BOOK REVIEW

BANDARU NITIN 
ME10B150
                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

TELANGANA PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE

AND ITS LESSONS

    

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Author      :  Sri Putchalaapali Sundarayya

Title          :  TELANGANA PEOPLE’S STRUGGLE AND IT’S LESSONS

Publisher  :   Cambridge University Press India

URL         :   202.41.85.234:8000/hi-res/hcu_images/G4.pdf

REVIEW

        

The book, running to over 600 pages, does not confine itself to mere portrayal of the various movements and struggles for Liberation of Telangana and the role of the Communist party but also gives a list of martyrs who played a prominent part in the Telangana movement. The book provides a ringside view of the movement of squad, the network of communications and the police terror. It highlights the movement, the years in the forests fighting the Nizams’.

                                          Author starts with the history of Andhra, the Hyderabad state which was formed by the Nizam and the socio–economic life of the people of Hyderabad and especially the people of Telangana which was the unrestrained feudal exploitation that persisted well–nearly till the beginning of the Telangana armed peasant struggle. The people of Telangana suffering from age–old dark feudal oppression, forced labour and illegal extractions, from a cruel and hated feudal rule, their language and culture suppressed, groaning under a cruel, corrupt and autocratic rule, groped their way slowly towards a new life. The peasants cultivating the lands were nothing but bond- slaves reduced to the position of tenants –at–will. The vetti system (forced labour and exactions) was an all-pervasive social phenomenon affecting all classes of people, in varying degrees. The life of the Telangana people was one of utter degradation and of abject serfdom. It had ruined man’s self – respect completely. Hence the movement for its abolition became widespread. They started out for some elementary relief in their miserable life; no vetti( beggar ), no illegal exactions, no land evictions, no torturing and dishonoring; for elementary civil liberties; for education and culture and for responsible self government. It was against such a regime that the growing number of intellectuals and liberals, influenced by the development of the national movement in India, finally succeeded in organizing them-selves under the leadership of the Communist party and the Andhra Mahasabha into a powerful armed people’s struggle for land and liberation, against feudal exploitation and against the hated Nizam’s rule in the Telangana region in 1928. It was an armed resistance of women and men to the feudal oppression or against the princely state in Telangana. It was a struggle against the autocratic rule of Nizam and the Zamindari system.

                                                         The Second World war had broken out in 1939. It spread all over the world, with Hitler attacking the Soviet Union I June 1941. During the period of the Second World War with the then understanding and policies on the all–India level, the Communist party in Hyderabad state could not come out with a clear-cut slogan for abolition of Nizam’s rule, abolition of landlordism and radical land distribution.

                                                    The communists joined with the poor peasants in the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh during the 1940’s to throw out the regime. It was a sub-movement in the larger independence struggle of India. They participated in the armed struggle against the tyrannical regime of the Nizam during which time they underwent rigorous imprisonment and led underground life. From the beginning of 1944, the Andhra Mahasabha under the leadership of the Communist Party conducted many militant struggles against Zamindars and Deshmukhs.

                                                  Most of the stories mentioned in the book depict the deep anguish of the peasants and small farmers. Popular among these is the victory over Visnur Ramachandra Reddy, the notorious deshmukh which enthused and gave courage to the people of the whole of Telangana. The movement spread within a few weeks to about 300-499 villages in Nalgonda and neighbouring Warangal and Khammam districts. The masses responded enthusiastically and carried out revolution on a mass scale, developing newer and newer forms of resistance, on their own initiative, to big police raids. Many military camps were established in several villages. The raids went on for days and people were harassed. These conditions prevailed till May 1947, when the people found it necessary to control the activities of the traitors, the goondas and other anti-people elements, who were emboldened by the military camps in the villages. It was because of this depth of the mass discontent and upsurge that in the special and peculiar favorable conditions in Hyderabad state, the movement arose again in August 1947 and surged forward even after the bitter blows it had received earlier, when the Nizams refused to join the Indian Union,                                  

