MBS – What do you mean by ‘Andhra?’

These days some people from Telengana region are objecting to be called Andhras. And media has started using the word “Seemandhra” to indicate Coastal and Rayala Seema areas together. What is meaning of scope of Andhra? Is it shrinking day by day? Let us see.

Andhra and Telugu are synonymous. If anyone has any doubt, I will ask them to ponder over following points:

• Pothana called his Bhagavatham as Andhra Maha Bhagavatam, not Telengana Bhagavatam or something


• When Telugus in Telengana formed associations to fight Nizam, they formed “Andhra Maha Sabha”


• Dr. C.Narayana Reddi, (born in Karimnagar dist.) heads Andhra Saraswat Parishad situated in Hyderabad to spread Telugu in Telengana.

The word Andhra indicates all the Telugu people. Outside AP, all the residents refer to themselves as Andhras. That is why you have ‘Pravasandhra Samithis’. Not Pravasa Telengana Samithis or Pravasa Seema Samithis. 

All along all the Telugus were united in some or other way. In 2500 yrs., of recorded history, for less than 200 years (1770-1956) they were divided among British and Nizam.  That is why even our tastes are common. If a film flops, it flops in all the three regions. If a magazine sells well, it sells well thru out the state.

But because of administrative jargon, the world “Andhra” came to represent only certain parts of present A.P. Between 1953-56 coastal and Rayalaseema regions were called Andhra state. So in 1956 when AP is formed, employees from that state were called ‘Andhra’ while employees from erstwhile Nizam state were called ‘Telengana’.

• Just because a particular area is called that way for administrative convenience, it does not mean remaining people are not Andhras.


• In West Bengal, the word ‘bangalee’ refers to a person from East Bengal while person from west Bengal is called ‘ghoti’. But everyone calls himself ‘bangalee’ for outside world.


• Similarly, in Gujarat, ‘Gujarati’ refers to person from eastern part while western part people are called ‘Saurashtrians’. But all of them together say that they are ‘Gujaratis’.

Those in Telengana who refuse to be called as ‘Andhra’ have to notice these facts.

In 1969, the word ‘Andhra’ was much misused by Chenna Reddy and co. So when NTR came to power he tried to change the name of the state as “Telugu Nadu” to inculcate sense of unity.

MJ Akbar, the then editor of “The Telegraph”, Calcutta has criticized this move as “Balkanization” (splitting country on regional basis). I was residing in Calcutta those days and wrote a letter rebutting Akbar’s thesis, explaining the logic behind the change of name. After the letter was published, many of my non-Telugu friends were surprised at the limited usage of “Andhra” within AP. For them, all the Telugus are Andhras.

They would have been further surprised had they come to know that these days “Andhra” is used for only coastal area. This is the handiwork of media. Even in “Jai Andhra” movement days, Andhra meant Coastal + Rayalaseema.

These days, media is calling only coastal areas as “Andhra” and Rayalaseema as “Seema”. To indicate both the areas together they are using “Seemaandhra”. If you think media is uninitiated, listen to Mr. Parachuri, when he spoke on the occasion of Star nite for flood victims.

He said “A person has only two eyes. But our Telugu Talli has 3 eyes, namely – Andhra, Rayalaseema and Telengana!”

If this trend continues, I am afraid, ten years hence “Andhra” means only Krishna and Guntur districts!

MBS PRASAD
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Tags: Andhra, Telangana, Krishna, Guntur, Rayalseema, Gujarat, Akbar