Vedic scholars, poets, artistes and eminent personalities. Clad in a dhoti, he went round photo and books exhibitions held outside the auditorium on the Fourth World Telugu Conference (WTC). He referred to revival of Telugu Akademis and the plan to introduce Telugu as a language subject up to SSC by July as per WTC resolutions but appealed to people to extend cooperation as the government alone would not be able to achieve renaissance. Reading out the almanac, Dr. Subrahmanyam said the New Year, Vijaya, would be a good year for the Telugu people. There would be good rains and reservoirs would be full, resulting in bumper crops and prosperity. The Chief Minister would stabilise his position, though he would face some problems.
APCC president Botcha Satyanarayana, Minister for Culture Vatti Vasanth Kumar, Official Languages Commission chairman M. Buddha Prasad, and Director of Culture R. V. Prasada Raju spoke.