       The next few chapters deal with Armed resistance movement against Nizam and Razakars and the martyrdom of a few leading cadre, whose life and death reveal a specific characteristic feature of the Telangana people’s struggle, After independence, the Nizam declared that he would not merge with the Indian union but would remain independent (Azad  Hyderabad). The Indian National Congress was forced to launch a satyagraha struggle in Hyderabad state to bring pressure on the Nizan Nawab to accede to the Indian union. The anti-Razakar, anti-Nizam armed struggle developed in the Telangana area rapidly. This was a heroic saga of the Telangana people’s struggle, of the Telangana heroes and the Telangana martyrs. The regular guerrilla squads with there country weapons became the nuclei of the people’s armed forces that enabled people to destroy the governmental authority in village after village and establish people’s rule in about 3000 villages, to nearly one-third of the Telangana area where “Gram Raj” (village panch-people’s self-government) fighting committees were established. The Nizam’s officials, the hated landlords had to quit the villages, leaving the panch committees to carry on people’s administration. Not only vetti (beggar), illegal exactions, land evictions, usurious loans, torturing and dishonoring by corrupt officials and village oppressors were put an end to but waste lands and surplus lands of the landlords, to the extent of a million acres along with the necessary cattle and agricultural implements were distributed to the rural poor, fair wages for agricultural labourers were enforced and grain distributed. People used to say that for the first time in their lives, they could have two full meals a day. Regular guerrilla squads and village defence squads were organized, the Nizam police, army and the village oppressors were confined to big camps; only from there could they go to their forages during certain hours of the day. Even the enemy press had to admit that the Communists were cheekati doralu (kings at night) meaning thereby that it was the writ of the Communists that prevailed after darkness fell, while the landlords and the police ruled only during day time. The whole Nizam’s state and hit society were shaken to their roots. The movement was spreading to more and more areas, to the whole of Telangana and beyond. It was at this juncture that the Indian Government decided to intervene and send its own army on the plea of curbing Razakar violence on the people, making the Nizam accede to the Indian Union and with the main declared purpose of suppressing “Communist violence”.

                                                  

                                            Author gives a vivid picture of the Communist Party that came as the stalwart defender of toiler’s rights by leading their day-to-day struggles on urgent economic issues. The Communist Party stood against all injustices, inequality, and suppression of fundamental rights. In the social sector, it had fought the devil of untouchability. At the same time he does not hesitate to highlight certain reformist mistakes and politics and their failure in learning lessons from these mistakes. The innumerable illustrations of mass butchery by the government in order to save their exploiting regime, their money bags, their staunch supporters, the Zamindars and the landlords are so very touching and gives us a clear picture of the congress government that swooped down like a mad dog on the Communist Party in Andhra.

                                           In section II the author discusses the post independence era, the Indian army intervention and the role the Communist Party had to play at this juncture. By the middle of 1948, all the developments pointed to the possibility of the Indian government intervening in Hyderabad to force the Nizam to accede to the Indian Union and to suppress the speeding Telangana peasant movement.

                                           There were people for and against the continuation of the armed struggle. During this time the union government launched “police action” o September 13^th, 1948 on Hyderabad state. The people and the armed squads utilized the opportunity of the “police action” and attacked many Razakar and police camps, destroyed them and seized arms and other material. Hindu-Muslim unity sparked in the villages which may be considered as an important achievement of the Telangana movement. The Nizam surrendered to the Indian government, the government of India took over the administration, launched its massive offensive action against the people of Telangana, in districts of Nalgonda, Khammam, Warangal and neighboring areas to suppress and liquidate the people’s agrarian and democratic gains. The military regime under General J.N.Chowdhury launched its attacks on the people of Telangana campaign of suppression of Communists immediately, within a fortnight, by September end. The military started direct attacks on the squads and people. Party members who were caught were inhumanly beaten up and tortured right before the eyes of the people. Sadistic murders, being burnt or buried alive and butchering lead to loss of large number of leading cadre.

                                           A detailed and elaborate description of the situation in the Krishna and Godavari forest regions is given. The disastrous effects of dissolution of squads and organization of camps, actions of squads on police and military patrols and camps on hated landlords and their agents in these areas has been the main theme. During 1947-48 Andhra Mahasabha workers under the leadership of the Communist party organized themselves into guerilla squads and fought against the terrorism in Karimnagar and neighboring Talukas of Medak and Nizamabad districts. They were victorious but these victories of the people had to be won undergoing tremendous sufferings and sacrifices. The people’s upsurge enveloped all the sections resulting in many material benefits. The Union Government took every precaution to prevent the Telangana movement spreading into other districts. There was extensive malicious propaganda campaign against the Communists by the Congress government.

