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TracingtraditionalrootsofTelugussettledinTamilNaduTheHindu

Today'sPaperNATIONAL
Published:July8,201200:00IST|Updated:July8,201204:29IST

TracingtraditionalrootsofTelugussettledinTamilNadu
S.VijayKumar
Researcherusesfolknarrativestoplotthemapoftheirorigin

SagiliSudharani.Photo:K.Pichumani

TracingthetraditionalrootsofTeluguswhomigratedfromtheirhomelandcenturiesagoandsettledindifferentparts
ofTamilNaduhasbecomeapassionforSagiliSudharaniofHyderabad.
WhenherresearchonThefolknarrativeofdiasporicTeluguwomenofTamilNaducommencedin2008,Ms.
SudharanisguidePulikondaSubbacharyofDravidianUniversity,Kuppam,advisedhertotraveltoasmanydistrictsas
possibleandmeetTelugussettledthere.WhilefocusingonhowtheTelugusmanagedtopreservetheircultural
practices,Ms.Sudharanifoundthatamajorityofthemhadlittleknowledgeabouttheirrootsorrelatives.
Thefolknarrativeshadseveralcluesabouttheirorigin.Thestories/songswrittencenturiesagobytheirancestors
explainedthefeaturesofforests,mountains,riversandotherterrainstheytraversedwhilemigrating.Forinstance,the
folksongofafamilysettledinDindiguldistrictclearlyindicatesthattheyoriginatedfromKarnatakaandmigrated
duringtheVijayanagarempiretoreachDindigulviaAndhraPradesh,shesaid.
ThesurnameswerealsousefulintrackingthefamilyconnectionsinAndhraPradesh.TheTelugushaveunique
surnamesthatrefertoaparticulargroupoffamiliesorcommunity.Thesurnamesaremaintainedforgenerations.In
TamilNadu,themigrantTelugusareveryconservativeandmarriagesoutsidethecommunityarerestricted.Recently,
agirlagedabout16,wasmarriedtohermaternaluncleaged50becausetherewasnoothersuitablegroom.
ThoughtheTeluguscouldmanagetopreservetheirculturalpracticesandotherrituals,theirlanguagetookabeating.
OnlytheagedcanspeaksomeTelugunowtheirchildrenandgrandchildrenreplyonlyinTamil.Sinceschoolsinthe
StatehavemadeTamilacompulsorylanguage,thereisnotmuchscopeforthemigrantTelugupopulationscatteredin
differentdistrictstopreservetheirlanguage.About90percentofTeluguscannotspeakorwriteintheirmother
tongue.EventhosewhospeakusemanyTamilwords.
ThefolknarrativesthatsurfaceduringspecialoccasionshavesomeTeluguwordsthatarenotusedinmodern
literature.Somefamiliesusewordslikekonthi(kothi)formonkeyandandathi(adathi)forwomen.Iinteractedwith
hundredsofTelugufamiliessettledinover200villagesin16districts,Ms.Sudharanisaid.
InThanjavur,shesaidagroupofTelugussettledinSalyamangalam,ThenPerumalNallurandMelatturvillages
celebratedafestivaleveryyearontheVaisakhaPournamiday.HundredsoftheirrelativessettledacrossIndiaand
abroadcometothevillageonthatdaytoparticipateandperformineventslikeYakshaGanaPradarsanainwhich
skitsonTelugumythologicalstorieslikeBhakthaPrahhaladaareplayed.Suchoccasionsarealsousedtofixalliances.
EvenasherPh.D.iscomplete,Ms.SudharaniwantstocontinuehereffortstohelptheTelugussettledintheStateto
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TracingtraditionalrootsofTelugussettledinTamilNaduTheHindu

connectwiththeirrootsinAndhraPradesh.
SurnamesusefulintrackingfamilyconnectionsinAndhraPradesh,saysSagiliSudharani
About90p.c.ofTelugussettledinTamilNaducannotspeakorwriteintheirmothertongue
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rootsoftelugussettledintamilnadu/article3614947.ece
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