Rajitha S By

HYDERABAD: If you have studied Telugu as a language, then you must have spent time mugging up around 50 words for the five mark section -- prakruti and vikruti. No, they are not antonyms. But they were part of the grammar section that taught you to differentiate between Telugu words that are ‘natural’ and ‘pure’ and those which are ‘unnatural’ and ‘ugly’.

If you scored well, then surely you would remember that those are the same words villains in Telugu movies speak often use. Remember how late Telangana Shakuntala terrorised people with her, “Nee thalli, nenevarno neek cheppalnaa?”

So did popular actor, late Srihari, who played the villain in most films. He added a comical touch to his rather negative shade with “Arre, valla daggara katthulunte, mana daggar thupaki lunnay ayya, nu fikar cheyak.” And all that leaves the audience in splits, when comedian Venu Madhav comes on to the screen, is his, ‘Dhethadi pochamma gudi.”

Not just on the screen or in textbooks, but even laypersons from Telangana are a subject of mockery. K Vimala, linguist and visiting faculty at IIIT, who teaches about language and culture from local perspectives encountered a similar experience when she first came to Hyderabad. “I come from Kollapur in Mahbubnagar. Back in the 80s, when I joined the Reddy Women’s College, I remember, I said, “nenu mattasanga kurchunanu.” It translates to, sitting quietly and it was a major joke in the class. I also remember I called peanuts, buddalu. They are called palli in Hyderabad. That was also amusing to my classmates,” recalls Vimala.

While Vimala faced the mocking decades ago, RJ Priyanka, known for her ‘jabardast’ attitude on Fultu Bindass, Red FM went through the grind only a few years ago.

“I used to do a Hindi/English show called Hyperabad on AIR Rainbow FM. My producer also didn’t know that I could speak Telugu,” expresses the 27-year-old. But an “emergency” situation led her to carve a niche for herself. “I was asked to do a show in Telugu. They asked me, asal Telugosatada? And I told them, that is what I speak. They told me to go ahead and do it. The first link, I read out of a carefully drafted script. By the second link, I couldn’t. I went ahead with my Telugu and the show was a hit,” she beams.

After this, she started a show in her style, called Weekend Party with RJ Priyanka.

Before Priyanka, it was RJ Prateeka who broke the language barrier with her direct dil se approach by talking non-stop and impromptu in the Telangana dialect. In fact, listeners frequently complimented her on her ease with the dialect.

She was then hired by Red FM for her unique style at a time when the Telangana movement was at its peak.

Vimala, who played an active part in the movement, says, “Though a lot of people believe that a separate state means separate administration, I believe it was a movement for cultural renaissance since we are in a post modern era. In this context, language and culture become the two most important things. They are inter-connected and this kind of movement also helps a layperson understand the revival of language and culture,” she feels.

Language doesn’t only talk about culture but also about one’s identity. “There was a time when people said Telangana people do not know how to speak. It was control over expression. It is similar to the gender battles we face. Like, when a woman wants to speak while she is amidst a number of men, she is dismissed. Telangana language too has faced the same thing. That is where control begins. It starts from curbing their freedom of expression and that leads to total submission,” she points, while adding that Telangana people have understood this intuitively.

How this oppression came about and ultimately, how it leads to a total control over them -- politically, economically, culturally was something that led to the movement. And with people like RJ Priyanka and also the popular Teenmar news on V6 that is hosted by Bithiri Sathi, it is only creating a sense of appreciation among those who are new to the language and building confidence among the those who were oppressed. The USP of shows like Katthi Karthika and Rachcha Ramulamma was also because of the dialect.

Vimala points to how they had to think twice before expressing their thoughts in a language they knew, but now, “I speak my mind. And once I know that there is no control on my expression, I am confident. Earlier, it was mockery. Now, they read the news in the language and unconsciously, it has helped Telangana people get some confidence,” she observes.

RJ Priyanka agrees, “People used to say, ‘Priyanka you sound so classy when you are speaking in English or Hindi, but why is your Telugu so massy and crude?’ But that is not the same anymore.” However, the mainstream print, radio and TV seems to have embraced the Telangana dialect wholeheartedly to connect with its readers and audience. Indeed a triumphant moment for the language. Auv malla! Victory indeed.