Being alien in one’s own land

Though the people of Krishna Village are a part of Telangana but Karnataka is close to their hearts.–Photo: Swathi V.

For Krishna, a village in Mahabubnagar district tucked away in a corner bordering Raichur district of Karnataka, the ties with the Telangana State are hardly cultural. In fact, its cultural moors lay on the other side of the River Krishna in Karnataka.

Although its very much part of Mahabubnagar district, on entering the village, one would be taken aback to find banners, sign boards, and even graffiti in Kannada, not in Telugu. Their cultural affinity with the neighbouring State is so strong that even the first language and medium of instruction is Kannada in schools here.

This is not peculiar to Krishna alone, but the status of 10 to 12 villages on this side of the river, which include Indukur, Gurjal, Tangidigi, Ainapur, Shukoorlingampally, Advi Khanapur, Kunsi, Kothapalli, Alampalli, and Chegunta among others.

“It has been like this for many years. Telugu, for us, is only a second language and Hindi is not taught,” informs Nizamuddin, Kannada Pandit at the ZP High School in the village.

While syllabus for all other subjects is decided by the Telangana government, the same for Kannada language is borrowed from Karnataka State syllabus. Interestingly, the subject textbooks are printed in Kannada exclusively for the students of these villages.

“This is being done after we took up the issue with the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government. Earlier, we used to translate the books printed in Telugu to teach the children,” Mr. Nizamuddin says.

Face-offs with the Karnataka government are not rare, though the villagers – known as ‘Gadinadu Kannadigas’– technically don’t belong there. After many protests, the Karnataka government has begun to reserve four per cent free seats in all Intermediate and higher education institutes for students from these villages.

“Our youth cross the river and go to Karnataka for higher studies or in search of jobs, as Raichur is only six kilometres away. Parents also prefer Karnataka to Telangana for marriage alliances. Our whole life and culture revolves around Karnataka,” says K. Vinod Kumar, another teacher from the primary school in Hindupur village.

Many found employment in the Raichur Thermal Power Station located in Shaktinagar, he says.

Villagers of Krishna in Mahabubnagar have cultural affinity with Karnataka, so much so that the medium of instruction in schools is Kannada