Telangana - People
Telangana is the 29th state of India, formed on the 2nd of June 2014. The state has an area of 1,12,077 Sq. Km. and has a population of 3,50,03,674. The Telangana region was part of the Hyderabad state from Sept 17th 1948 to Nov 1st 1956, until it was merged with Andhra state to form the Andhra Pradesh state. More than 90% of Telangana people speak the Telangana dialect of Telugu which is primarily Telugu with Urdu influences. About 11% of Telangana people speak Hyderabadi Urdu. Telugu is the major language spoken while Urdu is spoken by Muslims.
Telangana acquired its identity as the Telugu speaking region of the princely State of Hyderabad, ruled by Nizam of Hyderabad during the British Raj, joined the Union of India in 1948. The Hyderabad State was dissolved as part of the linguistic reorganization of States, and the Telugu speaking part of Hyderabad State, known as Telangana, was merged with former Andhra State to form Andhra Pradesh. Following a popular movement of separation, Telangana was awarded Statehood on 2nd June, 2014.
The growth of population will have considerable impact on economic development, particularly State like Telangana. It necessitates meticulous planning for requirement of food grains, housing, education, health and other infrastructure for leading better life. The people of the State are predominantly residing in rural areas with 61.12% and the rest 38.88% are residing in urban areas. The overall growth of total population during the decade 2001 and 2011 is 13.58%, whereas it was 18.77% in the preceding decade. The growth of the population in urban areas has been witnessing a significant increase and grew by 38.12% during the decade 2001 and 2011 as compared with 25.13% in the preceding decade. In sharp contrast, rural population in the State grew by a modest 2.13% as per the 2011 census. Out of the total urban population of the State, around 30% is residing in the capital city of Hyderabad alone.
'South of North and North of South,’ Telangana State has long been a meeting place for diverse languages and cultures. It is easily the best example for India’s composite culture, pluralism and inclusiveness. Located on the uplands of Deccan plateau, Telangana is the link between the North and South of India. It is thus no surprise that the region on the whole came to be known for its Ganga-Jamuna Tehzeeb and the capital Hyderabad as a ‘miniature India!’.
A person whose age is 7 years and above and is able to read and write with understanding in any one language is defined as literate. The literacy rate is the percentage of literates in the total population excluding 0-6 years. The literacy rate of the State as per 2011 census is 66.54%. Male literacy stands at 75.04% and female literacy at 57.99%. There is a huge gap in literacy of urban areas when compared to rural area literacy. Literacy in Hyderabad district is highest with 83.25% and Mahabubnagar district lowest with 55.04%.
Geography, Polity and Economy of the region determined the culture of Telangana. Satavahanas, the earliest known rulers of the region sowed the seeds of independent and self-sufficient village economy, the relics of which can be felt even today. In the medieval times, the Kakatiya dynasty's rule, between the 11th and 14th centuries with Warangal as their capital, and subsequently the Qutub Shahis and Asafjahis, who ruled the Hyderabad state defined the culture of the region.
One of the important characteristics of demography of population is sex composition or sex ratio. The sex ratio is defined as the number of females per 1,000 males in the population. This ratio for the State is 988 according to 2011 Census. One distinguishing feature is that the sex ratio in the districts of Nizamabad, Adilabad, Karimnagar and Khammam is more than 1,000. The sex ratio has shown an increasing trend in the State from 967 in 1991 to 971 in 2001 and further to 988 in 2011.
Despite having a favorable sex ratio of the total population, the sex ratio of children in the age group of 0-6 years has declined from 957 in 2001 to 932 in 2011. The sex ratio of the SC population at 1,008 in 2011 is much higher than the State average of 988 in all districts, except Rangareddy, Hyderabad and Mahabubnagar districts. The sex ratio of ST population at 977 in 2011 is marginally lower than the State average of 988, but it is higher in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Khammam districts.
The density of population is defined, in general, as average number of persons residing per square kilometer of area. The density of population in the State ranges from 170 to 18,172 per square kilometer. Adilabad district has the lowest density of 170 per sq. kilometer, whereas Hyderabad district has the highest density of 18,172 per sq. kilometer. The districts of Adilabad, Khammam and Mahabubnagar have lower density of population with 170, 197 and 220 per sq. kilometer respectively, compared to the State average of 312 per sq. kilometer.
The population of the State consists of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and others. Out of the total population of the State, scheduled castes constitute 15.45% and the scheduled tribes constitute 9.08%. There has been a significant increase in scheduled tribes population from 2.81% in 1961 to 8.19% in 1981 and further to 9.08% in 2011.
The Lambadas are the major dominant tribal group inhabiting through the Telangana State. They are also known as Banjara. Their population according to 2011 census is 20,46,117. The Koyas are mainly inhabiting the hilly areas of Khammam and Warangal districts and are sparsely found in Adilabad and Karimnagar districts. Their population as per 2011 Census is 4,86,391. Gonds are one of the dominant tribal groups found in Adilabad District. The Naikpod is mentioned along with Raj Gonds in the approved list of STs. But in tribal areas of Adilabad District, Naikpod is a separate tribe. Population of Gonds including Naikpods in Telangana as per 2011 census is 2,97,846.
Yerukala tribe is also found throughout Telangana State. They call themselves ‘Kurru’. They are called ‘Yerukula’ after their women’s traditional profession of fortune telling ((Eruka chepputa. Their population according to 2011 census is 1,44,128. Pardhans are inhabiting the tribal areas of Adilabad district. They are traditional bards to Gonds and recite mythologies, folk tales and songs of their gods and goddesses at various festivals, ceremonies and fairs for which service they are paid in cash or kind. Their population according to 2011 census is 24,776.
The Hindu festivals like Ugadi, Srirama Navami, Bonalu, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Dasara, Deepavali, Sankranti, Holi, Mahashivaratri are celebrated with pomp, gaiety and devotion. Dasara is the main festival with the epithet ‘pedda panduga.’ Bathukamma, a part of Dasara festivities, is unique to Telangana. This colourful festival has historic, ecological, societal and religious significance. Women clad in glittering costumes and jewellery carry beautifully stacked Bathukammas with flowers like Tangedu, Gunugu, Chamanti and others to the village or street’s meeting point.
Majority of the Christians are counted in the Andhra region. In 1971 census, out of 18.23 lakh, only 3.36 lakh were counted in the Telangana part of the undivided state. However, the story of growth of Christians in both these parts tells quite a different story. The share of Christians has continued to decline in Andhra but began rising in Telangana since 1991. Since then, it almost doubled, from 2.79 to 4.47 lakh. Of the 18.2 lakh Christians in 1971, 14.9 lakh were in the Andhra component of the state, where they formed 5.4 percent of the population. Only 3.4 lakh were in the Telangana part, where they had a much lower share of 2.1 percent.
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