Voice of the jobless youth in Telangana’s hinterland

Vivek Katju

Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs

ON November 27, I glimpsed new India’s courage and aspiration on the face of Karne Shireesha, the only woman candidate in Telangana’s Kollapur Assembly constituency. Shireesha, popularly known as Barrelakka, is only 26. She is a member of the Mala community, a Scheduled Caste, contesting as an Independent from a general constituency. She is poor and had to undertake crowdfunding to finance her nomination. Her campaign is also being funded by well-wishers.

She is a sensation on social media, politely spreading her message about the need for the youth to have opportunities for gainful employment and for the state to do more in the health sector. She is making the same points in her in-person interaction with her constituents. What is remarkable — in these times of no-holds-barred attacks on political rivals — is the absence of bitterness in her statements and speeches despite the slights and indignities she has had to endure in her young life. And, this courtesy has continued even after her younger brother was beaten up by a group of young men some days ago. That made her approach the Telangana High Court for police protection.

Barrelakka means ‘sister of buffaloes’ in Telugu. My Hyderabad friends tell me that in middle-class Telangana homes, children are warned to study, lest they end up tending to buffaloes! But Shireesha has made the word evocative; thereby hangs a tale. She completed her graduation but could not get a stable job. She began working in the catering business, but could not take insults she was subjected to and went back to her village. Two years ago, she persuaded her mother, who runs a village tea stall, to buy her four buffaloes to look after them. She then put out a video saying that degrees did not get jobs and there were no notifications for government jobs. Her buffaloes would give milk and enable her to make money. The video went viral, especially after it was shared by Congress MLA Seethakka.

In a video recorded after she had filed her nomination, Shireesha mentioned that she has two younger brothers and that her parents have separated. She spoke of the health issues of her mother and one of her brothers. She said she had studied in Kollapur up to graduation. Shireesha’s social media posts were already gaining attention, but her sheer audacity in contesting the election have made her more popular. She said she had decided to contest the elections after undergoing trauma over the criminal case registered against her. The police told her about the case but did not mention the charges. It seems that the case was filed because of her social media post that “it is better to look after buffaloes than seek jobs”.

Centre-Left activists have been greatly enthused by Shireesha. Many have gone to the constituency to work and manage her campaign. A visit to Kollapur revealed that a large number of voters had heard of her. In particular, women, especially younger ones, seem to be inspired by her, and some assert that she should be supported. Her message of becoming the voice of the unemployed youth in the Assembly is also resonating with sections of the young population. However, elections are not won by enthusiasm alone, nor by the work of outside activists. Shireesha’s organisational inadequacies are obvious and it is difficult to visualise that she will be able to overcome them, especially against the established political elements of the ruling or Opposition parties. The sitting MLA is from the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and belongs to the dominant Reddy caste. In a general constituency, caste, established influence and entrenched power are permanent political factors.

What, then, does Shireesha’s candidacy signify? Clearly, the attention she has got is the result of her social media posts that reflected the anguish and uncertainties of the educated youth, especially from the historically disadvantaged sections of society. Hyderabad has transformed into a vibrant city, serving as a hub for the software industry and the pharmaceutical sector. It stands as a symbol of modern India and the ongoing developmental processes in the country. In the Telangana countryside, away from Hyderabad, the poverty which is still present in some of the northern states is not visible. But the disparity between Hyderabad and the countryside is striking. What is noteworthy is that Shireesha represents the large number of young people who are being left behind in the development process. They are hankering for stable jobs and asking for basic amenities, which those who are able to take advantage of in the present system are taking for granted.

It is here that Shireesha’s transformation into Barrelakka the candidate becomes significant. For, far from being an individual, she has become a symbol. That is obvious from the attention she has attracted and the support she has got. A small group of pensioners from the state civil services, present at a wayside gathering she addressed, told this writer that they had come to show support so that more Shireeshas could emerge. Clearly, in the person of this gutsy young woman, at least some are witnessing the inadequacies of the developmental models pursued over the past three decades.

There is no doubt that the established political personalities of the area are unhappy at Shireesha’s candidacy. This is shown by some getting her father to badmouth her on social media. She has paid no attention to her father’s utterings, and it appears that it has not affected voters too. The beating up of her brother is another manifestation of the traditional use of force by the dominant castes, but Shireesha’s calm reaction seems to have only gained her greater sympathy.

On December 3, along with the rest of the country, I will avidly follow the results of the Assembly elections in five states, including Telangana, but my particular attention will be on the fate of Kollapur’s brave young woman, Barrelakka.

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