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INDEX

• Prof. KodandaramConvener, Telangana Joint Action Committee 3

• Telangana State and People’s Aspirations-E. Revathi 7

• Telangana State : a movement in pause - Tadakamalla Vivek 14

• Profiling of Pittala Srisailam (MusiTV) 19

• Telangana State Priorities and realities f or f irst year - Dr. Biksham Gujja 21

• Telangana State - Freedom inside a Democracy - J R Janumpalli 24

• Profiling of D. P. Reddy (TDF-India) 27

• Profiling of Dileep Konatham 38

• Spiritual Corner - Pavan Tirunahari 40

• How to be Successful 101 - Chitra Mosarla 41

• 2014 Philadelphia Telangana Night Organizing Committee 45

• A Ladybug Song! - Maha Cheluka 46

• Cape May - Sumanth Donur 46

• Oh Wonderful, Magical, India - Mukund Tirunahari 47

• My views about India - Yashita Thota 48

• My views about Hyderabad - Tanav Thota 48

• Telagana Night: My Definition - Sindhu Muddasani 49

• About Canada - Nandini Muddasani 49

• I Am - Shashank 50

• My Letter to Ammamma! - Meera Mayreddy 51

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JAC

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Prof. KodandaramConvener, Telangana Joint Action Committee

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With Best Wishes for Telangana State

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- [email protected]

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The dream of Telangana people has come truewith its formation as the 29th state in the IndianUnion. The long drawn movement spanning morethan half a century has been against deprivation ofopp ortunities in emp loyment and education,exploitation of resources both physical and financial,and for self respect and identity. The tag line of themovement for the Telangana state ‘Nidhulu, Neellu,Niyamakalu’ or ‘finances, water and employment’crisply reveals t he core of t he movement forstatehood. With the formation of the Telangana statepeople’s expectations for economic betterment, andsocial change are high.

The two pathways to cross over poverty andlead to economic betterment are access to land andaccess to educat ion or the human development.Land is still the livelihood for majority of ruralp op ulation. The land reforms (abolit ion ofintermediaries, tenancy and land ceiling acts) havemet with limited success in Telangana as elsewhere.Though the Hyderabad Tenancy and AgriculturalLands Act enacted in 1950 in the Telangana areapermits only limit ed lease informal t enancy isprevalent in Telangana. About 50 percent (25 lakh)of rural households or nearly one crore rural peopleare landless still. Most of these people fall into thescheduled cast e and scheduled tribe categories.There are around 4 lakh tenants in Telangana withMahbubnagar district constituting nearly 25 percentof all tenants. Significant percentage of land assignedt o landless p oor as p art of land dis tribut ionprogramme is not under t heir possession or faceproblems of insecure land titles and unclear landright s. Though women actively participate inagriculture land ownership is concentrated in thehands of men. Nearly 35 lakh rural women areengaged in agricult ural activit ies but only 4 lakh

women own land. Public land has been sold orallocated at low cost by the government to privatecorporations. Land problem is most severe in caseof tribals living in the scheduled areas in the districtsof Khammam, Warangal, and Adilabad. Despiteprotective legislations prohibiting land transfer tonon-tribals , tribal lands are in the possession of non-tribals thus depriving t hem of their livelihood.Nearly 51 percent of lands in scheduled areas areunder the possession of non-tribals. Land restorationprocess also has been in favour of non-tribals. Thestate should address the land problems in case oftribals by res toring their lands and implementprotective legislations. Forest Rights Act should beimplemented and tribals should be facilitated to takeup cult ivat ion. Tenancy needs to be legallyrecognized whereby tenant farmers can be eligibleto access all benefits due to them as farmers. ThusLand reforms is a priority issue on the developmentagenda of the Telangana state.

Telangana has faced irreversible damage in theuse of river waters for irrigation, projects useful tothe people have been kept pending, the consequencesof which has been massive suicide of farmers andmigration to urban cities in search of livelihood. Thepattern of irrigation has shifted from surface waterto ground water. Tank irrigation has been neglectedto the core. Heavy dependence on ground water hasmade farming risky, unsustainable and p ushedfarmers into debt trap. Medium and minor irrigationneeds attention in tribal areas too. There is need toprioritise irrigation with a decentralized approachgiving adequate importance to tank irrigation.

Economic growth and human development areuneven across districts, social groups, gender andeconomic class and rural/urban locations. The rate

Telangana State and People’s Aspirations- E Revathi, Professor, Centre for Economic and Social Studies

of growth in per capita district domestic product hasbeen uneven across Telangana. Districts surroundingHyderabad (Rangareddy, Medak, Nalgonda) haveshown higher growth in per capita income fromservice and industry sectors due to spread effects ofHyderabad. Inter district variations in growth arehigh. Poverty rate is high for t he dis trict s ofMahbubnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Medak andNalgonda.

Despite high economic growth in some of thedistricts human development indicators of educationand health show high intra district disparity. Ruralareas lag behind urban areas in basic indicators likeliteracy rate and school enrollment ratios. Accordingto the 2011 population census the adult literacy rate(15+ age group) is the least in Mahbubnagar districtat 47.8 percent and highest in Hyderabad at 73percent. There is almost 20 percent gap in literacyrate between Hyderabad and districts of Adilabad,Nizamabad, Karimnagar and Medak. Mahbubnagarand Medak are traditionally low adult literacy ratedistricts. Besides gender gap in literacy rate is glaringfor most of the districts with Mahbubnagar havingthe lowest female literacy at 39%. While femaleliteracy rates are bordering 50 percent for the districtsof Warangal and Khammam, they are less than 50percent in the districts of Adilabad, Karimnagar,Medak, Nizamabad and Nalgonda. Mahbubnagardistrict also has the distinction of posting low growthrate in female literacy rate between 1991 and 2011.It also has the highest percentage of households withno literate adult female member. The districts ofWarangal, Nizamabad, Adilabad, M edak andKarimnagar still have 50 to 58 percent of householdswho have no adult lit erat e female member.Scheduled cast e female literacy is less t han 40percent in almost 54 mandals out of 57 mandals inKarimnagar dis trict. Female literacy amongScheduled tribe is even low at 10 percent. The lowfemale literacy has severe implications for childrens’education and even more for girl child well being.

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Awareness and ut iliz at ion of governmentprogrammes which are crucial for positive outcomesalso would be lower in the absence of adult femaleliterate in the household.

Despite Hyderabad and Rangareddy districtshave high literacy and enrollment rates they ranklowest in adult and child (0-6 y ears)sex rat ioindicating high gender discrimination. Nalgonda,Karimnagar and Warangal districts also recorded lowchild sex ratios. Female feoticide has been rampantamong some communities in these districts. Thoughmean age at marriage has increased from 17 to 19years between 2002-04 and 2007-08 still 47 percentof girls are married below the legal age of 18 yearsin Mahbubnagar district. Nalgonda and Khammamalso fare badly on account of child marriages.

