Raj Thackeray has vowed to go to any extreme to make the people residing in the state ‘eat, sleep and drink’ Marathi. However, renowned Marathi litterateurs and cultural activists say that the MNS way is flawed. They accept that there is a need to keep the language alive, but forcing it down the people’s throat is not the way to go about it.
I believe that every language keeps changing. For a language to survive, it has to take in more and more words. It has to evolve. Today’s Marathi has taken in lots of new words. We cannot expect to promote Marathi in its purest form. We also cannot insist that the people should speak just one language (Marathi). By doing so, we will prevent the language from growing. Politicising Marathi will not yield positive results. I doubt whether this rhetoric shown is actually for the love of the language, or for the love of votes.
Atul Kulkarni, actor
The new generation of Maharashtrians cannot speak Marathi. They take pride in saying they speak better English than Marathi. Mothers now like to be called mummy, rather than aai. This attitude needs to change. We need to give incentives to our children to speak only in Marathi. Also, we need to narrate children’s stories in Marathi. It will encourage the kids to speak the language. We can keep the language alive through active movements. There is no need to use force.
Saroja Bhate, Bhandarkar Oriental Inst, Pune
The pride of Marathi Manoos about his language is hollow. He feels shy to speak in his own language in front of a stranger. At the first sight of one, Maharashtrians living in cities start speaking in English or Hindi. Now, it is happening in the villages too. There is nothing wrong in leaders trying to promote the Marathi language. But first, the people should start using Marathi in public. Only when someone doesn’t understand the language, Hindi or English could be used.
Arun Sadhu, ex-editor, Free Press Journal
There are many ways of promoting a language, but the best way to let it grow is to read more and more books written in it. I cannot expect the uneducated and the poor to buy books. But the problem is with the rich people. They buy luxurious homes, decorate them, but they do not bother to buy books. Tell me how many rich Maharashtrians buy at least one Marathi book every year? Only when you buy a Marathi book, read it, and enjoy it, will you speak the language. The government should open book libraries and reading rooms.
Mangesh Padgaonkar, author and poet
