ABSTRACT
Theories of nationalism underline the importance of collective imagining and calls to sovereignty. Indian nationalism emerged from anti-colonial struggle. The desire of freedom and empowerment in the years since the independence has taken the form of regional and caste-based mobilizations. This chapter argues that Telangana’s quest for local sovereignty embodies the quest of marginal communities seeking political, economic and cultural liberation. The chapter also argues that imagining for the rights of the sons-of-the-soil or bhumiputras, embodied through acts of protests and celebration of festivals like Bonalu, generated strong passions and affect for the nation. The strong desire for a separate state caused schism along regional lines across political and media establishments in the Andhra Pradesh State, making continuance of Telangana within it untenable. The chapter analyzes the complex political factors, including the evolving stand of national parties, especially the Indian National Congress which was in charge of federal government based on its own political calculations, that led to creation of the state of Telangana.
