Latest news with #Koya
New Indian Express
22-07-2025
- General
- New Indian Express
Moment of linguistic pride: Wedding invite in Koya
KHAMMAM: For the first time, a wedding invitation in the Koya language has been printed and distributed. The development is being seen not just as a wedding announcement but as a milestone for Telangana's tribal communities that has given a spoken identity a written form. The invitation celebrates the upcoming marriage of Kanna Raju from Palvanch village and Pune Lakshmi Sharanya from Jagadish Colony in Bhadrachalam, scheduled for August 3. Unlike past tribal ceremonies where Telugu served as the medium for written communication, this card is in Koya, a language spoken by nearly 16 lakh people across nine districts in the state. The invitation contains traditional Koya terms for each element of the wedding, from pandir muhurtham (auspicious wedding eve) and pelli muhurtham (main wedding ceremony) to ma sonta nar (our own people), kabur (feast) and karanganur iyal (ceremony venue). Carefully composed and printed using the Telugu script, which has been adopted for writing Koya, the invitation carries the full imprint of local customs, making it not only functional but also symbolic. At the top, a line reads, 'Wedding invitation in Koya language'. This quiet affirmation signals the beginning of a new chapter for a language long confined to oral tradition. The card was formally released on Monday by Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) project officer B Rahul at the ITDA office in Bhadrachalam. The date coincides with Koya Language Day. 'This is a welcome moment,' said Rahul. 'The availability of a script for the tribal mother tongue deserves praise.' He hailed the effort that had gone into transforming the spoken Koya language into a written one, in the initiative led by ITDA Bhadrachalam. Until recently, the lack of a standard script had kept Koya largely oral, with Telugu filling the gap for written needs.
The Hindu
21-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Koya tribals celebrate Gondi Language Day
The Koya tribals celebrated Gondi Language Day, observed on July 21, in their habitations currently facing displacement due to the Polavaram irrigation project in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Near Chintoor, the Koya tribal writers under the banner of Koitur Bata, a non-governmental organisation, marked the occassion by reciting poems and emphasised the importance of conserving the Koya language. Tribal writers Tellam Krishna and Ms. Bheemamma interacted with young Koya tribals and shared their journey in the field of literature. In Yetapaka Mandal on the Andhra Pradesh-Telangana border, teachers and youth under the banner of Adivasi Samkshema Parishad (ASP), led by treasurer Ummala Durga Reddi demanded the government teach the Koya language in government primary schools.
The Hindu
20-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Andhra Pradesh set to depute native language speakers for Koya, Muria tribes along Sabari, Godavari rivers
The Andhra Pradesh State Tribal Welfare Department has directed the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Chintoor, to appoint native language speakers in the selected government primary schools for teaching in the Koya language in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. At least 15 native language speakers will be deputed in 12 government primary schools along the stretch of river Sabari and Godavari rivers. In V.R. Puram Mandal, where river Sabari flows, six primary schools will get seven native language speakers. Another seven will be deployed in Yetapaka Mandal, where Godavari flows. One native speaker will be sent to Vegithota primary school in Chintoor Mandal. The Muria tribals, who migrated from Chhattisgarh State, will also benefit from the initiative as they speak Koya language. Recruitment In a communication, dated July 18, 2025, to the respective Mandal Education Officers respective, Chintoor ITDA Project Officer has directed them to recruit the native language speakers for the period of ten months with effect from July 2025. The native language speaker should be a local of the Gram Panchayat and aged between 21 and 50. The 12 schools selected for the deployment of native language speaker are Buruguwada, Chokkanapalle, Gurrampeta, Jediguppa, Koppalle, Nehru colony, Buruguvai, Pandurangapuram, Pattucheera, Tuniki Cheruvu, Vinayakpuram and Vegithota.
