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Paper short abstract:

Through autoethnography, this paper discusses identity formation and aspirations among marginalized community students under the ‘Swaero’ Identity. The Telangana Social Welfare Residential Education Institution Society(TSWREIS) students and alumni identify themselves as the ‘swaeros.'.

Paper long abstract:

‘Swaero' has recently become an official English noun in the Oxford English-English-Telugu dictionary. It is defined as a fusion of SW (Social Welfare) and AERO (Sky is the limit), symbolizing the idea that students in social welfare schools have limitless potential. The term is used as an aspirational identity by students and alumni to combat the stigma tied to their traditional caste identities.

R.S. Praveen Kumar, who served as the Secretary of the Telangana Social Welfare Residential Education Institution Society from 2013 to 2021, coined 'Swaero.' The 'Swaero' movement represents a transformative pedagogy implemented in Telangana Residential schools. It has evolved into a powerful symbol for empowering Dalit and tribal students in Telangana Residential schools, aiming to break the stigma attached to their caste identities.

The author, a former student of these boarding schools (2005-2010), turned researcher (ethnographer) on the same schools after 13 years and Explores 'Swaero' through autoethnography. The first part looks into what 'Swaero' truly represents and whether government residential schools empower marginalized students or alienate them from their cultural roots and themselves. In the second part, the author delves into the aspirations and identities within tribal and Dalit social welfare schools, examining their dynamics influenced by neoliberalism. Drawing on lived experiences in the Telangana Tribal welfare school and being part of a tribal community in Telangana, the author provides insight into the changes within the school environment under the influence of neoliberalism.