Divided by states, united by education: Telugu students bond in DU

Ajay had come to Delhi all the way from Telangana with his family to enrol in BA History (Hons) at Sri Venkateswara College. However, he had to leave empty handed on Wednesday, after missing the cut-off by just one per cent.

With nowhere to go, his family seemed to be stranded. But they were helped by fellow aspirants from Andhra Pradesh, who provided them with accommodation, while Ajay and several other aspirants now await the second cut-offs.

An overwhelming majority of students at South Campus's prestigious Sri Venkateswara College comprises South Indians. Many aspirants, who flocked the college premises, said that this was the foremost reason for them choosing it over high-profile North Campus colleges.

Tarun Reddy, who had come with his friends from Andhra Pradesh, said: "Language is a big problem. Many of us face difficulty in speaking and understanding Hindi, and many people in this college understand our language. In fact, many professors are South Indians too."

Tarun was flanked by his friends from Telangana, who also seek admission. Their seniors, who belong to Andhra Pradesh, have no qualms about each others' identity.

"People think that because our states were at each others' throats for an independent Telangana, we would be rivals. But that is not the case. Everyone knew each other since school and we still remain friends," Tarun said.

Ajay Kumar, one of his friends, told Millennium Post that many students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana usually pursue the civil services and want to study in a college with no politics. "In North campus, there is a lot of politics. We want to stay away from that and concentrate on our studies," said Kumar.

Moreover, students who studied Modern Indian Languages (MIM) – like Telugu and Sanskrit – in school get a 5-10 per cent advantage at the college.

"Students who studied Telugu and Tamil get up to ten per cent advantage, as these languages are under the MIM category. Those who studied Sanskrit get up to 6 per cent relaxation," said Dr Venkata, an admission committee member from the college.