Telugu a global language, has great history: President

President Ram Nath Kovind has surprised the gathering at the World Telugu Conference on the concluding day on Tuesday by speaking in Telugu saying “Desha Bhashalandu Telugu Lessa”. He said, “This is fifth Telugu conference being held in Hyderabad and I came here for the first time as the President”. He also said Telugu is a global language as it was being spoken by Telugus spread across the world.

Addressing the five-day World Telugu Conference (WTC) at LB Stadium along with Governor ESL Narasimhan and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and others, the President spoke on Telugu great history and about those contributed to flourish it. Kovind appreciated delegates came from 42 nations and other States to the event inaugurated by Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu, a proud Telugu man. “Telugu is the mostly spoken in India after Hindi”, Kovind said. History of Telugu culture and literature was as old as human civilization, he said and cited history that had the rulers, including Vijayanagara emperor Krishna Devaraya and many others contributed for the language to flourish. Kovind also said past Presidents Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Varahagiri Venkata Giri and Dr Rajendera Prasad and former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao are Telugu people.

The President stated the Telugu history in the two States saying that a 1000 years ago noted Nannayya Bhattaraka wrote Telugu, then Thikkanna, Sri Sri, Vattikota Alwar Swamy was a poet, Annamaycharya continued to the bedrock of Telugu culture with his poems, Chakali Ilamma a great woman, Bhagyareddy Verma, a social reformer, Pingali Venkaiah designer of Tricoour of the nation, Komaram Bheem fought for tribal rights, Alluri Sitharama Raju, who fought the British and Hyderabad merged into independent India in 1947.

“Telugu is a global language that can be heard and read and changes across the world and terminology and Indian diaspora, South Africa, in the US it is a public language with doctors, engineers, IT employees, Microsoft Chief Satya Nadella, a Telugu man.

Telugu is often called as the bridge between the North and South and Hyderabad too is a bridge for many cultures, place for metropolis, pharma, IT, educational institutions, health and cinema are a better pride for every Indian. Hyderabad is known for Biryani, badminton and Bahubali and others. Telangana is making rapid strides in industrial and other sectors, he noted. GES 2017 in Hyderabad has witnessed participation by many other nations. It is good to learn that WTC is conducted every year for two days in December. He recited the poem of Rayaprolu Subba Rao “Ye Deshamegina, Yendukadilina Pogadara Nee Jathi Nindu Gauravamu”.

Telugu Mahasabhalu every year: KCR

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao today announced conduct of World Telugu Conference for two days every year in December. Speaking at the WTC concluding ceremony before President Ramnath Kovind delivering his address at LB Stadium here, KCR said Telugu is a must in Telangana for everyone to study in the State and a statement for Telugu development will be announced in January. The Chief Minister stressed the need for protecting and spreading Telugu like never before with active participation of Telugu Diaspora, poets, literary lovers, writers and scholars and people. He said problems of Telugu pundits will be resolved soon.

Stating that as a degree student in 1974, he attended WTC in Nizam College Grounds, KCR expressed happiness that now the event has been conducted on a grand note. Telugu will be compulsory from Class I to XII in Telangana, he said. He extended thanks to Ramnath Kovind for attending the valedictory of the WTC in Hyderabad. (NSS)