Hyderabad: ‘Telangana Movement-State Formation’, a 500-page history book brought out by the Telugu Akademi to assist job aspirants appearing for the competitive exams of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) contains factual errors, according to historians T. Vivek and Capt. L. Panduranga Reddy.
While appreciating the government’s effort to prepare, print and circulate books on various subjects pertaining to TS after its formation, they said shoddy work in the book needed to be rectified.
The historians decided to write an open letter to the state government requesting it to step in and rectify the errors. The two historians said the book contained several “factual errors, infelicitous expressions, nebulous narrations and abundant obscurities”. For instance, it said Hyderabad comprised 17 districts, nine Nizam rulers, incorrect names of a few noted personalities, including Nizam VI, to name a few.
The historians said there were several grammatical errors too in the book.
Telugu Akademi director A. Satyanarayana Reddy said the entity was open to suggestions and inputs to bring out a better reprinted version of the book. English, history and political science professors and lecturers from OU, KU and a few other universities in the state contributed to its content.
Akademi research officer Dr M. Venkatesham said that it had consulted a few authors recently for a review of the book.
“We will collect views from other historians and noted personalities too. The Akademi is going to print 35,000 copies in the second edition and modifications will be incorporated wherever required in the new book,” he added.
Venkatesham said the Akademi came out with the book three months after the TSPSC was constituted.
“Job aspirants approached the Telugu Akademi pointing out to lack of literature pertaining to the Telangana statehood movement. The Akademi generally was into printing text books for the Intermediate, degree and B.Ed courses. But we took this as a challenge in the interests of the unemployed and brought out the book in a short span,” he said.
Errors pointed out by city historians in the book
- Page 64/Last paragraph/last line: divided the state of Nizam into 17 districts. It should be 16 districts; Khammam district was formed in 1953.
- Page 73/Paragraph 4/Line 1: The sixth Nizam is Mohd. Ali Khan(x). If this name is correct, who is Mahboob Ali Khan? Was he an imposter?
- Page 473/ Paragraph 2/ Line 1: “..the women were no less inferior to men and forward to walk the path of agitation”. Not understood.
- The book is priced at Rs 180 after 10% discount.
- Limited English literature detailing statehood agitations from 1969 till ’14. The book is most sought-after.
