In this precise moment when Hyderabad is economically expanding, the city is paralyzed by an internal political and social struggle that seeks to separate the state into two parts. Major technological, consulting, and non-profit entities have offices here, a testament to the city’s strategic, international importance. Simultaneous to this growth, the separatist activists, the Telangana supporters, claim that the part of Andhra Pradesh for which they seek statehood, has been economically stagnant because of unequal treatment by the government authorities. In order to make their point, they call for frequent city-wide strikes. For fear of violence, government functions and commercial activities are halted. Schools and colleges are forcibly shut, as parents and administrators are afraid of allowing students to travel.

When classes are cancelled and our students fall behind, I can’t have faith that a new state will bring about the unrealized growth its supporters claim, and is worth the intense political activity and wasted human capital that is a result of it. Right now, we are in the midst of a ‘Social Justice’ unit, which explains concepts of nonviolence, connects the ideologies of Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and forces students to reflect on civil disobedience and the issues that impel individuals to such action. As we discuss the immediacy that Gandhi felt in his hunger strikes, the students must think critically about K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), the chief leader of this Telangana movement, and his hunger strike, which ignited the recent unrest. While the overall movement relies on violent tactics, what does the specific example of KCR teach students learning about the Gandhian struggle for independence at this political moment? Does it become just another example of protest or does it maintain its importance in the history of civil disobedience? In order to facilitate Amartya Sen’s idea of ‘development as freedom,’ I think that members of a community must feel connected with one another, a sentiment destroyed with the regionalism of the Telangana struggle. As we continue our work with The Modern Story Project and the Telangana issue appears to have no immediate resolution, we face incredible challenges in teaching underprivileged students the value of action to promote social justice.