While good progress has been achieved inschool enrolment of children in the age group of 6-10 or the primary segment due to the Sarva SikshaAbhiyaan (SSA) still gross enrolment ratio (GER)is higher than 100 indicating mostly underage andoverage enrolments into classes I-V. That meansstudents getting enrolled in classes I-V is higher thanthe number of children in the age group of 6-10 yearswhich is the standardized age group for enrolmentint o the primary sect ion. Overage enrolment isgenerally found in less developed and remotepockets. Ideally net enrolment ratio (for examplechildren enrolled into primary section in the agegroup of 6-10 or standardized age group/children inthe age group of 6-10 years) should equal grossenrolment rat io both equaling 100. Primary netenrolment ratios are lower than 100 for all districtsof Telangana, the least NER is in case of Nalgondaand highest in case of Rangareddy district. Genderdisparity in gross enrolment in the primary segmentis still found to be high in rural areas of Nizamabadand Adilabad and Khammam districts. This may bedue to predominance of tribal areas where girl childenrolment needs specific attention. NSSO data over

a period of time shows enrolment ratios are lowerfor higher age groups for example in the age groupsof 11-14 and 15-24 y ears which is an issue ofconcern. M ahbubnagar dis trict ranks lowest instudents enrolment in the age group 15-18 years in2011-12. This indicates need for special focus at thehigher levels of education. Besides less number ofgirls are getting enrolled at the secondary level inthe age group of 15-18 years. Girls’ enrolment islesser in urban areas compared to rural showingrising trend of urbanization is not able to provideadequate education opportunities to especially girlst udents . School enrolment is lower in certaincommunities like shep herd, and with regard tovulnerable groups like migrants, and people livingin inaccessible terrains.

Though enrolment ratios are robust in case ofprimary segment completion rates are lower than100. The primary completion rate is a better indicatorwhich shows whether child enrolled in class one hasbeen able t o complet e class V. The highes tcompletion rate in Telangana is for Hyderabad at 88percent however in six other districts completionrates are low in the range of 68- 75 percent. Thisshows that on average only 80 percent studentsenrolled are able to complete class V. Policy shouldbe more focused on the retention capacity of theeducat ion syst em in order to achieve universalprimary education. For good retention of studentsin schools quality of education has to be ensured.At the same time infrastructure deficiencies need tobe paid att ent ion to in order t o raise schoolattendance. Quality of education is poor due tothin spread of resources over large number ofschools. Access to education has improved but atthe cost of quality. There is a onetime investmenton schools but maintenance grants are very paltry.T hough qualified t eachers are present in thegovernment schools but they lack in basic services.St rengthening of government education syst emneeds to be taken up on priority to provide universal

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quality education. School Monitoring Committeesshould be kept away from political maneuvering foreffective community management of schools.

Policy for human development has t o best rategized based on leas t developed areas andpeople. Mahbubnagar district stands to be multipledeprived in most indicators and hence it has to beprioritized on the development agenda. Similarlyscheduled caste, scheduled tribe and women andgirls in particular need to be paid attention. Targetedprogrammes with incentives need to be devised incase of vulnerable sect ions of pop ulation likemigrants, and people living in drought conditions,marginal habitats as education takes back seat andgirl children get discriminated. Public investmenton education needs to be enhanced to ensure qualityof education and also to counter privatization ofeducation. A sensitive human development policylinking all levels of education would be able tap thepot ential and reap the benefit s of demograp hicdividend.

Telangana movement also has articulatedaspiration towards participatory development.People belonging to historically backward class andcaste have aspired not only economic betterment butalso to become stakeholders in the process ofdevelop ment . Democrat ic decent ralization ofgovernance structures ensures responsibility andaccountability to stakeholders. Panchayat i Rajinstitutions need to be strengthened with adequatefunds and functions. Strong institutions at the grassroot level will ensure governance closer to peoplemaking it participatory and also accountable.

Telangana movement has brought to the forethe issue of identity of the people. Identity also givesfresh impetus to growth. In a bid to establish newidentity from the identity of less developed people,less developed region, less known culture, Telanganastate and its people may strive and thrive to achievea multi dimensional development.

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• INTERVIEW

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Telangana State : a movement in pause

- Tadakamalla Vivek, Convenor, Telangana History Society

A long struggle has come to an end. But to aperceptive observer it is the beginning of anotherphase of movement for building a Telangana thatwas the dream of all those who gave their life forthe cause of st atehood. The reasons for suchperception are not far to seek.

Telangana as the 29th nascent state of the IndianUnion has had a ravaged past; a past that saw itsnatural resources mulcted away by the rapaciousrulers turning the region into an internal colony; apast where the unscrupulous rulers and their lackeysin bureaucracy violated the law that gave protectionto the youth in education and employment withimp unit y; a pas t where the Telangana politicalleaders, wanting as they were in vision and theirability to assert their rights and the rights of thepeople who elected them, were reduced to sub-servethe interests of aggressive politicians from the otherregions; a past where Telangana culture faced thet hreat of ext inct ion in t he name of linguis tichomogeneity; a past that saw Telangana become alaboratory for the experiments of World Bankpolicies that brought into focus perverse policy ofneglecting agriculture that supported a vast ruraleconomy of self-sufficiency thus turning the ruralTelangana into a wasteland and its people into thewretched of the earth who found solace in suicides.The story, however, does not end here.

The state buckling under pressure form the neo-liberal capit alist class gross ly neglect ed publicinvestment in the two vital sectors, namely educationand health. Private players played havoc in thesesectors. Fancy names were given to legitimize healthcare in private sector. Above all, Telangana inheritsa past that saw its rulers resent dissent resulting inminority voices going unheard. It saw a past wherethe development model pursued by profit seekingcont ract or- t urned- p oliticians excluded thedowntrodden and siphoned off the fruits of public

investment in the welfare and development sector.Thus the current phase of movement for statehoodwas against the very structural bias and asymmetryin power equat ion where Telangana politicalleadership in minority could not assert itself anddemand what was due for their people.

Now that Telangana is a state on its own, itwants to live on its terms; terms that people wouldlike to prescribe to their political masters who canignore them at their own peril. Such has been thegroundswell the latest phase of movement hadcreated.

