Programmed Citizenship in Telangana
On June 2, 2014, workers in Hyderabad celebrated the creation of the 29th State in India. Chanting “Victory for Telangana” in ‘HITEC City,’ a neighborhood constructed through ‘special economic zones’ (SEZ) and ICT parks (Information and Communication Technologies), computer engineers of the association Engineers for a New State (ENS) wore the colors of the “Party for Telangana”. Following strikes and agitated protests, members of ENS enjoyed the official recognition of the new state. Born in Telangana, and anticipating the economic benefits promised by the new political entity in formation, these engineers projected that they would also enjoy a revitalization of Telangana culture promised by local politicians. Based on 19 months of fieldwork research between 2012 and 2019, the ethnography focuses on the observation of Hindu rituals named “State Festivals” — Bonalu and Bathukamma — as they act upon other mediatized activities supporting high-tech development (conferences and hackathons) in Hyderabad. These rituals propose a cultural cohesion legitimized by the new state and supporting the emergence of a regional identity — a process which reinforced the privileged position of ICT and the types of skills that are sought after by this industry. The article suggests that the renewal of these state rituals by these engineers is integrated into a set of sociotechnical strategies for an engaged citizenship. These strategies shape but also emerge from the construction of ICT infrastructures for the new Telangana state.