Kadakanchi, a village in Sangareddy district in Telangana, about 70 km from the State Capital Hyderabad, was unknown to many until its uniqueness was ‘discovered’ through documentation. Interviews with people in the village of a 3,000-odd population reveal that pilgrims who couldn’t afford to visit Kanchi Peetham in Tamil Nadu made their pilgrimage to this village to worship.
A word about Cheryal, a historic village in the Siddipet district, 120 km from Hyderabad, known for a traditional art form called Nakashi, hasn’t travelled far enough to find a place in the history books, despite the art being popular. Now, both the process of the art and the approximately a hundred people who practice it are being documented.
In the midst of the paddy green fields, Vattimarthy village, about 140 km away from the State Capital, saw the Telangana Armed Struggle against the Nizam’s dynastic rule. Standing under the huge Tamarind tree, it’s difficult to imagine how the village reverberated with the youth leading the fight.
The present generation is losing touch with its history, but the Telangana Sahitya Academy is documenting it under its project titled ‘Mana Ooru Mana Charitra’ – ‘Our Village Our History’.
Students of State-run government colleges will document the historical, cultural, and traditional facets of Telangana’s 12,769 villages. The academy reconnected students to their own villages to tap into that emotional quotient. Students from various degree colleges in Telangana are now intertwined with this exercise.
Students document their findings as project reports, with some colleges offering them academic credits for their undergraduate degree courses. But the learnings go beyond just history and geography.
Some students work in teams, and this leads to shared experiences. When P. Chetan Kumar, P. Sai Teja, and P. Suresh, who study at Government City College, Hyderabad, visited Kodakanchi, they found they could discuss themes they had never considered before.
“We found out that people living in the present village of Kodakanchi believe that their ancestors lived in a nearby village named Basavapur. This had ancient Narashima Swamy and Mallana temples, but the temples and the village are now abandoned”P. SureshGovernment college student from Kadakanchi
“We found out that people living in the present village of Kodakanchi believe that their ancestors lived in a nearby village named Basavapur. This had ancient Narashima Swamy and Mallana temples, but the temples and the village are now abandoned,” said P. Suresh in his report. When the Sri Adinarayana Swamy Temple was built 900 years ago, people migrated here to stay close to the deity, the students found.
The group realised that the movement of people to newer places had connections with religious beliefs apart from economic and agricultural aspects that generally drove migration a few centuries ago.
“Making this fascinating work a part of students’ academics would generate further interest. That was the reason for linking it to some academic credits,” says Prof. Koi Koteswara Rao, who teaches Telugu and is the District Coordinator of Hyderabad. The project is also giving rise to interesting class exchanges rather than propagating a system of rote learning.
Students for life
When Y. Vishnu, a third-year Mathematics student of KRR Government Degree College, Kodad in Suryapet district, found out that the temple he regularly visited as a child in his village in Buurugadda was built in 1172 AD, he was surprised and also emotional. “I didn’t realise that our village had such an ancient history,” he said.
Similarly, Vinakollu Alekya, from the same college, who went back to her hometown Kodad, discovered ancestors who had laid the foundation of the village. “Interactions with elders and sifting through the village documents gave me new insights into Kodad’s history.”
N. Nirmala Kumari, the project head for Suryapet district and an assistant professor at KRR Government Degree College realised that there was an opportunity to tell the world about the 1,000-year-old stepwell in her village Chilukuru. “It has always been used as a source of water for the crops around,” she said, adding that she had always taken it for granted. Her team has so far documented the history of 100 villages in the district.
“Every inch of Telangana soil is rich with history and proud heritage. A tryst with primary sources and original historical evidence would give students innumerable stories that are not in their textbooks and curriculum”Juluru GowrishankarPresident, Telangana Sahitya Akademi
“Every inch of Telangana soil is rich with history and proud heritage,” says Juluru Gowrishankar, president Telangana Sahitya Akademi and the person behind the ‘Mana Ooru Mana Charitra’ project. Historical awareness and reconnection with roots, he says, were the main ideas behind the project.
He quotes B.R. Ambedkar, saying, “They cannot make history who forget history.” He adds, “A tryst with primary sources and original historical evidence would give students innumerable stories that are not in their textbooks and curriculum.”
Like many other societies around the world, the history of Telangana is replete with struggles, and it’s inspiring to know how the youth of the area fought the peasant struggle in late 1940s, for instance. Telangana’s history was documented mostly by the Communist stalwarts and this was the first time students’ participation was thought of.
Students as historians
When the idea was floated to rope in students of government colleges across Telangana to kickstart the project, it found encouraging support from Navin Mittal, the previous Commissioner of Collegiate Education. He appointed coordinators for all 33 districts to assist the students as well as connect them with historians for proper guidance and professional documentation.
Mittal, who has brought radical changes in collegiate education by introducing digital boards and ICT in the curriculum, also felt that undergraduate courses needed to be redesigned in such a way as to unravel the deeply intertwined connections between all peasant castes and marginalised communities in a village to bring out the closely knit relations among these social groups while giving his nod.
He also felt that carefully documented histories sourced from the people could be used as the gazettes of tomorrow’s collectorates.
Octogenarians were the most significant source of information, as they had heard stories from their grandparents about the history of their village. Students formed into groups, noted their stories and went through the official records of the village with the Sarpanch or the village secretaries. There were villages where only one student documented it, as there was no other student from the same village to team up with.
Guiding the students were lecturers with research experience in various socio-economic areas. Students referred to books already written on Telangana history before they ventured out into the field.
“People may look at students collecting and documenting historical information as amateurish, but the effort is significant, and we have seen some amazing stories coming out”Sitaram RavulapatiDistrict coordinator of Khammam
“People may look at students collecting and documenting historical information as amateurish, but the effort is significant, and we have seen some amazing stories coming out,” said Sitaram Ravulapati, district coordinator of Khammam, who helped document 350 villages.
He recalls how a student had written about how an Anganwadi centre set up in his village Pagideru has changed the lives of an entire generation. The Lambada tribal community from this village has seen success due to the Anganwadi centre; some are now professors and politicians.
Guides like Vadla Shankar, the coordinator for Kamareddy district, and Sitaram, say the challenge now is to scrutinise these compilations from students to vet them before publication.
“This is an ongoing process, and we have learnt many lessons from the ground level. The vast information collected by the students and written in their own style is a repository of knowledge that will be professionally documented using the services of historians,” said Mr. Sitaram. The project has been particularly beneficial for students who have moved to urban areas and have lost connection with their ancestral villages.
“Walking past these temples daily in my village, I never understood their value until these students made me realise” Sankranthi RaviTeacher, Kusumanchi Government High School
The villagers too, are excited. Chalapathi, a farmer of Siripuram village of Suryapet district, says finding our students writing our village history is a unique effort. “Walking past these temples daily in my village, I never understood their value until these students made me realise.” Sankranthi Ravi, a teacher in Kusumanchi Government High School, says this effort has given an opportunity for all of them to rediscover themselves.
