29 and Counting

As the clock struck midnight on August 15th, 1947, India awoke to freedom and independence.

As the clock struck midnight on December 9th, 2009, Telengana has received the same joy.

Or atleast so claim the supporters of the TRS camp.

A fast unto death, students marches, political mileage, police and paramilitary presence and media spots lights hovered over Hyderabad. A country watched as the volleys shot between the Southern State Capital and the national capital in the North. For 11 long days the two camps stared each other down. Finally the Centre blinked and cowed and gave in to the pressure they were under. Ill health of a statesman held the ruling combine of the world's largest democracy to ransom and brought them to his bedside with his wishes granted.

TRS Chief, K Chandrashekhara Rao, held court as the nation watched with bated breath, waiting and hoping that Andhra Pradesh would not suffer.

With the Centre cowing down to the pressure, an alarming preceedent of great future consequences has been set. Mahatma Gandhi began this saga of 'fast-unto-death' in his non violent battle with the British. His successors have continued in his footsteps, in their endeavour to realise their wishes.

But where was the non-violence? Supporters of KCR and TRS were seen exchanging stones and lathis with the police. Students marched down the streets of Hyderabad and tried to storm the seat of legislative power in a bid to voice their protests. Scenes of people being battered and stoned were played over television screens for a long time. People dodging lathis and trampling crowds were a common screenshot for days.

The method by which Telengana has come into existence (or atleast the promise of its existence) is a dangerous one. Already there are reports of Gurkhas wanting their own piece of land out of West Bengal. The refrain 'My people have been asking for their homeland for 102 years' seems is heard. 102 years? India as a sovereign secular nation with states and elections has been around for only 62 years. The 40 years before they were serving the Brits tea.

The Telengana cause may have its roots in righteousness but what will be the ground realities? Will the Telengana people get their voices heard and see development in their backyards? Or will it be a small princely state for TCR to rule over?

The precedent set by PC and Soniaji could produce quite a few lean politicians emerging from 10-15 days fasts (intravenously fed of course!) with their own patch of land and people to rule over. I wonder if Raj Thackeray will go on a fast to throw the non-Maharashtrians out of Mumbai! South Bombay..oops! Mumbai, will sure wear a deserted look.

Coming back to Andhra, what will happen to Hyderabad now? The State accounts for 18% of the IT exports from India, and the bulk of that coming from Hyderabad. Now if Hyderabad goes toTelengana, and in their rush to 'uplift' the local blood, what will happen to the imported man power that runs the said IT industry? Not to mention the pharma, construction and other industries that found a home in Hyderabad under the industry-friendly policies of Chandrababu Naidu. Reserving jobs in Telengana for the Teleganites, a la MNS, could have serious repercussions for the national outlook.

That brings me to the bigger issue of migration policies. International migration of Kerala blue and white collar workers to the Gulf in the early 90's saw a sudden surge of growth for the Middle East region. While this cannot be attributed solely to the industriousness and zeal of Malayalees and Indians, there was a definite contribution from this diaspora to the economic prosperity enjoyed there.

Its a similar situation in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. In the days when it was still Bombay, it was known as the land of opportunities. Everyone found a 6x5 bit of ground to rest their back after a long day of toil earning, for the first time ever, for some, a lot more than they could get by ploughing their family fields. Slowly these folks scrimped and saved enough to move up in the world, working, contributing and giving back to the very city that gave them a means to live. Yes, there was an explosion of slums, bad living conditions, harsh sights that were broadcast by international media as the true face of India. Was the growth inclusive? Did prosperity affect everyone to the same extent. No, certainly not!

But there was a marked improvement for many. So do we stop migrants from flooding the cities and larger towns because the effect is not uniformly golden?

Migration, according to the 2009 Human Development Report, benefits both host and parent communities. The quality of life and standards of living in both places improve with the contributions from the migrants. Migration does not naturally take away employment opportunities for the local population.

But will this mean the same for Telengana and what the fate of Hyderabad will be, only time will tell. Last heard a two year timeline is being proposed for the formation of the new State.