Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Mumbai this week to inaugurate Waves which was a summit which brought together top voices of media and entertainment from over 90 countries. Dan Bharti took charge as the new Mumbai police commissioner this week.
Maharashtra government releases its first report of 100 days
performance of the top ministries. Amid the opposition’s criticism that there was favoritism that was being played and the key issues of the state were neglected. The NCW summoned the CEO of Ulu app over a controversial show named house arrest hosted by Ajaz Khan.
Last month, the Maharashtra government made Hindi mandatory as the third language in primary schools across the state. There was a quick roll back after
retaliation by the pressure groups and regional political parties.
I have with me Lakshmi Kand Deshmuk who’s the chairperson of Maharashtra government appointed language consultation committee. When I have heard uh heard the news about imposing third language from primary first standard, it was a shock for me. There was no public demand when the state of Maharaj government published the state curriculum framework uh last year inviting the suggestion and objection from the public. In that document, there was no mention of third language to be introduced from the first standard.
after the government has rolled back its decision. It has said that it will not make this mandatory.
Now how does this battle pan out ahead? Because at that time when the government made it mandatory, you shot off a letter, you took a stance, you went against the government and you said that this is against the NEP. This is not something that the government is supposed to do. The government rolled back. What ahead. There is no rolling back from government. only this said that he will not impose will not make compulsory Hindi but third language remain we can offer other options of other Indian languages.
So basically our fight is again the introduction of third language they have initially said that we can introduce Hindi as a third language and they issued the government resolution government order. So our basic fight is against third language. A few days before that a string of videos went viral where locals said people refused to speak in Marathi or insulted the Maratis. Recently a children’s play Ajibai Zurat explored the complex idea of linguistic identity trying to make learning Marathi fun for the children. How can the younger generation be drawn to their mother tongue? Regarding this play, this idea came to my mind when I got to know two kind of news.
One was the absence and lack of Marati schools in our own Marati vicinities and second the increasing rate of uh screen addiction in the younger generation and also there is a very important conversation that there are so many bullies of Marati language. There are people who talk in their own rural accent and which have always been taunted for that. I always wanted to change that narrative through the pain because every language, every bully has its beauty and the newer generation, even the older generation should understand that no language is pure or no language is impure.
It is just the matter of perspective. The second thought behind is what we have always thought of Marathi language as a burden. people who don’t talk in Marathi they always feel that Marathi people either they are too proud about their language or many times they create a nuisance about it but I always felt that pressurizing outsiders about morati rather than we should encourage insiders about morati it’s very important that the language should bloom within us and it should create an impact in our minds it should make us believe that it’s a beautiful language it’s a legacy that we have to cherish and then slowly through the medium of love we would also encourage the outsiders to see Marati content amid this tussle over language we look at various stakeholders and what they feel so language never dies you know it’s far bigger than you or me or the politicians who are trying to uh you know take it lightly But I would at the same time would say that Marathi Manus or Maharashians they are very accommodative you know we we let everybody come you know we encourage them to be here and it’s a good thing I mean that is the you know big one of the biggest strengths of us when you say that you know we have seen over the last few weeks there has been a tussle in Maharashtra we have seen that M&S hit the streets and said that people will have to speak in Marathi otherwise there will be retaliation.
The fact that there comes a point in a society where there is holyism on the name of language but at the same time there are grievances among people that they feel that the language is ignored that the local culture is ignored willfully or otherwise. Do you have any sentiments about that? Of course, I do not ever favor or support any type of violence. But you tell me, is there any big politician or somebody who is in the you know uh who is in power or who has uh or us as uh you know normal Maharashians?
Do we come together? Do I go to my children you know my kids school or uh you know somewhere? Do I participate? Do I you know tell everybody that I will start my conversation in Marati? So what uh I I would to answer your question definitely there has there shouldn’t be any violence but parties like Shusena and M&S if they are supporting this cause why do you think that the state government which had announced compulsory Hindi from primary section has backed off and said that we will also give importance to Marathi and it it is not going anywhere.
Why do they feel the need to comfort us today?
Because there is there have been pressure groups. So unless the common citizens don’t come forward to form those uh pressure groups, I don’t think we have anybody to look up to. Have you felt a sense of intimidation ever because of the language or because of uh you know communities coming together? Have is there a sense that the Marathus is intermediate?
Definitely definitely Marati Manus is is intimidated and uh because Marathi Manus is as I told you earlier that we accept everybody around us that’s why we are shown we are told that you have less money you have less power that’s why see a language is not uh you can’t separate language from a community so do we define ourself with Marati yes but along with Marati All those parameters of being a marathi are you know it’s a there is a huge threat to our existence. Any real estate developer you know if you go to the site you know because they are not maratti they will they will have their own rules about the way we eat. So if like you know Swati will have some different diet or I may eat something else but we stay together in the same building. uh because both of us are bound by this language with this community. But do you think I cannot I cannot even think of moving to a you know a maybe a giant area will you be given a house in the first place?
