Purists who were left aghast when the younger lot in the city turned their nose up at the mere mention of anything to do with Telugu, can finally.put their fears to rest On Telugu Day, which is celebrated today, the picture is anything but bleak. Telugu is cool again and young Hyderabadis are not just proud of their language but also patronise it. Tollywood movies are not ‘mass’ anymore. Telugu music, once scorned at, is now hep and all those whose spoke their heavily aglisised lingo only at their hometowns, now break into Telugu even in the hottest nightclubs.
“I remember those days when people scorned at Telugu. My sister was in college then, and no one in her large group of Reddy and Raju girls even pretended to know Telugu, leave alone speak the language,” says Dr J. Swathi Reddy, a young medico. Swathi points out that there is a clear shift in trend. “While in hostel, all the Telugu speaking students not only conversed in Telugu but we also taught the language to those in our group. We bonded over our language, much to the envy of those from other states.” In fact Telugu phrases like ‘Light teesko’, ‘antha ledu’, et al have crept into college lingo and are also used by non-Telugu speaking youngsters who have adopted the language as their own.
Madhushalini, one of the few Telugu speaking actresses in the industry says, “I think this condescending attitude towards Telugu developed in the younger generation because we were restricted from speaking in Telugu at school. Soon, it became “downmarket”. But that’s changing now.” Madhu confesses that the language is one unifying factor in an industry like Tollywood where talent is outsourced from all parts of the country. “It’s a language we think, speak and even dream in. Thankfully, new age T’wood movies have done their bit in making Telugu cool again.” Movies are not all. Telugu music too is the pulse of the public, says DJ Sharon who has been living in the city for 16 years. “There is an increasing demand for T’wood numbers especially at private parties. Soon, all the DJs in the city will have to be well versed in Telugu music.”
“I remember those days when people scorned at Telugu. My sister was in college then, and no one in her large group of Reddy and Raju girls even pretended to know Telugu, leave alone speak the language,” says Dr J. Swathi Reddy, a young medico. Swathi points out that there is a clear shift in trend. “While in hostel, all the Telugu speaking students not only conversed in Telugu but we also taught the language to those in our group. We bonded over our language, much to the envy of those from other states.” In fact Telugu phrases like ‘Light teesko’, ‘antha ledu’, et al have crept into college lingo and are also used by non-Telugu speaking youngsters who have adopted the language as their own.
Madhushalini, one of the few Telugu speaking actresses in the industry says, “I think this condescending attitude towards Telugu developed in the younger generation because we were restricted from speaking in Telugu at school. Soon, it became “downmarket”. But that’s changing now.” Madhu confesses that the language is one unifying factor in an industry like Tollywood where talent is outsourced from all parts of the country. “It’s a language we think, speak and even dream in. Thankfully, new age T’wood movies have done their bit in making Telugu cool again.” Movies are not all. Telugu music too is the pulse of the public, says DJ Sharon who has been living in the city for 16 years. “There is an increasing demand for T’wood numbers especially at private parties. Soon, all the DJs in the city will have to be well versed in Telugu music.”
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