The task before the new leadership is no small.A mass ive re-cons truction of various facets ofTelangana socio-political and economic life liesahead. In the immediate future attention must befocussed on parched lands only to stop more suicidesby the farmers due to crop failure and debt burden.Good old practice of linking tanks which was givenup in favour of major irrigation shall be revived,while not ignoring the need for lift irrigation andasserting the right for just claim in river waters.There is also this nagging ques tion of skewedconcentration of vast tracts of lands in the hands ofa few. People have been demanding that this issuebe addressed by the new leadership . The newleadership is expected to be pro active in addressingthe issues of farm sector such as supply of qualityseeds , fert ilizers, storage of farm produce andremunerative prices.

People expect the new Telangana state to reviveand provide health care in public sector. A hierarchyof hospitals from village, mandal, district and capitalshall be established. Regulation of private medicalcare could be attempted. Effective implementationof t he Right to Education Act shall be priority.Policy initiatives are required to eliminate corporatesfrom medical and education fields.

On the economic front there is an urgent needto revive state sponsored enterprise for which theTelangana state was known. Industries - small andmedium-based on local resources shall beestablished in a cluster approach. This will createlarge number of entrepreneurs across the state andprovides jobs to many as opposed to large industrywith few jobs. This approach will also address theissue of migrat ion t o cit ies in search of jobs.Discrimination in employment has been one of thecontributory factors for statehood demand. Publicemployment is one of the pressing issues before theleadership. While large number of vacant posts atvarious levels may be filled through recruitment,expediency lies in empowering the youth to becomeentrepreneurs and self-employed. Telangana youthexp ect an enabling environment free fromdiscrimination and bias that had characterized thepublic and private sector. Therefore the leadershipof the new state shall not only adop t fair andtransparent methods of recruitment but also appearto be so.

It must, however, be recognized t hat bestintentions and policies by themselves do not meetthe aspirations of the people. One needs a gooddelivery system. State administrative machineryshall become responsive and citizen-centric. A fewsteps like de-centralization and making Cit izensCharter mandatory will bring about a big change inthe functioning of administration.

On the cultural front conscious steps must betaken to preserve and protect the diversity specific

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to various social sub-groups while promoting whatcan broadly be described as Telangana identity.Respect for religious minorities and their ethos shallbe hall mark of Telangana culture. Cultural synthesisthat has been central to the lives of people inTelangana received a rude jolt with the inroads madeby the seemandhra people in the guise of Teluguunity. This process must be revived. After allhistorically Telangana had not known any animosityor lack of bonhomie between various religious andcult ural groups. Historical memories have t o berefreshed and re-told for the present generation.

Above all people expect a democratic climatein which they can articulate their hopes, aspirations,frustrations and dissent to prevail in the nascentTelangana state. Telangana has a long hist ory ofstruggles against any form of oppression or attemptat stifling voices of dissent. The new leadership shalltake cognisance of this historical truth.

In sum, the hopes and aspirations of people ofTelangana are for a better and quality life; a life thatcan be lived in a democratic value frame work whereissues are resolved through dialogue and not byforce; a life where justice and equity occupy theirrightful place in public space; a life where rule oflaw becomes cardinal rule without exception. Inorder to achieve it they shall continue to exhibitunwavering resolve. Therefore, one long strugglehas come to an end only to inaugurate a new one.

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Srisailam had entered into Telangana movement in December 1996. He w orked as an organiser inthe book (Dagapadda Telangana w ritten by Innaiah & Telanganaalo Em Jaruguthondi w ritten byProf.) release meeting held at VV Function Hall. Srisailam w as also one of the organisers of theBhongir public meeting held in the name of ‘Dagapadda Telangana’ in March 7& 8, 1997. BalladeerGadar w as chief guest of the meeting. He w as also actively participated in the Warangal Declara-tion Meeting held in December 1997. During this period, he w as also a member in the ‘Fact FinidngTeam’ member w orked on cotton ryths suicides. Srisailam w as also one of the founders of theTelangana Journalist Forum (TJF) and also w orked as co-convener of TJF, w hich w as f loated inMay 31, 2001. He w as also actively w orked in bringing out the book ‘2001, May 31-TelanganaJournalistulu’. The book release function w as held at Basheerbagh Press Club on May 31, 2001.He w as also part icipated in all TJF meetings till 2012. He had parted w ays from TJF from 2012.

Musi TV Srisailam launched Musi TV Web Channel in June 6, 2006 to w ebcast meetings held for the cause

of Telangana. He w ebcast meetings on Telangana irrespective of political aff iliations. Till then theexisting media w as not giving priority to the new s of Telangana and it provoked Sr isailam to launchthe Musi TV. From then onw ards, he w as w ebcasting the every meeting held on Telangana issuetilltoday.

Musi TV Srisailam visualised the Telangana Movement w ith his MusiTV and the people across the w orld

w atched the channel and they appriciated his efforts. He conducted w ebconference w ith BalladeerGadar, Karimnagar MP B Vinodkumar, former Union Minister Sarve Sathyanarayana, TelanganaPrakash, legal expert Nirup Reddy etc. It helped the people living in foreign countries to knowabout the movement. Telangana NRI Forum (TENA), Telangana Development Forum (TDF) andGulf Telangana NRI Association members w ere regular w atchers of Musi TV.

Musi TV Musi TV w ill w ork for the development of Telangana State. It w ill expose the injustices of the

Telangana Governments if any in future. Musi TV w ill w ork as alternative media f or the voicelesspeople.

Srisailam is expecting constructive development from the new Telangana government. Development

Profiling of Pittala Srisailam (MusiTV)

TV ChannelsMUSI TVNRI MUSI TV Unique, Individual, Persistent & Consistent Contribution.

• INTERVIEW

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doesn’t mean buildings and f lyovers. People should live happily in the new state. The governmenthas to concentrate on irrigation projec ts and environment should be protected.

Journalist alw ays w orks as a journalist irrespective of governments to help people. I play same role

even in the new state. Every journalist has to expose the mistakes done by the new state governmentif any.

TNRI There is an urgent need of protection of environment in Telangana. TNRI has to concentrate on

this issue. TNRI has to guide the Telangana youth in their career. Culture and traditions of Telanganashould be protected.

Srisailam had dec ided to name after Telangana Kokila if he gives birth to boy or girl w hen the then

chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, w ho banned Telangana w ord in the Assembly in 1998. He didthe same and named after Telangana Kokila to his elder daughter and Muchukunda (Musi) to hisyoung daughter. He w as being arrested by the police at Kandukuru in Prakasham district in December4, 2007, w hen he tried to take an interview of the Maoist State Secretary Sambashivudu on ‘NizamNizaalu’ issue. Telangana activists, NRIs and journalists petitioned online to Union Home Ministerdemanding the release of Srisailam. The efforts of the above said forced the government torelease Srisailam on bail. Kandukuru Court gave verdict in favor of Srisailam resulting in to acquitthe case.

