Hyderabad, May 1 -- The working class in the country has celebrated May 1, Labour Day, with discontent, hoping for a better tomorrow. While the political parties and left organisations held high-pitched meetings on how the rights of the workers have been violated by successive governments, the story of a Dalit assistant professor sheds light on the plight of PhD holders being reduced to 'adda coolies' (workers picked up from labour addas on roads) in the two Telugu states.

Dr Swaroop, 40, a native of Vijayawada, had earned his doctorate in political science from the University of Hyderabad in 2022. After a year-long stint as a guest faculty, he applied for the position of an assistant professor in Mohan Babu University, Tirupati, in its ...