You know even if you want to when you get a house does it begin from there because we have you know in the past few weeks or even before that we have heard of cases where people have come out and said that they’ve not been able to get houses they offering houses. Okay they they are telling us that okay you spend money you come to our society you buy a house but when you come to stay here who is going to run that society? People who will refuse to accept us. People who will refuse to accept our friends. People who will refuse our way of life. I think food choices. Food choices. I think it’s like uh you know if you if I want my daughter to eat an egg every day in the school canteen, she cannot eat that. Can go not my school. go to any school which is uh you know u not um I would say that which has ICE syllabuses or IB syllabus you know because those schools which charge a little higher fee they are all dominated by non-Marians I am at Hutat Mat a place which has been built in the memory of the 107 mires who sacrificed their lives for the cause of syuka maharashtra along with Mumbai. Now in this list of 107 martyrs which has been placed behind me, there aren’t just Marathi people. There is a Christian name in it. There is a Mr. Shade. There are a few other names as well. People who laid down their lives so that Mumbai and Maharashtra could come together and be unified as one state on linguistic basis.
But 65 years after the formation of Maharashtra, the linguistic debate has refused to die down. In the Mumbai metropolitan region, we spoke with the native population to understand their sentiments. Swati Pande on that on those lines if you could talk to us about your experiences because you know even when we were talking informally a while ago you said that there was a way in which there was a slight intimidation where you felt that there was a way of sidelining uh you know the Marathis around Mumbai and areas. Would you like to narrate any incidents to us? Yeah, I would like but um can I sleep in Marat? Of course, please do. Thank you. Generalize. for support. Do you think that Mari is being sidelined because of which we need to take these efforts? Is there a sentiment? Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Medium of language. English But the debate around languages continues as Maharashtra government continues to go ahead with the three language policy much against the national education policy say experts. So you know one the biggest questions is with respect to pedagogy and that is where uh, the language consultation committee under your chairpersonship has taken an objection. The other point is the fact that you know we we talked to several people in Mumbai in Maharashtra. In Mumbai as well there has been a sentiment that the Marathi Manus is being sidelined that Marathi culture is being sidelined that Marathi language is being sidelined at a time when the center says that classical language status has been given to Marathi language. Do you see this as a concern? Do you share this concern that you know some people have expressed that the native language itself is being sidelined by people who come from outside. Uh we are seeing it practically every day. uh there is a really great threat from the Hindi culture and Hindi language across the Maharashtra especially metro city like Mumbai Pune Nashik all I can say the Pune Nashik these are two cities which are marin city but now the language of communication in the practical communication practical things it become practically Hindi so Hindi people are coming here they don’t want to learn Hind Hindi and they try to impose their own culture and being a tolerant Marati people they are accepting because there is a pressure from central government I suppose I don’t know why they take this decision when there is no need to impose third language and basically Hindi language in Maharashtra they have taken so the domination of Hindi and subjugation of Marati language and culture The threat is very real because when Maharashtra was born with lot of fight in saying Maharashtra moment we have marted one more than 100 people give their life they become martyr for Marati language. So we thought to get our own state which is dominant and Marathi is our state language mother language. So uh imposition of any other language be Hindi or any other language is unnecessary. It hurt the sentiments of the Marathi people. So then what is ahead now? What lies ahead for you uh as the chairperson of the language consultation committee? Do we say that the battle is over or do we say that the battle is far from over? One last question. Has the chief minister responded? And if the chief minister doesn’t respond, what will be your next step of action? Not yet. There is no commission from government Maharashtra because I have sent them letter to CM through email and his principal secretary who look after all these things. I have also sent him those letters and request that please bring to notice under the chief minister and tell us what he intend to do. uh if government don’t listen and don’t listen to us uh there are large scale awareness now I have seen among the marati people for example maratara sahar which is also a litary organizations since last 50 60 years they adopted resolution last week only three four days back and they criticize government of Maharashtra for imposing Hindi and they also uh said in their that if government don’t hit to to their advisor their demand they will start agitation as you have seen we have spoken to Mumbaiers tried and understood tried and understand what their sentiments are when it comes to Marathi language the pride around their language what they feel about uh you know the overall progress of uh the languages we have seen how uh theater writers are also trying to further the because of uh embibing the love for language among Marathi population particularly among Marathi children and now you’ve heard from Lakshmi Deshmuk about how he is going to continue this battle in order to safeguard the future of children of Maharashtra particularly those who are studying in the primary sections and he claims that the decision taken by the Maharashtra government is not just in contravention to the national education policy but also will hamper the overall quality of education and when Mr. Lakshmi Deshmuk speaks of an agitation request the government to hold discussion with the expert panels in order to make sure that the future of our children is safe.