Introduction

Telangna state is now a political reality. Peopleof Telangana, about 28.1 million, have exercisedtheir democratic choice on 30th April to decide nextcourse of the new state. Though technically, notvoted in Telangana state, but they voted to electTelangana assembly. More than 72% of Telanganavoters exercised their democratic right, almost 5%higher than las t time. Going by the view s andanalysis most likely there w ill be stable government,w hich w ill be es tablished by 2nd June. For last tw odecades people of Telangana are f ighting for thestate and after so many tw ists, turns, humiliationsand victories that f ight technically ended. Strugglef or Telangana state is undoubtedly the mos timportant, cons istent, democratic and peacefulstruggle in post independent India. More than 1200people gave their lives to the cause. That is themost painful part of this struggle.

Telangana state is not an end; actually it is thefirst step for change. The expectations of peopleare too high and promises by politicians are toomany. Telangana state has been established bymassive pressure from all sections of Telanganapeople. But the politicians, like in any other place,looked Telangana state as vehicle to advance theirpersonal ambitions, w hich itself is not wrong, unlessvast major ity of people benefit f rom goodgovernance and better opportunities.

There are also v is ions and v is ions f orTelangana state. Almost everyone w ho w ould w riteor communicate vision has already done and someare still doing. That is good thing. Expectations aretoo high on the Telangana government. Thereforethis note is not vision document, but about the mostimportant milestones for the new state for the f irstone year. Whatever might be v ision, if the f irstTelangana government can achieve these things,if not all , mos t of the Telangana people mighthopefully be satisf ied, if not fully but some extent.Some of them are process and some of them aretasks

This note w ill give some bas ic ideas ,framew ork for Telangana state to achieve in f irstone year. The direction of new state w ill undoubtedlyw ill be set in f irst six months. Before getting intodetails , it is important to mention here that, theexpec tations are too high. And some of thepromises during this election campaign have raisedeven more expectations. This note is only to assistsuch process rather than giving prescriptions. Thesuggested actions broadly fall into three categories-a) correcting the past b) building new institutionsc) entitlements to the poor w ithout leading tofinancial collapse

1. Recognize the ordi nary people who havema de extr a ordi nar y sacr i f ices a ndextraordinary things during the struggle forTelangana state. These people w ill have tobe recognized and in cases rew arded as tokenof respect, this w ill have to be done in verydignif ied and respectable w ay. But this needsto be done systematically, w ithout using themfor political gains. A process needs to bequickly es tablished to do that. The spec if icac tions can emerge f rom discussion anddialogue, but might include a) appropriatemonuments b) f inancial assistance to familiesw ho deserve c) institutions, w hich can keeptheir memory. Caution need to be exercised,so this w ill not become a circus and loose therespectability.

2. Correct the mistakes of the past: This is notabout reprisals or w itch hunt, but achievingTelangana state is not about forget the pastand let people w ho looted or accumulatedlands and properties of Telangana w ill becondoned. Correcting and re-visiting the pastis part of building new future. This w ill have tobe done by es tablishing a commission andthen follow ing the outcome of the recommen-dations . Terms of ref erence of suchcommission might include a) review of landallocation b) review of allocation of preciousnatural resources c) irregularities in licensesand appointments d) recogniz ing and

Telangana StatePriorities and realities for first year

- Dr. Biks ham Gujja

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protecting the true and genuine individuals andinstitutions w ho made s ignif icant contributionto Telangana regardless of their place of origin.

3. What can be done to boost the economy,create jobs, create business opportunities,and train our young people? Millions ofTelangana people- farmers, students, w orkers,w omen, employees are all w aiting w ith greatexpectations that some thing w ill change andsome initiatives w ill help in improving the lives.The w hole purpose of their participation is thatTelangana state w ill help them in leading betterlives. Telangana state should identify some ofthe doable programs and launch themimmediately w ith comparable resources.

4. Improve the “brand Hyderabad” to attractinvestments and resources for the rapid butsustainable development. Undoubtedly,brand Hyderabad, has taken beating duringthis period of uncertainti. Hyderabad has beenreduced to scam capital. State machinery hasbeen reduced to designing, co-operating andcondoning the scams. This has to be correctedquickly and that w ill have to be top priority ofthe new Government. Though w e should getout of Hyderabad center approach f orspending state resources, but w e need tofac ilitate the process for attracting privatecapital so that Telangana state w ill get moretaxes and the limited public resources can bespent on the rural areas . There are manyconflic ting and contradic tory view s amongTelangana society on this subject, but there isneed for discussion and debate to quicklycome out w ith policy, strategy so that investorsare clear for next tw o decades. This is complexissue and this needs to be addressed insteadignoring it. The specif ic actions might includea) establish credible chapters of CII, FICCI w ithrespec ted indus try leaders b) provideincentives, w hich are transparent to promotegrow th c) develop innovative law s such asestablishing certain percentage of shares forfarmers w ho lost land for establishing industryand institutions.

5. Improve the internal administration w ithinTelangana: Establishing smaller states is f irststep in the process of decentralization but it isnot the end or magic bullet. Telangana state,

before it is too late, needs to embark on theadministrative reforms w ithin the state. Thismay involve, c reating smaller distr icts ,des igning new and eff ective administrativedivisions , es tablishing new and eff ec tiveprocess for land regis tration, land revenue,transparency in administration, es tablishinglokayuktha w ith full pow ers etc.

6. Impr ove the acces s to better and moredignified rural credit system : Access tocredit in rural area is the key for grow th andself -employment. Telangana s tate shouldestablish policies w hich promote professionalcredit systems but w ith better regulation andbetter supervision. Government credit systemsare f ine, but they have limitations. So there isneed to have better policies for micro-creditsystem. During the election already loan w averand interest free loan promises have beenmade. Such actions w ill not only drain the stateresources, but it w ill be counter productive topoor. Some of the actions might include a)effective regulatory policy and frame w ork b)participation of banks including pr ivate sectorbanks in rural lending c) eff ec tive andproductive use of CSR allocations etc.

7. Improve the product ivity of agr iculture :Agriculture is the key sector and it w ill continueto be the major employment provider. Ruralsector is also now acting as unoff icial andinformal soc ial security net for rural poor.Whenever people are not having jobs in urbancenter they are going back to their village andliving w ith much less resources. So there isneed to have policy to promote sustainableagriculture, w hich provides employment andimproves the quality of life. This requires anopen discussion and dialogue to come out w ithframew ork.