                                                    Movement was weak in the towns, both in the working classes and the middle classes. Yet the impact of the Telangana movement on them was so great. Repeated raids and torture enabled the party organization to break off all links to save itself from great disaster. On January 26^th, 1950 the Nehru government promoted the hated Nizam to the position of Raj Pramukh. Students struck and came out with black flags in demonstrations; workers went into a number of struggles on economic demands.

                                                        A list of a few demonstrations and barbarity of the police has been given which initiates a sense of patriotism and revolutionary feeling and also sympathy for the sufferers among the readers. The army rule intensified repression and perpetrated fascist atrocities but could not get any results. Eleven months of “Congress autocracy” in Hyderabad had torn to shreds, the “liberation mask” on its face, and revealed it as a ferocious dictatorship of the capitalist class maintained at the point of bayonets. Mid September 1948, people were in the streets celebrating their release from the Razakar terror. Hindu-Muslim tension maintained at the point of Razakar bayonets, disappeared. Women played an important role in the Telangana struggle. They actively participated in the land movement, in agriculture labour wage struggles and seizure of landlord’s grain. Their awakening to new social equality, to a new moral and cultural life, their stubborn fighting quality gives us a glimpse of that tremendous revolutionary spirit and energy that is smoldering in our economically and socially oppressed women folk.

                                                      The Telangana movement was called off within a few months, in October 1951. Brief sketches of some of the squad and party leaders who had laid down their lives in various districts of Telangana after the entry of the Indian army which  led to the withdrawal of struggle has been dealt with in detail. The sufferings were so severe that they lead the party leaders to quit from the struggle thereby weakening the movement. The stories of the squad who were forced to go underground are very touching and develop a sense of sympathy and empathy towards them.

                                                          Author does not hesitate to put forth the weaknesses prevailing in the party and also their failure to keep contact with and develop the militants and party members. The failure to develop a strong democratic student movement or even to develop the necessary deep contacts with the educated younger generations- the petty-bourgeois intelligentsia. Party should have understood the very uneven development of the revolutionary democratic movement in  the country, and the necessity of  adopting suitable tactics of concentration and developing the movement all round and all fronts, in key and important areas, first developing them as real political bases, which would set an example for other democratic forces to inspire and guide the course. He further throws light on the disparities creeping up among the party members and the lack of revolutionary vigilance in admitting members into the party, by just seeing certain initiatives and capabilities without seriously taking into consideration their past. He finally admits the lapses in the functioning of the party and the necessity to learn lessons and overcome these mistakes to strengthen the party, solve acute problems of organization, ideological development, defence of advanced movements and of developing movements in other areas and states.

                                                        The great merit of this book is its simplicity. It has the essential virtues of its genre in that it is written in a clear readable style. The writer presents a wide range of ethical, socio-economic and political perspectives. He has taken lot of pains to explain Telugus History - “First freedom struggle of Telangana-1940’s” and   economic reasons behind the Telangana cause. He has picked the more salient points of the struggle and dwelt upon them briefly but effectively. There is a sense of continuity or organic link between one incident and another. The incidents have been especially recreated for today’s youth with an eye on the dramatic element – the outcome is a collection of stories that help in reliving those momentous years and evoke memories of the hardships borne valiantly by these extraordinary men and women. There are too many minute details, many a repetitions, and some accounts appear to be exaggerated and appear unreal.

                                                         This is one of the best books which portrays the inside of Telangana. This book makes for an insightful read to know the struggle for telangana. Rich in content and critical in analysis, this is a recommended read for academics as well as lay students interested in understanding Indian society. It provides a wealth of detail and any account of the Telangana struggle is incomplete without reference to this authoritative work. It is the nostalgic reminiscences of legendaries who laid their lives for the betterment of the people of Telangana. It is an exciting piece of heroic, telangana history and an original parallel campaign of world communist movement. I suggest this book to all those who are interested in learning about Telangana movement and also for those non-Telangana friends who ask Why Telangana?

                                

About the Author:

                  Sri Putchalaapali Sundarayya (1 May 1913-19 May 1985) was a renowned national liberation fighter. He was one of the founders of the Communist movement in India and an indefatigable fighter for the rights of toiling masses of India. He led the glorious Telangana peasant armed struggle in the 1940’s against the despotic rule of Nizam of Hyderabad and liberated many from the shackles of servitude under vetti. He highlights the role of Communist party, its movement and the years in the forest fighting the Nizams and later on the Indian army.