Ande Sri’s ‘Jaya Jaya hey Telangana’ to reverberate at Kartavya Path during the Republic Day parade
K Venkateshwarlu
The upcoming Republic Day parade in New Delhi will stand out for two reasons: one, Telangana’s tableau would be on display, mirroring the state’s unique customs, endowments and traditions, after a hiatus of three years; and, two, poet-lyricist Ande Sri’s ‘Jaya Jaya hey Telangana’, which had become the rallying cry and protest anthem during the Telangana statehood movement, will reverberate through the Kartavya Path, highlighting the essence of India’s 29th and newest state.
The right words, set to the right tunes, have the power to unite, inspire, and ignite change for which people hunger. This is where protest anthems come into play as a powerful tool for social transformation.
Ande Sri’s ‘Jaya Jaya Hey Telangana…Janani Jaya Kethanam’ had its moments of glory when the song struck a chord with the protagonists of Telangana movement, energizing them to wage their battle successfully without letting their emotional spirit flag. Even today the song can cause goose bumps, hard-core Telanganites aver.
This hair-raising song will be played during the Republic Day parade from Vijay Chowk to Karthvya Path in the national capital on January 26, it is learnt.
Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy has taken the initiative for this, it is understood. The Chief Minister chose this song for being played onboard the Telangana State’s tableau as a theme song, it is learnt.
When The Pioneer contacted Ande Yellanna (whose pen name is Ande Sri), in the context of the prospects of his song being featured during the Republic Parade, the unassuming poet responded enthusiastically, saying:
“A song that has been sung by four crore people for 20 years…
A song sung by three crore voices
A Telangana song of dawn
The song that awakened the
Telangana anthem
Jaya Jayahe Telangana song
Self-esteem music of four crore people
A rare honor for the people of Telangana”
Although the song had become the rally cry during the Telangana statehood movement, it was not officially adopted or proposed as the state song, though former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao had indicated before the formation of the state that the song by Ande Sri would be the state song upon formation of separate Telangana State. However, it did not happen. The song and its writer went into oblivion after the formation of Telangana State. The reasons are not far to seek. Ande Sri, once counted among aides of KCR, openly criticized the BRS government’s failures, with the gap between them widening with each verbal assault of the former. Eventually, Ande Sri joined those protagonists of Telangana movement who were noticeably kept aside by KCR.
Matters came to a head when then CM KCR clarified in the Assembly in March 2022 that Jaya Jaya he Telangana was not the state song. “The state song is not yet written. If the State song is written, then all of us can sing it,” Rao then said in response to BJP leader M Raghunandan Rao’s suggestion that the ‘Telangana state song’ should have been played after the Governor’s address in the Assembly.
Now, after a decade, the Congress government is giving Ande Sri’s song its due. The song is deeply etched in people’s minds, though hundreds of memorable songs with Telangana as the theme had been released to promote the Telangana movement.
