ABSTRACT

There are two different perspectives on the Telangana movement: one that believes that this is a struggle for ending Andhra’s domination of the land and culture of Telangana and the other, that this chapter argues, that believes this is a struggle for social justice and inclusion of marginal communities that live in Telangana and are losing out in globalizing market place. This chapter argues that through intellectual activity by public intellectuals, gender and environmental activists folk artists, students and other diverse marginalized caste groups were organized to voice their deprivations and aspirations through organizations like the Telangana Praja Sanghala Joint Action Committee. It is argued that the marginalized farmers, students, artisans, laborers, tribes and women whose aspirations of betterment fueled the movement entered into strategic relation with Telangana’s socioeconomic elite. The Telangana movement succeeded in bringing different social groups sometimes in conflict with each other together under the umbrella of Telangana nationalism.