8. Improve the access to health care: Health carehas became an unregulated and uncontrolledmoney ex traction f rom people andGovernment. It is poss ible to have affordablehealth care for all and this needs polic yregulations. There are many experts in thissec tor w ho can suggest suitable reforms.Telangana w ill have to lead the w ay.Hyderabad has great opportunity to set upInternational health care centers, w hich w ill

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attract patients from other developing countriesfor treatment. This w ill stimulate economy andalso spin off w ould be better health care forpeople in the state.

9. Improve water management: Water w as andis going to be the major issue in Telangana.Water management is going to be majorchallenge and opportunity. There are manyexperts in Telangana w ho can certainly dealw ith this aspec t. In f ir s t three months ,Telangana government can establish an expertcommittee to come out w ith f ramew ork inmanaging w ater resources in the state. Watermanagement is not just building projects, butit is about w ater productivity, improving theecosystems etc.

10. Focusing on public education: This is goingto be major challenge. Government isspending lot of resources on public education,but w ithout any comparable results. Reformingpublic education, developing polic ies toregulate meaningless pr ivate sectorinterventions in education should be priority.For that establish a process w ithin threemonths to reform the education system andregulate the private sector participation.

11. Power sector: Telangana state is going to facemajor pow er crisis. Before it is going to impacton economy, Telangana state need to takemeasures to produce, distribute and collectappropriate tarif fs to sustain the investments.There are experts and talents in Telanganaw ith good ideas to put the pow er sector backon track. A process needs to be establishedto ref orm pow er sec tor. This should becompleted in f irst six months.

12. Social sector: Telangana state has relativelylarge populations of SC/ST. They did not gettheir fair share of benefits in AP state. A specialcommittee needs to be established in order toprepare a perspective plan f or overalldevelopment of SC/ST population in the state.This aspec t is utmost important not just aspolitical slogan, but this is extremely importantfor stability and credibility of the new state.Instead of deciding ac tions a process needsto be established w ith experts to decide a ten-year plan w ith specif ic milestones.

This list is already too long. Most of them areinterrelated and interdependent. Telanganastate has created huge expectations on everysector. Unless it moves fast, there w ill be hugeprotests in the streets. In addition to that, manypow erful lobbies that lost access to pow er arew aiting to see that Telangana state is notstable. Media is totally dominated by elementsthat are anti-Telangana. In addition to that thiscommon capital is going to add to thecomplex ity. Telangana people no longer canw ait for change, a change that w ill improvetheir lives, institutions and dignity. Every oneis w aiting for 16th May results, w hoever w ins,w ho ever gets the pow er w ill have to do lotmore to stay there. Getting to pow er is onething and doing right thing to stay there isanother thing. Political parties those w ho arenot going to be in pow er too have responsibilityfor the success of the new state. Civil societytoo needs to contribute to the process ofestablishing state, w ith critical support.

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Telangana region has become a s tat e in 6decades after its merger with Andhra in 1956. Thestruggle for the statehood had been very long, intenseand poignant. Several new states were created inIndia after independence - some of them on linguisticbasis; some on tribal identities; some on geographyand culture. Andhra and Telangana were mergedbased on their language, Telugu. As part of thislinguistic integration many regions were merged indifferent states like in Maharashtra, Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh, H.P. etc. By and large the statesreorganized based on language had gelled togethervery well except in the case of Andhra Pradesh. InAndhra Pradesh it was a case of an exaggeratedfeeling of superiority of andhras over Telanganapeople, resulting in majority hegemony. It hasinevitably escalated in to a campaign for politicalfreedom from t he majority dominance in side ademocracy. That is the essence of the saga of strugglefor Telangana statehood.

T hough t he language was the same, thepolitical, economic and cultural backgrounds of thetwo regions were different. State ReorganizationCommission (SRC), was very circumspect about it.Ithas recommended against the merger. Pandit Nehrualso had his own reservation. There was st rongop pos ition from the people of Telangana. Butsomehow andhras managed to merge the regions bypolitical manipulation. There was a gentlemen’sagreement with several safeguards. Some people onboth the sides in good faith have believed that themerger will bring emotional integration in Telugupeople long separated by history and cement theirrelat ions and enrich t he Telugu cult ure. But ,paradoxically it did not happen. The people of thetwo regions did not mingle like long lost siblings asin case of other linguistically formed states. BothAndhra and Telangana cultures went in their ownways causing little influence on each other.

Andhras had experience in p olitics in t heprovincial self-government system of British India.Their participation in independence movement withcongress and other political parties in the mainstreamIndian politics gave t hem a dis tinct politicaladvantage. It has helped to create a bias towards themin congress party. In Andhra Krishna ,Godavari andT ungabhadra canal sy st ems for irrigat ion inagricult ure have given t hem economic advantage.T he surp lus income from agricult ure led t oinves t ment , entrep reneurial experience andeducation. Because of Urdu medium in Telangana,t he imp ortat ion of English knowing Andhraemployees in to the administration by the militaryand civilian governments, from 1948 to 1952 andafter have placed Andhra people in the key positionsof the administration. In contrast Telangana regionwas in Nizam’s feudal order out side t he Indianmainstream political system. Though Hyderabad wasmade in to a first class city for the prestige of richNizam, t he entire hinterland of Telangana wasbackward economically with lack of irrigationalfacilities and less favorable agro climatic conditions.There was not much surplus income for education,investment and development of enterprise.

In Telugu though the language was same thedialect was different. Andhra Telugu with a mixtureof Sanskrit was felt superior to Telangana idiom.Because of their economic well being and languagebias the culture of Telangana was looked down. Ithas developed a kind of superiority complex in them.The Andhras kept Telangana people at arm’s length.They had started asserting themselves in politics,economics and culture in the state. With all thisbackground the 175 against 119 members in theAssembly have given them all t he p olit icaladvantage they needed t o dominate Telangana. Asystematic exploitation of Telangana resources bymajority Andhra administration has begun and wenton remorselessly unabated despite the opposition toit.

Telangana State - Freedom inside a Democracy- J R Janumpalli

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Slowly and relentlessly all the conditions and

safe guards in t he Gentlemen’s agreement wereflouted. There erupted a severe back lash in 1969against andhras for usurping Telangana jobs andTelangana surp lus revenue. It was brut allysuppressed by killing 369 youth in police firing.Then an 8-point development program was devised.The Government promised to correct, what criticssaw as a violation of the promises of the Gentleman’sagreement in the areas of jobs, budget allocations,and educational facilities.P.V.Narasimha Rao wasmade CM in 1971. Then some attempt was made toimplement ‘mulki rules’ and the 8 point program.Andhras went to court. Sup reme Court upheld‘mulki rules’. As a p rotest against it andhrasundertook 1972 ‘Jai Andhra’ camp aign.PVNarasimha Rao was made to resign and presidentrule was imposed. The constitution was amendedto abrogate ‘mulki rules’. A new 6-point formulawas devised in 1973. Like other formulas it was kepton t he backburner by t he callous Andhraadminis t rat ion. When Telangana employ eescomplained about the non-implementation of thesix-point formula, government issued a G.O. 610 in1985.Since then, no serious attempt was made toimplement the G.O.The central government neverbothered to oversee the implementation of any ofthese agreements or formulas.

