Demands to change the name of their community to ‘Vamsharaj’ have fallen on deaf ears, say members of the Pitchiguntla community.

HYDERABAD: Having carried the stigma attached to the distorted name of their community for too long, Pitchiguntla Community asked Telangana Backward Castes Commission to list them as “Vamsharaj” and reclassify their caste category.
The community’s resentment stems from the fact that in common parlance, people often say “pichakuntla” in Telugu, which means “crazy or crazy.”

Categorized as “BC-A” (which includes nomadic, semi-nomadic and denotified tribes), the community members are seeking recognition and reintegration into what was previously known as the “Vamsharaj” community.
With the caste survey questionnaire labeling them as ‘Pitchiguntla/Vamsharaj’, community members feel offended when surveyors come knocking at their doors.
Call to change Pitchiguntla name ignored: community leaders
Demands to change the name of their community to ‘Vamsharaj’ have fallen on deaf ears, say members of the Pitchiguntla community.
Making a fresh effort, former Vamsharaj Community Welfare Association president O Narender said, “Referring to our community using the Telugu equivalent of weirdo is an insult. In 1995, we were recognized as a Vamsharaj community. But in 2008, the authorities reversed their decision. to call ourselves Pitchiguntla community. Our calls have always been ignored by successive governments.
A senior official said that renaming a community is not a complex process and it can be done through a notification published in the official gazette.
Narender added, “As per records, we are categorized as BC-A-18, but we are listed as BC-A-17 in the survey. Some communities in the BC-A category do not share our nomadic lifestyle. We demand the government must remove other people from our group, reclassify us with other nomadic, semi-nomadic and denotified communities.
AP BSP state coordinator and former director general of Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau J Purnachandra Rao lamented the poor representation of communities, especially in Telugu films. “The derogatory portrayal of communities and their portrayal in an indecent manner is a significant aspect of our popular culture, particularly in cinema.
We have seen references to the Pitchiguntla community in a derogatory manner in our films. The name of another community, ‘Uppara’, is often mocked by filmmakers. This trend dangerously normalizes hierarchical behavior,” he told TOI.
The Vamsharaj/Pitchiguntla community resides in the erstwhile districts of Khammam, Nalgonda, Karimnagar, Rangareddy, Medak and Warangal. With a population of a few lakh, most of them manage to make ends meet as laborers in building construction, others work as street vendors. Those who live in rural areas work as farm laborers.
Inukonda Thirumali, former professor of history at Delhi University and a member of the community, giving an overview of the historical evolution of the community, said, “The roots of our community date back to the 1800s and an era even anterior. »
He explained that the main source of income of the community used to be from reciting ‘Kula Puranams’ (texts on different castes) and retelling the stories of the village communities, which made them dependent on others for their livelihood. “During the British era, our traditional vocation ended, and we stopped being nomadic and settled in a few pockets. Unfortunately, the name of the community is misused, even by politicians,” a he declared to TOI.