Telangana and Punnapra-Vayalar Struggles Remembered

A Convention  is being held on Telangana and Punnapra-Vayalar struggles, on October 26 (2.30 to 6.30pm) in Sahitya Academy Hall, Thrissur, Kerala. Speakers from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala are scheduled to speak there. It seeks to go beyond a ritual, by reflecting on the History, Significance and Lessons of both the struggles.

Thrissur Meet is being organized by a small group, Torch of Dialectics, of Thrissur. It had organized a similar meet on Quit India,in August, 2017.Its Key Note speech, is available at:

www.countercurrents.org/2018/08/quit-india-movement-some-aspects-of-history-and-lessons

Given below is a free translation of a Telugu song of the period of the historic and unique Telangana People’s Armed Sruggle (1946-51), that was declared as withdrawn by the then CPI leadership, this day, on  October 21, 1951. It was a struggle that stood up against 50000 army of new India of Nehru and Patel for three years before it was withdrawn.

Hundreds of such songs were written, or orally composed by unlettered fighters, and sung during the period, and scores of them were published in later decades and still remembered; some are sung even today.

 DV Rao (1917-84), the key leader of the struggle from its inception at village level (around 1940) to his becoming a Member of the Central Committee of the Party by 1950, wrote a classic book on it:

DV Rao’s last major work, The History of the People’s Armed Struggle of Telangana (1946-51) Volume-I, in Telugu, was published in 1988 July,  four years after his death. The Volume covered the period upto September 1948 Police Action. It was regarded as the most authentic, objective, meticulous and detailed history written by a participant-leader of the struggle. The book with an edition of  5000 copies running into some 680 pages was  sold out, only five  percent of it being through bookshops. It was reprinted in 2014 April, and again in 2015  February. The book, published by Proletarian Line Publications of Hyderabad

(for more :https://countercurrents.org/2016/07/veteran-communist-revolutionary-dv-rao-remembered

.telengana

Photo (by Sunil Jena) : Peasant Revolutionaries of Telangana 1946-51

 punnapra vayalar

Memorial of martyrs  of Punnapra-Vayalar uprising,1946,  located near Kalarcode, Alappuzha, Kerala.

The  song given below  seeks to present the goals and achievements of the struggle, and is significant for that reason. So it was used by DV Rao to begin his magnum opus.

Telangana’s  armed phase of the struggle commenced in 1946, also the year in Kerala when an armed revolt of the people took place in Punnapra-Vayalar region of Alapuzha Dt.

Telangana People’s Armed Struggle : A ballad

1

Lamps the Warriors of Nallagonda lit,

Buried the cruel Nizam and paved the way,

That glowed all four directions!

Oh!  Telangana!

Thy lion’s roar echoed everywhere!!

 

2

Plunder and slavery of bygone era

Setting the ambiton to drive them into oblivion

A paramount consideration

Thus stood as a united force

Oh!  Telangana!

Thou drove enemy hordes asunder

 

3

Toiling and moiling peasants and landless

Fought and won the right to land

An achievement worth emulation

Thou art a Model

Oh!  Telangana!

Entire Bharat lauds thy lead!

 

4

People’s blood suckers fattened arrogant

Groups of plunderers

Trembled and fled to Towns

To escape thy wrath!

Oh!  Telangana!

Shining and Thriving to eliminate enemies without a trace!

 

5

Fighting for liberation

The age-old slavery of sorts,

Telangana women folk

Roared with heroic courage!

Oh! Telangana!

Thou drove away enemy gangs

 

6

Unheard and unseen in the past

All Men and Women, won the right to vote

Founded village people’s Republics!

Oh! Telangana!

First to taste freedom from fiefdom

7

Oh!  Permeating

New life, New smile

Guarding the countryside;

Armed with thy own Arms,

Oh! Telangana!

Stood like a rocky mountain

 

8

To drive away

The ruthless rule of Nizam

Thou vowed sleepless days and nights

Blew the clarion battle call!

Oh! Telangana!

Set Revolution reverberating

 

9

Wealthy Congressmen’s deceitful drama

Making dirty compromise with Nizam, the Nazi!

Thou seen through

And woke up!

Oh! Telangana!

Did not waste anytime!

 

10

To foil and fail

The people’s Republics

Congress Armies joined the Feudals

And thou resisted them as a Mountain!

Oh! Telangana!

Thou shed blood, indeed!

 

11

Telangana’s valourous battle call

Spread far and wide

Called people of Bharath

To join the onward march!

Oh! Telangana!

Thou stood like the pole star of Revolution

The song was translated by veteran prof and working class leader Dr. K S Sharma

 

-*****-

That with deep color was the area that was original stronghold of the movement. Those in lighter color were areas where the guerilla movement expanded after Police Action of 1948 September.


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