Meanwhile, andhra dominated governmentunleashed several programs to make Hyderabad asthe colony of seemandhras. The surplus revenuefrom Telangana was spent in andhra and to developinfras tructure for enterprises and industries ofandhras in Hyderaabad. Vast government and privatelands in Telangana were appropriated to Andhra’sin the name of corporate benefits and other facades.Both CBN and YSR have increased the looting ofTelangana resources in t he garb of economicliberaliz at ion and creation of infras truct ure.Whatever the development took place in Hyderabad;it s fruits were made to be enjoyed most ly byseemandhras. The colonization and exploitation of

Telangana as foreseen by Justice Fazal Ali in SRCrep ort has vast ly exceeded, vindicat ing theap prehension. This has once again ignited t hesimmering Telangana statehood desire in Telanganapeople.

In this backdrop, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi(TRS) was formed in 2001 to fight for separateTelangana.The trials and tribulations of this episodeof Telangana udyamam spearheaded by TRS is ahistory now. Because of it Telangana state is formed.Though state is given, it is shackled with manyrestrictions. The center, as its wont , has alwaystreat ed Telangana with condescens ion. After theinescapable police action the Indian army undertooka massacre of Telangana people in the name ofcont aining communism. Imposed milit ary andcivilian rule after the liberation. Both the militaryand civilian rule treated local people vey unfairly.Considering them as imbeciles they had importedthe English educat ed seemandhras . The st at eadministration was andhraised even before the firstelected government has come in t o p lace, thussowing t he seeds for the hegemony ofseemandhra.Then the 1952 general elections havegiven Telangana its legit imate government. But itwas only short lived from 1952-1956.In 1956 despiteknowing the consequences of the merger, they havearm-twisted Telangana leadership in to accepting theforced merger with andhras. It paved the way forthe imperialistic designs of seemandhra covetingHyderabad and the resources of Telangana. Then,the center has allowed andhras to run their colonialset up undisturbed abandoning its responsibility.When Telangana people protested, time and again,it support ed andhra dominated government andsuppressed Telangana struggle.

Both Congress and BJP, the national partieshave played their politics with Telangana people.BJP promised Telangana in 1999. Congress party in2004 had a truck with TRS with a promise ofTelangana State.BJP when it gave 3 new states in2000, did not keep its promise of Telangana allegedly

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because of TDP.Congress after winning power witht he help of T RS in 2004 went back onTelangana.TRS was forced t o undert ake acontinuous and uncompromis ing agit ation. T hecongress under duress declared Telangana state on9 December 2009 in Parliament. But, again wentback because of andhra politicians volte-face andtortured Telangana for five long years.1200 of itsy out h have committ ed suicide for t he non-implementation of the declaration.Telangana wasproving disastrous for congress in both the regions.In such tenuous circumstances congress gave a stateof Telangana, with several restrictions making it a‘B’ class state, while seemandhra was made an ‘A+’ state with several concessions to it. The behaviorof Congress and BJP in the final analysis of adoptingthe T-Bill in Parliament speaks volumes of theirduplicity towards Telangana and t heir bias toseemandhra.That is the treatment of the center forTelangana whatever national party is in power inthe Centre. It would be the same in future also. Theirreal colors were revealed in the campaign for 2014elections on both sides of the divide in AndhraPradesh.

Therefore, now getting a state after 60 years isnot the end of our troubles. There is still a long wayto go. We have to survive the 10 year long jointcapital in the company of the litigant seemandhras.Seemandhras are scheming to stay put in Hyderabadand play vexatious politics to make Hyderabad a‘UT’. There are several contentious things in theAct in small print. Which we will be reading in duecourse of time. There will be a war of attrition onthose numerous discriminations and unconstitutionalrestrictions. The center as usual will be helping itsprodigal seemandhra. Telangana is only like apolitical orp han t o it .Telangana p olit icians inCongress and TDP were systematically subordinatedby andhra politicians. They have lost their Telanganaethos and cannot comprehend the needs of Telanganapeople. There is a need for a new potent breed ofpoliticians with Telangana identity who can defy the

condescension of the center and make them heed toour needs.

Therefore, now Telangana peoples’ imperativeneed should be to have a government of Telanganain letter and spirit, in the new state. The governmentshould be in a position to work for the interest ofTelangana people alone. It should be free from thesuzerainty of any other political entity. It shouldchallenge the conditions and restrictions imposedon it in the Act unconstitutionally, in the parliamentor in the courts or with the central government. Anddisentangle the fetters one by one to make a full-fledged state of it.The setback in the merged stateand the present needs of Telangana state should beidentified meticulously. A systematic developmentplan is to be prepared and grounded methodicallyand transparently. The most important aspects ofrebuilding of the new state are Power, Irrigation,Industrialization and employment in which areasTelangana was deliberately pushed backwards. Theother areas such as education, health, social welfare,technological development should be p romotedsimultaneously.

Whatever is done, it should be done keepingthe feet firmly on the ground. The state needs to bedifferent to fulfill the aspirations of people, whichwere long suppressed and also those now stoked up.But, we cannot create an economic or political modeldrastically different from other states. The stateneeds to be different with in the frame work of largerpolitical and economic system of the country anddeliver the goods.

The political leadership of Telangana shouldleave their subservience to the center behind. Thepeople of Telangana should leave their naiveté ofbeing easy going and accommodating. They shouldbecome tough, p ragmatic and self-interested torealize the benefit of the new state, got after such anarduous struggle and with such heavy price. The longlost political freedom to decide their own destiny isback in their hands now. It is up to them to makethe right use of it. God bless Telangana State!

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TDF-India

USA

TDF-USATDF-India TDF-India

TDF-India

Stil l

Seeking Justice

TDF-IndiaTDF-USA

JAC TDF-IndiaTelangana Information Trust,CPI

Profiling of D. P. Reddy (TDF-India)

D.P.Reddy Live Connecting Link

D.P.Reddy.D.P.ReddyD.P.Reddy Unique, Individual, Persistent & Consistent Contri bution.

