Adi-Andhra
Religions
LanguagesTelugu
Populated statesAndhra Pradesh • Telangana • Karnataka
EthnicityTelugus

Adi-Andhra is a Telugu caste found in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, primarily in the Coastal Andhra region. They are categorised as a Scheduled Caste by the Government of India.[1]

Adi-Andhra literally means 'the original people of Andhra'.[1][2] The Adi-Andhra group is a composite caste that consists of about 60% of Malas and 40% of Madigas, who belong to second and third generation of educated scheduled castes.[3][4] Many Adi-Andhras are engaged in modern occupations created by western education.[3] A small section of Adi-Andhra also lives in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.[4][5]

As per the 2001 census, Adi-Andhra constituted 9% of the total Scheduled Caste (SC) population of United Andhra Pradesh.[3] As per the 1981 census, Adi-Andhras had the highest literacy rate among the Dalit castes of Andhra Pradesh.[6] They are the most advanced group in terms of education and employment among the Scheduled Castes (SCs) in Andhra Pradesh.[6]

History

Bhagya Reddy Varma (originally Madari Bhagaiah), a Mala from Hyderabad state, was a pioneer of the Adi-Hindu movement in Andhra.[7]: 179–180   In November 1917, he was invited to preside over the 'First Andhra Panchama Mahajana Sabha' at Vijayawada. It was convened by Guduru Ramachandra Rao, a Brahmin social reformer from Krishna district.[8]: 159  In his presidential address, Bhagya Reddy remarked that the Depressed Classes were the original inhabitants of India and ought to be called Adi-Hindu, instead of Panchama. Consequently, the conference adopted the name of Adi-Andhra Mahajana Sabha.[7]: 179–180  [8]: 161 [9] It was very active in Andhra and met in several conferences.[10]

After the first Adi Andhra conference, the Adi identity gained popularity among Dalits.[8]: 163  The government accepted the nomenclature of Adi-Andhra vide order No. 617 on 25 March 1922.[11][7]: 71–72  Some of the educated Dalits and those who were part of the Adi movements adopted Adi identity, leaving behind their traditional caste names.[8]: 163  By the 1931 census, nearly a third of Malas and Madigas of Madras Presidency had given their identity as Adi-Andhra.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 K, Srinivasulu (September 2002). "Caste, Class and Social Articulation in Andhra Pradesh:Mapping Differential Regional Trajectories" (PDF). Overseas Development Institute, London: vi, 57.
  2. ↑ Berg, Dag-Erik (27 February 2020). Dynamics of Caste and Law: Dalits, Oppression and Constitutional Democracy in India: Dalits, Oppression and Constitutional Democracy in India. Cambridge University Press. pp. 103–104. ISBN 978-1-108-48987-4.
  3. 1 2 3 Jammanna, Akepogu; Sudhakar, Pasala (14 December 2016). Dalits' Struggle for Social Justice in Andhra Pradesh (1956-2008): From Relays to Vacuum Tubes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. p. 222. ISBN 978-1-4438-4496-3.
  4. 1 2 Singh, K. S. (1998). India's Communities. Oxford University Press. pp. 20–21. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2.
  5. ↑ Singh, K. S.; Halbar, B. G. (2003). Karnataka. Anthropological Survey of India. pp. 143–150. ISBN 978-81-85938-98-1.
  6. 1 2 Jammanna, Akepogu; Sudhakar, Pasala (14 December 2016). Dalits' Struggle for Social Justice in Andhra Pradesh (1956-2008): From Relays to Vacuum Tubes. Cambridge Scholars Publishing. pp. 213, 246. ISBN 978-1-4438-4496-3.
  7. 1 2 3 Kshīrasāgara, Rāmacandra (1994). Dalit Movement in India and Its Leaders, 1857-1956. M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 978-81-85880-43-3.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Gundimeda, Sambaiah (14 October 2015). Dalit Politics in Contemporary India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-38105-1.
  9. 1 2 Omvedt, Gail (2006). Dalit Visions: The Anti-caste Movement and the Construction of an Indian Identity. Orient Blackswan. pp. 36–37. ISBN 978-81-250-2895-6.
  10. ↑ Mallampalli, Chandra (31 July 2004). Christians and Public Life in Colonial South India, 1863-1937: Contending with Marginality. Routledge. p. 167. ISBN 978-1-134-35025-4.
  11. ↑ Venkatswamy, P. R. (2 February 2020). Our Struggle for Emancipation: The Dalit Movement in Hyderabad State, 1906-1953. Hyderabad Book Trust. p. 45.
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