H’bad to host World Telugu Conference

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, December 10

A five-day World Telugu Conference, being hosted by the Telangana Government here from December 15, is expected to heal wounds inflicted by the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh over three years ago.

Being attended by over 8,000 delegates from all over India and abroad, the event will be the first occasion to bring together lovers of Telugu literature and heritage from the two Telugu States of AP and Telangana.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, himself a postgraduate in Telugu literature and lyricist, wants to utilise the occasion to remove bitterness and rancour that had marked the Telangana statehood movement and the subsequent bifurcation in June 2014. The alleged neglect of Teangana dialect, culture and traditions in the combined AP was one of the themes of the agitation spearheaded by Chandrasekhar Rao.

Rao has invited his AP counterpart N Chandrababu Naidu for the inaugural ceremony to be held at the Lal Bahadur Stadium in the city.

Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu will be the chief guest at the inaugural function while President Ram Nath Kovind will grace the valedictory function. The conference would focus on the contribution of Telangana in the enrichment of Telugu, one of the ancient languages of India.

The Chief Minister has earmarked Rs 50 crore for conducting the world meet that will be attended by around 200 delegates from 60 countries and 7,800 delegates from within India.

Telangana Cultural Department secretary Burra Venkatesham said the conference would be remembered not only for its grandeur and scale, but also for its role in promoting the Telugu language and heritage. “We want to cater to the needs of around 15 crore Telugu-speaking people in the world,” he said.