Are we taking our Marathi baana (pride) too far? a few weeks ago I reluctantly accompanied my friend who is a native of Kanpur to the MSRTC (ST) bus depot. He wanted to reserve a ticket for Nashik. Before I go further, I want to clarify that my friend is an educated MBA and a computer Engineer from a reputed institute and not the typical Paraprantiya (outsider) that one would associate with North Indians. Anyway, with his credentials in mind I didn’t know what the fuss was about and why was he asking me to come along? shouldn’t it be easy for any commoner to negotiate from the time-table, pay the exact fare and get his reservation done?! I realised how wrong I was in my logic.
On that rainy night when I reached the ticket window of the bus stand the problem was in full view. The time-table on the board was painted in the local language i.e Marathi and could make no sense to my colleague. The ticket vendor provided a small slip which had to be filled prior to reserving a seat. Ditto again! the questions were all in Marathi and no substitute language — typically English was provided for better understanding of the general populace especially from outside the state. Later he confessed about his earlier visit at the counter and the inability of the vendor to speak in proper Hindi when he asked him some doubts. I rebuked his theory instantly. Mumbaikars can and do speak chaste Hindi and we all know this. Isn’t it?
Of late we have gotten carried away with the language bit to such an extent that we have begun to overlook on the user-friendliness and its subsequent implications. For instance, many from the political circles have been demanding Marathi language license plates for cars registered in Maharashtra. What they don’t realise is the difficulty of comprehending the Devanagari script over the Roman typography in a typical hit-and-run scenario. We do not have a standard font and size specification anyway for the plates which should be on top of the agenda. A fresh demand has been made to the shopkeepers to switch to Marathi signboards before August 28 failing which…we all know the consequences. Some weeks ago the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation decided to carry out their administrative work only in Marathi. Soon those intellectuals like my friend who have come to seek employment in the flourishing corporate sector of Mumbai will be found groping for clues when it comes to carrying out bare necessary duties. A few questions begging for some answers – will the introduction of Marathi improve the life of the common man? for a city which is considered the Gateway to India, will it help the outsider/migrant to communicate fluently his/her wants and needs to the local administration? in our effort to win support for the marathi manoos (marathi man) and save the culture and the tradition are we compromising on the global character of the city?
Sadly Mumbai is no longer the friendly cosmopolitan city which it used to be – welcoming everybody irrespective of caste, creed or nationality. Our state leaders have lost the vision and have made this city a pariah. Long Live Mumbai!
