Where was your dharma then?

It is a common practice during the hunt that some men are used to create noise and push the prey towards a specific direction. The animal is taken towards a spot where it can be hunted be easily. The tamasha of returning awards, which the recipients got during earlier regimes, brings to memory the same practice. The self-styled authors and artists are crying hoarse in unison so that noise is created, government is forced to go in a particular direction and then it would be easier to hunt it down.

Those who are taking out their awards from the cupboards so that they could be returned claim that the freedom of expression is been curtailed in the country and the Fascist ideology is on the rise. Had they any iota of truth in their claim, one would have heed them seriously. However, the truth is otherwise. The questions are being raised on the hypocrisy of those who are shouting from their rooftops and these questions are being raised by none others than the one-time victims of their six-decade long hegemony.

“The same people who are raising voice for freedom of expression today controlled the fields of intellectual discussion and education. They had the monopoly. They made it their mission to trample any other thought than theirs. Where was their concern for the freedom of expression then,” asked noted Kannada writer S. L. Bhayrappa in Pune recently. Do the champions of free speech have any answer to this question?

Bhayrappa is not just another writer. He is among the pinnacles of the modern Kannada literature. His novels have established records in terms of popularity, sale and the appreciation of the critics, not only in Kannada but also in Indian literature. Every type of dirty trick was used to keep any government recognition or award from him.

Patil Puttappa is a noted Kannada writer and journalist. When Bhayrappa was sidelined and Dr. Chandrashekhar Kambar was awarded the Jnanpith Award four years ago, he openly said that a “big lobby was behind the selection of the awardee”.

Another noted writer Girish Karnad had come to Pune three years ago when he was asked a question about Bhayrappa. At that time, he had said, “Bhayrappa writes well, but he was swayed by Hindutva”. Thus, it doesn't matter what or how the author has wRritten, the only important point was that which ideology he followed.

This is why it assumes extra edge when Bhayrappa says that he was the victim of the suppression of free speech by the Leftists and they had no right to speak about of the freedom of expression. No more elaboration is needed about the inherent motives of the pre-planned outrage of the Leftists.

This was not the first sledgehammering on the one-sided love for freedom of expression of the Leftists. One such voice had come forward last month even before this bout of coordinated campaign of returning the awards started.

That was the voice of Prof. Sheshrao More. Prof. More is known for his extraordinary research on contemporary issues and mainly for his books on Veer Sawarkar which seek to change established conventions of the great freedom fighter and thinker. Besides them, he has written books on Kashmir, revolt of 1857 (which he says was a jihad and corroborates it with proofs) and the partition of India. Such is his exquisite detailing and solid writing, that a challenge was put at the time of third book that if anybody comes forward to refute claims in this book, another book on it would be published.

But alas, Prof. More refuses to portray Nehru as hero and Leftists as prophets of progressive thoughts, hence he was almost ostracized by the intellectuals in Maharashtra. However, last month, he was the President of the Vishwa Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held in Andaman and he fired first salvo on the hypocrisy of the seculars.

While attacking the self-styled progressives, he coined a term the Terrorism of Progressives which created a flutter in the progressive camp. Then either Prog. More was overlooked or he was termed a Hinduist. However, Prof. More was saying the same thing what Bhayrappa said recently and that many in the past said - the Leftists' love for freedom of expression was not absolute. It comes to fore only when their voice becomes feeble.

As for Maharashtra, there is another famous example in the form of late P. B. Bhave. Considered one of the four pioneers of the new age short story in Marathi, Bhave never received the acclaim he deserved mainly because he was a Hinduist writer, proud follower of Veer Sawarkar. What is more, when he was the president of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan in 1977, the literary meet itself was thwarted. None of the artist or author fel free speech having been curtailed then. It was only since last year, when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, that they felt country was filled with the atmosphere of hatred.

This is very reminiscient of the Karna, who invoked the Dharma, when the wheel of his chariot got damaged. The question which Krishna and Arjun put before him then can be put today to the Leftists, Socialists and the self-styled intellectuals - Where was your dharma then?

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Why Raj Thackeray still rules the audience

After tasting two consecutive defeats in the parliamentary and assembly elections in Maharashtra, the political pundits and public in general, thought that Raj Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) was doomed and his political career is finished. With no presence in either house of parliament and but nominal presence in state legislature - MNS has just one member in state assembly - Raj's clout was nowhere to be seen. Even the numerous corporators elected on his party tickets failed to put up any show of performance earning a scorn from public as much as from Raj himself. Thus the railway engine - the election symbol of MNS- was on the downward path. The famed and feared oratory of perpetually angry Raj was but a shadow of its theatrical version seen mere five years ago.

However, even today, when Thackeray's bête noir Shiv Sena is accommodated itself in the roles of partner in power as also the player in politics and state's politics fragmented beyond repair, Raj rules the public mind.