• INTERVIEW

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H

H

H

H "JUSTICE Sri krishna's

INJUSTICE"

H

HStop SuicidesTelangana Senior Citizens Association

H

H

H

H TJAC

HGroup of Ministers TJAC"Understanding State Recorga nisation

Legislation in the context of statehood for TELANGANA

TDF-India

TDF-India

TDF-India

TDF-India

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TNRI

career

REC IDPL RRL TDF TRS, TRS TDF

H H H

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Ism-Neutral Vision:

RSU RSS

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H

H

H SRI & SSI

SRI, SSI

H Dawn

to Dusk

H

H TRS Value-Addition

H

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Leap Frog Development:

Leap Frog

TDF, TeNA

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Writers Note:"Children of Heav en (1997)" <www. v imeo.com/

57122883>,

www.f acebook.com/MyExerimentsWithDirt; www.facebook.com/Aranya AgriculturalAlternativ es; (by LIKE'ing the pages) The Green Warrior - Jadav Pay eng : http://y outu.be/1S8PXF60uA Interv iew Rajendra Singh :

http://y outh.be/0n2Xocoy k_Q; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajendra_Singh Augustine 'Johnny Walker' http://y outu.be/

A4DaYITNFhY.

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Mission Telangana

vocal Mission

Telangana.com

Mission Telanganacontent, research

Profiling of Dileep Konatham

• INTERVIEW

Mainstream Journalism Mission Telangana BBC Newsrespect Argument Unique, Individual, Persistent & Consistent Contribution.

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Mission Telangana

One Stop Shop Mission

Telangana.com

activ istintellectual

Institution Building Ism-Neutral Vision

TNRI

TNRIInstitution TNRI TNRI

Career,

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Spiritual Corner- Pavan Tirunahari

Exton, PA

We strive everyday to live better. How ever w hatever w e achieve, happiness w ill neverlast long. The uninterrupted happiness and joy can be felt only w hen w e transcend the bodyand mind. The body is the physical form w e’ve accumulated from Earth and the mind is just abunch of thoughts. Thoughts don’t exist w ithout mind, a mind doesn’t exist w ithout body butthe soul exists w ithout either. The body and mind are transient phases. The w hole universeand all human relationships are the physical manifestations of the mind. If one’s memory isw iped out completely, there are no relationships and attachments, but you remain. That is the“self” or “consc iousness” or “spirit” or “soul” w hich is pure and complete. All the vignanam(know ledge) w e acquire is only to pave the w ay for gnanam (supreme know ledge) that isconsciousness. Whatever the means you adopt, at last you have to get back to this ultimatetruth that is consciousness. Many methods are available to reach that goal. One w ay is to sitin silence and w atch the f low of thoughts w ith a deep introvert mind and f ind the source ofthose thoughts. The second method is to sit w ith the spine erect, raise the head little, and veryslow ly breathe in and breathe out, in both instances w atch the f low of air. With constant practiceKURMA NADI, w hich ties this body and mind w ith the soul slow ly, loosens up and you can feelthe distinction betw een mind and soul. This state is supreme consciousness. Physical forcesthat brought this body into existence w ill make sure that the activities w ill still go on but you arenot affected w ith the outcomes. Whether you w ork or renounce w ork there is no effort. Youare just happy and blissful.

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eTelangana.org

NRINRI JAC NRI JAC DOCUMENT

TJAC

eTelangana.orgcontent, research

eTelangana.org Document Scan

Profiling of Ravichander

AtlantaIT Company busy websiteTelanganarecordDigitalize Unique, Indiv idual, Persistent & Consistent Contribution.

• INTERVIEW

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T JAC online Website eTelangana.org

Tier2 cities

activ istintellectualIT, Pharma, Medical & Entertainment

suggestJob Oriented PlacementRO Water Purifier Plants RO Water Pla nts

TNRI

Watch DogIT Business

Career,

BSc Electronics MS Masters in Computer

ScienceSoftware

SushumnaAmeyas, Amarthya and AkshayaFuture

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That w as a pretty pretentious title right?Absolutely.

For nearly a quarter of a century now, I haveactively been in the pursuit of success: “How to bea successful student? How to be a successfulfriend? How to be a successful daughter?”, forexample. Though that still does not qualify me togive you the skinny on how to succeed, it did giveme a little bit of experience that I thought I shouldshare.

All of the things that I am about to say arethings that I w ould have liked to tell my 17-year-oldself, w hen I f irst began college. I w ant you to knowthat I w ill be totally honest.

(1) There is no stereotype that you can emulate tobe successful, so don’t try to copy others.You don’t need to look a certain w ay, act acertain w ay, or have certain interests to begood at w hat you are passionate about.Here’s w hat that means : If you’re sitting inChemistry class and you see a girl w ith pinkhair and tattoos, don’t underestimate her. Thehard truth is that maintaining the “goodstudent” look doesn’t mean anything. I’m notsaying that w e should all dye our hair andget tattoos, but that w e should all learn howto think, express and act independently. Don’tbe afraid to be a little bit different. Rememberthat it is w hat sets a person apart that getshim or her noticed.

(2) You don’t have to sacrif ice everything. Being aw orkaholic w ho doesn’t see the sunlight isnot a requirement of being good at w hat you

How to be Successful 101

do. Some of the most successful people Iknow take time to hangout w ith friends, tofall in love, to take long runs, to smell f low ers,to call grandparents, ultimately to enjoy life’ssimple pleasures. Let me be clear, there w illbe sacrif ices: times w hen you w ill have todecide w hat your prior ities are. But, if youhave a clear goal in mind and are w orkingtow ards it diligently, then it doesn’t hurt to livea little.

(3) Find w hat it is that you are really passionateabout and w ork really hard. That soundsdeceptively easy. But, it’s not. Finding w hatyou are passionate about takes time, effort,and exploration. It also requires asking foropportunities, dealing w ith f ailure, andconstantly stepping outside of your comfortzone. It also requires being honest w ithyourself and know ing w hat your motivationsare. You have to know if you are doing thisfor yourself or if you are doing it to pleasesomeone else. This is a diff icult process andsometimes it hurts a lot, but trust me it’s w orththe rest of your life.

(4) Make sure you understand w hat success is. Ifyou think success comes from ex ternalthings, you’ll spend your w hole life chasingit. But if you understand w hat it is, you canspend your w hole life feeling it. It’s not thegoal. It’s a byproduct of living a fulf illed life,a life spent expressing yourself as you are,not missing out on the simple pleasures, anddoing w hat you are truly passionate about.

