Assistant Professors of 12 varsities offer Bonalu, pray for change of govt

Hyderabad: Scores of assistant professors, who are working on contract basis, from all the universities across Telangana state celebrated Bonalu at the Osmania University (OU) on Wednesday. They prayed to the deity for a ‘change’ of government.

The professors hoped that their jobs will be regularised as promised earlier by the state government. They, however, lamented that even after nine years the government had failed to fulfill its promise and said that now they were losing hope in this government.

The women assistant professors had prepared the Bonam and offered it to the deity at the Yellamma temple, in from of the Women’s Hostel on the campus.

Altogether 1,445 assistant professors of 12 universities, who were taken on contract, took part in the celebrations. They proposed introduction of budgeted and self-finance courses.

The Bonalu procession started from the OU Arts College and went on till the Yellamma Temple.

Tippani Radhika of Kakatiya University said that she prepared Bonam, Paramanna (rice sweet), Yellamma Gudalu (Telangana traditional millets),
believed to be a favourite of the deity and brought them from their university in Warangal. “We offered them to the deity along with clothes and bangles, and prayed to the goddess”, she added.

Dr Madhavi Bandarum, faculty of business management, OU, said “During the Telangana agitation we celebrated Bonalu with our colleagues at the same place and prayed to the deity for the formation of a new state, which we got. Now, we have prayed to the deity for a change and a new government should be elected”. She added “during the first Assembly elections in the state, regularisation of professors was in the poll manifesto, which this government failed to fulfill.”   

Dr P. Malathi, OU said, “Many of us are working for more than 10 years, some even for 15-20 years, still the government has shown no mercy on us.

Although we have presented our demands to the concerned minister several times no action was taken.”

Contract assistant professor Sravanthi Reddy said, “We were sure after 2014 that we will be taken into rolls, but nothing was done. To get pay hike we have to hit the road and stage a protest. For everything we have to protest, we are lecturers, our duty is to teach. Every time we give representation, the government says they are positive, but where is the result? By offering Bonam today we are sure, the change will happen.”

A. Sandhya of PG College, Secunderabad, said “Our plight has been put before the deity. We hope we will be taken into the rolls soon.”