CCSAP Report - Ministry of Home Affairs

7.15.14 While the Committee had neither sufficient time nor expertise to
moderate the debate on cultural differences and grievances, it can only reiterate
the SRCs advice that the Indian nation and Indian states must provide space for
the flowering of all cultures in all their richness and variety. AP state can make a
more concerted effort that cultures of various groups – not just of regions – are
given space to grow. One has, however, to guard against the possibility of
cultural hegemony translating into deliberate or systematic discrimination against
people; here the solution lies not in carving out newer units but in redistributing
power more equitably and generating economic and social well-being across
regions and social groups. The question of stereotyping and “being looked down
upon” or “made fun of” is not peculiar to Telangana – unfortunately such
stereotypes abound in all societies and are subject to change as the fortunes of
such groups and sections of society improve. The self-confidence has to come
from within and cannot be legislated or dictated by policy.
7.16 “Composite culture” of Telangana and Hyderabad
7.16.01 An argument being made for autonomy for Telangana is that the
“composite culture” of Hyderabad enveloped the whole of Telangana and cannot
be sustained in united Andhra Pradesh. The composite culture emerged from the
diversity of linguistic, ethnic, caste and religious groups settled in the region and
was epitomised in the city of Hyderabad. Although a large majority of the
population of the city has been Muslim from the Nizam period onwards, there are
long standing migrant populations of Tamils, Marwaris, Punjabis and others from
many other regions and communities of India, including Muslims of foreign
descent. Migrants from other regions of AP have also been coming to the city
and the Telangana region for a fairly long period (see chapter on Hyderabad).
Although the Telugu language predominates among the Hindu population of the
city and Muslims are largely confined to the old city, with their own sub-culture,
other languages and cultural forms of other communities also find acceptance in
the city. In the post 1970 period however, there was a large influx of migrants
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