- Chitra Mosarla

• Youth Corner

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Anita & Ravi Papagari

Bhanu & Rajashekar Thota

Hari Priya & Jayan Nallu

Janaki & Madhava Mosarla

Karuna & Mujeebur Rehman

Kavitha & Pavan Tirunahari

Lalitha & Sumanth Garakarajula

Leena & Madhav Cheluka

Neeraja & Sudheer Raju

Nirmala & Vijay Baireddy

Rajani & Raja Ankathi

Rajani & Sampath Billakanti

Sharathi & Kamal Nellutla

Smitha & Subash Reddy Karra

Soundarya & Ravi Mayreddy

Sreeveni & Narayan M Reddy

Sunitha & Ramesh Kankati

Sushma & Satish Sunkanapalli

2014 PHILADELPHIA TELANGANA NIGHT ORGANIZING COMMITTEE

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A Ladybug Song!- Maha Cheluka, Mc Nair Elementary

When I w as strolling along one f ine in the spring w hen a little boy came over me. Thenhe said "look at that thing" and the he tickled my w ing and i just turned as re as can be. Thenhe took me to his home the he put me in a jar and stack me on o shelf on the w ail. Then Isaid "that's no w ay to treat a lady bug. No no w ay at all. Well I fooled him yes I did Icraw led up the jar and out a hole in the lid. Then on a hot summer day I w as w inging myw ay w hen I landed a blanket you see. Then a moment or to from right out of the blue abunch of kids w ere staring at me. Then they f lipped me over once they f lipped me overtw ice. They w ere laughing they w ere having a ball. Then I said "It's no w ay to treat alady bug. No no w ay at all. Then they lif ted me in the air. I shame to recall. They letto drop to see if I w ould f ly or fall and I said "that's no w ay to treat a lady bug. It's anuncafe w ay to try a ladybug just no w ay to treat a lady bug. No no w ay at all. List inpol don't me w ith this gal.

Cape May- Sumanth Donur

Have you ever thought w hat to do on a summer w eekend? Go toCape May. Guess w hat’s there? It has magnif icent beaches, board w alk,w ildw ood and aw esome rides.

I can’t w ait as its my f irst time at a beach .I can’t w ait to touch thesoft sand. The f ir st thing Iam going to do is make a sand castle w ith mybrother. Have you ever surfed? Don’t be shy. I can’t sur f too. If you likego there now go…

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Oh Wonderful, Magical, India- Mukund Tirunahari

Oh wonderful, magical, India

Oh you have so many stories

Although some may seem gory

They may teach lessons about glory

Oh wonderful, magical, India

Oh you have the greatest food

That can cheer up almost anybody’s sour mood

Oh wonderful, magical, India

Oh your mythology is so great

The stories have some bait

And teach a moral through an open gate

Oh wonderful, magical, India

Oh your architecture is so beautiful

That it melts the hearts of those who are unmovable

Oh wonderful, magical, India

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My views about India- Yashita Thota

7th Grade, Pennbrook Middle School, Lansdale.

I love India. It is one of the most beautiful, culturally diverse places on the Earth. Iam proud to call myself Indian and hope that in lives to come I w ill be born again as thechild of this mighty country. India has a rich history full of true stories, and myths, thatteach us the good values in life. The landscape is almost as great and unique as theculture. Our country has some of the oldest architectural structures in the w orld. It is acivilization that has been around for many millennia, To put it in a few w ords; there is noother country like India. As much as I love India, I think that w e can improve. I feel thatevery Indian, even the ones that live here, should w ork tow ards improving our country.Even though India is w onderful, it is not perfect. A few of the problems are pollution, pow eroutages, lack of education, food, and sanitation in several places. To help you don’t haveto be a Bill Gates. For example, next time you visit India collect old books or educationaltools from your friends and distribute them to the less fortunate. Small tasks can make bigdifferences. Just one Indian can make a huge difference in our country. In conclusion,improvements or not, at the end of the day India is a unique, special country and alw aysw ill be.

My views about Hyderabad- Tanav Thota

4th grade, Gw yn Nor elementary school, Lansdale.

Last summer, I w ent to Hyderabad, India. My grandparents are both in Hyderabad, so Iw ent there. I w as there for almost the w hole summer. I w ent to many places, and learned moreabout our culture, and its many myths, and its very interesting people. One of the people reallyliked w as Sai Baba, and I w ent to his temple, though I got stuck in a 5 hour long line. I also w entto the Buddha statue, and I think a sign next to it talked about Buddha’s life. I also w ent to a lotof places that did not have something to do w ith history like IMAX and NTR gardens. Thenbefore you know it, its ten days before school, and I have to go back home. So that is the end ofmy visit to Hyderabad.

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Telagana Night: My Definition- Sindhu Muddasani

Telagana Night is not only a cultural night but family gathering. I havebeen in Telagana Night for every year so far and it’s alw ays been about ourhomes in India. Each year w e listen to old and new folk songs to dance tothem, try and make them special to amaze the audience and keep our parentsproud. PTA has alw ays been donating money during this night every yeargiving back to our homes to help educate village kids. For this night w eprepare extremely hard. Each child puts their best efforts into their dances.The parents choose how to stich new things together for a new experienceeach year for the audience to enjoy. Singidhi is there to share these greatexperiences and happy moments in our life even for kids. Most of all w e area family that s ticks together.

About Canada- Nandini Muddasani

We w ent to Canada for a trip. The next day w ew ent on a boat into Niagara Falls. Water splashed onus and w ind blew in our faces. The day after, w e leftfor Toronto. Then w e w ent on a Safari, w e got to seebaboons. A baboon climbed on our car. The next dayw e w ent around dow ntow n Toronto to see w hat to donext. Soon later w e found the CN tow er w hich is the2nd tallest tow er in the w orld. It took us a minute to getup then dow n on its elevator. I loved my Canada trip; Ihope I can go again.

I Am

I am a boy who loves to play outside

I wonder if I will be a soccer player

I hear good things

I see good things

I want to be a soccer player

I am a boy who loves to play outside

I pretend I am a spy

I feel awesome

I touch things I want to

I worry about people I know

I cry when I am sad

I am a boy who loves to play outside

I understand you don't get everything

I say your dreams can come true

I try to be a better soccer player

I hope to be a good person

I am a boy who loves to play outside

- Shashank5th Grade, Tredyffrin / Easttow n Middle School

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My Letter to Ammamma!

- Meera Mayreddy3rd Grade Rober ts Elementary  School

Dear Ammamma

You are very good and I love you. Your food isalw ays good. You tell lot of stories about God and howhe saves you. Without you I w ouldn’t have been here.When w e talk together, I feel happy. You never tell meany lies or be mad at me. I love giving you companyw hen Thatha is gone outside. You are alw ays happyw hen I see you. I am so happy you are comingfrom India just  to see me. There  is so  much fun  w ithyou. One time you told my mom to make something Iliked. You alw ays send me lot of stuf f from India.

Though you live far aw ay from me, you care forme.

I alw ays love you and I w ish you can stay longerhere at America.

 

Love,

Meera

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