The Hindu
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Senior Maoist couple surrenders before Telangana's Rachakonda Police after 45 years underground
Two senior leaders of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), including the founding member of the party's cultural wing and a contemporary of revolutionary balladeer Gaddar, surrendered before the Rachakonda Police Commissioner on Thursday (July 17, 2025), marking a significant move away from decades of insurgent activity in Telangana and Chhattisgarh. The couple, identified as Mala Sanjeev alias Lengu Dada and Perugula Parvathi alias Bontala Parvathi or Deena, held key positions in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). Sanjeev, now 62, is originally from Yapral in Medchal–Malkajgiri district and served as a State Committee member and Secretariat member of Chaitanya Natya Manch (CNM), the cultural arm of the CPI (Maoist). His wife Parvathi, aged 50, from Vankeshwaram village in Nagarkurnool, held the rank of State Committee member and was part of CNM's Cultural Sub-Committee. The police said that their surrender was influenced by the Telangana government's rehabilitation policies and welfare schemes aimed at reintegrating former Maoists into civilian life. The couple expressed their desire to live peacefully with their families and give up the armed movement they were part of for over four decades. Rachakonda Police Commissioner, G. Sudheer Babu, described the surrender as 'a moral victory' for Telangana Police's sustained and inclusive approach towards counterinsurgency. 'Their decision reflects the growing confidence in our rehabilitation policy and the realisation that violence has no place in today's democratic society,' he said. Sanjeev's involvement with Maoist movement from 1980 Sanjeev's involvement with the Maoist movement began in 1980 through the Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the CPI (ML) People's War, led by Gummadi Vittal, also known as Gaddar. Between 1980 and 1986, Sanjeev played a crucial role in spreading the party's ideology through performances across 16 States alongside cultural figures like Dappu Ramesh and Divakar. He later joined the armed wing, working in multiple dalams across Telangana and was eventually promoted as State Committee Member in 2001. After being transferred to Chhattisgarh in 2003, he became the in-charge of CNM under DKSZC, where he remained active until his surrender. Parvathi entered Maoist ranks in 1992 Parvathi entered the Maoist ranks in 1992 and worked in several dalams in the Nallamala region and Visakhapatnam district before being posted to DKSZC in 2007. That same year, she married Sanjeev and continued to perform, compose and train Maoist cadres in Hindi, Telugu, and Koya languages. She was elevated to State Committee Member status in 2018. Both had previously survived exchanges of fire with security forces, Sanjeev in 2002 and 2005, and Parvathi in 2017. Rachakonda Police urged other underground Maoists from Telangana to follow suit and return to their native villages. 'We appeal to all those still underground to return and take part in rebuilding their communities. The door to peace and dignity is open,' said the Police Commissioner. The Police also warned of legal action against individuals operating under the guise of mass organisations with the intent to disrupt law and order. Citing a decline in Maoist recruitment and a shift in youth attitudes, authorities described Maoism as an outdated and failed ideology that has lost relevance in contemporary society. 'Lay down arms and leave the underground. Join the mainstream of public life,' the Commissioner said.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- The Hindu
Over 420 pregnant women shifted to hospitals as Sabari and Godavari Rivers rise in Chintoor Agency in ASR district
Over 420 pregnant women are being shifted to nearby government hospitals as a precautionary measure amid the rising Godavari flood in the Chintoor Agency area of Alluri Sitharama Raju district. However, officials of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Chintoor, are yet to begin full-scale relief operations as the water level has not yet reached the second warning mark at Bhadrachalam in neighbouring Telangana. The Chintoor Agency lies downstream of Bhadrachalam. Meanwhile, hundreds of Koya tribal families have begun constructing temporary huts along the banks of the Sabari river in the agency area, preparing to move into them if flood levels rise further. On Saturday, ITDA Project Officer Apoorva Bharat stated that relief camps have been finalised, and medical and health staff will be deployed in all hospitals, including Primary Health Centres. Mr. Bharat also inspected areas along the Sabari river, where the road connectivity between Chintoor and V.R. Puram has been disrupted at two points.
