Rome was not built in day, will Telangana be?

????????????????

Another two day bandh called for the separation of Telangana state from Andhra, has crippled life in the city. Buses not plying, MMTS shut down and non-availability of our exotic friend, petrol, has disturbed routines and already cost businesses, big and small, alike. People have paid Rs. 100/- for a litre of petrol or paid more than thrice the usual fare to the auto-driver, who is willing to risk his vehicle and reach passengers to their destinations.

As usual, the political leaders we elect to be our representatives have shown no maturity, whatsoever, to handle this situation. Ironically, it is their decision making inability that has brought this day upon us. While MLAs threaten the government with resignation letters, the unelected and self-proclaimed voices of the people of Telangana, threaten rickshaw drivers and the common man from reporting to work and earning their bread for the day.

One of the main reasons, why students of the university have joined this agitation is the creation of a new state promises more jobs after their education. Not to mention, that the capital of the state will continue to be Hyderabad and will enjoy the prevailing infrastructure of the city, while the smaller Andhra would not only have to find a new city for a capital, but also start from scratch, thus, sending it a few decades behind with respect to development.

However, there are two things that the students seemed to have failed to consider. One, that say, even if, the new state is formed within the next year of so, where have they studied or given exams to actually pass their course. In such a scenario, what credibility does a student passing out in the next two years have? Also, why would any company employ a student passing out of these batches, when it is quite obvious that the students have probably not given the exams or even studied for the course?

The other, if the state is formed in the two years to come and a two- day bandh is called every week to protest against something or the else in this time period, how many companies will actually bother to continue their operations in the state. Is it not easier to move base to Bangalore, Chennai, Bhubaneshwar or the development expressway called Gujarat, for that matter, where they can complete 5 working days in peace? So if there are no companies, where are the jobs? Also, note that nobody ever said that the job opportunities in the new state would be better. If there are 2 million more construction worker jobs created to restore, Tank Bund, the Secretariat or probably even Charminar (people are mindless enough to attack that too), the whole point of the new state is moot.

Creation of a new state for better administration is good, but if the struggle is for the post of the CM and the means adopted are going to drive away current and prospective employers, then the new state will be no better than the ruins of Harappa. The protestors are, therefore, fighting history rather than the current administration, with their so called 'struggle'. The question, they need to answer is "If Rome was not built in a day, will Telangana be???"'

Post script in  2020:

It seems like a futile post in retrospect because the state of Telangana did come into existence and I have been a part of it since day 1. To be honest, I am quite happy that I have been in Telangana all these years. The city of Hyderabad has been very kind to me and has offered the solace and balance that other cities in the country have not been able to offer.

Telangana has been a secular state and one that seems more humane when you compare it to the communaly charged states of Uttar Pradesh or Karnataka.

Am I completely happy with Telangana though? Not really, there is always scope for improvement. For one, I would love if the state could lead the way in making the at least the city of Hyderabad more bike friendly, planted many more trees than it is doing under its flagship Haritha Haram schemes and provided better facilities to its poor.

I am not sure if promises made during the protest were really fulfilled, when the state was created but if one can create more opportunities for people to work and employ, then it is an effort that needs to be appreciated. For now, Telangana is doing that!