The fact came to fore on Tuesday, June 10, when Raj attended a function to confer Sant Namdev National Award to Prakash Singh Badal, Chief Minister of Punjab. The award was given by Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra and the award was given by Sarhad, an NGO based in Pune. Raj was the Chief Guest at the function. When his name was announced, there was a loud cheer from the audience - a mixed bag of Maharashtrians and Sikh citizens.

He started his speech by addressing 'all Marathi people' and in the same breath added that he deemed Sikhs as Marathi people. There was a loud clapping which was hardly surprising.

Then true to his fame for wit and punches, he quipped that Badal (cloud) had come in Maharashtra on the eve of monsoon so that there may be rain. Every one in the auditorium applauded the nice words of play and novel way of welcome. Even Badal seemed to be curious ad he was seen asking Fadnavis a translation of the humor.

Taking a cue from Sarhad's Sanjay Nahar, Raj then went on to say that Sant Namdev bound Maharashtra and Punjab's cultures in one thread and only a tailor could do this. This was an hitherto unnoticed and unused observation which pointed to the Sant Namdev's caste (Shimpi). Had the public not responded with applause and appreciation, they would be blamed. But the praise was well received and hall resonated with cheers. Even the Sikhs who knew Marathi put their seal of appreciation on the quirky description of the great work this 13th century saint did. Clearly he stole the show. Even Fadnavis borrowed his words to express his feelings.

Raj, like his cousin Uddhav and uncle Bal Thackeray, is adept at capturing the mood of the masses and regaling them to his advantage. He may have lost elections but he has not lost his charms and talent. That is the promise for the time for his partymen.

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Chimanrao for this generation

It has been over a century since C. V. Joshi created the most famous literary character of Maharashtra – Chimanrao. This quintessential middle-class clerk is to the Maharashtra what Feluda is to the Bengal and Swamy is to the Karnataka – though their genres are a distant apart. Chimanrao, a common man serving under the British masters and running the household as thousands of his generation did, is always the butt of the jokes and precarious situations because of his innocence and misplaced priorities. However, it brings out the deficiencies and righteousness imbibed in every educated and civil citizen which remain unmanifest because of want of situation.

In the era of Facebook and WhatsAap, where the innocence gives way to the utilitarianism and pragmatism, the humorous idealism and dreamy naiveté have become a thing of the past. It seemed buried under a layer of forgetfulness.

Sandook, the movie released on June 5, has scratched this layer if not unearthed it and brought back those lovable features and guiltless nastiness on the scene. As I write this, the movie is about to complete its first week and going by the response it is receiving, it seems to make a good stay at the multiplexes.

Sandook is the story of Wamanrao Ashtaputre, a gullible and chronic daydreamer, living with his wife and about-to-become teen son. The movie relies on a plot rooted in the British era, the 1940s, and exploits the ironies, idiosyncrasy and discomfiture of the protagonist to the hilt. It is amply supplemented with the dose of mystery but that part of the film has not come out as strongly as the comical situation have.

Wamanrao's is a lineage of the illustrious men who have registered valor and bravery during the respective periods of Wamanrao's ancestors. As is the way of the Maharashtrians, Wamanrao is too fond of the history and is deeply into eulogizing the glory of his ancestors even to the point of worship. How he nurtures an ambition to join the league of brave hearts, occupied in no small measure by his ancestors, forms the plot of the movie.

Sumit Raghvan is one of the shining stars of the galaxy of non-Maharashtrians who have enriched the Marathi movie and drama world. This is his first Marathi movie but with his acting prowess, he has adeptly illumined this crisply-written and well-executed movie. He is superbly supported by a big star cast including Sharad Ponkshe, Bhargavi Chirmule and Arun Nalawade. The language, the manners and the ambiance takes you to the typical Maharashtrian home of past. The chemistry between Raghvan and Chirmule is amazing.

Their skirmishes of the husband-wife duo as also Wamanrao's frequent misadventures are the stuff what one calls the clean comedy. It is bereft of any slapstick mannerisms or dual-meaning words. The scenes and dialogues are canned in a manner befitting the life a non-descript person who makes fool of himself in an attempt to write a glaring chapter in the history. True to the spirit of the script, Raghvan brings out the suppressed desire of doing something manly and at the goose-like nature of the protagonist. His expressions and dialogue delivery speak volumes about his experience as a stage artist. One wishes to see this multi-talented artist more on Marathi screen in the future also.

Thankfully, the movie has only two songs and they have come out well.

The entire characterization of Wamanrao, portrayed by Raghvan, is in the line of Charlie Chaplin. It is also reminiscent of the Chimanrao and especially his verbal duals with Shyamrao (Sharad Ponkshe) remind of the duals between Chimanrao and Gundyabhau.

There are some discrepancies but they do not obstruct the enjoyment. For example, any married man in 1940s did not have just one son in the family as also the over-friendliness in the father-son duo are also not from that period.

All in all, Sandook is a must watch movie for all Marathi movie aficionados.

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Marathi Literary Meet in Punjab Creates Buzz

The 88th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (literary meet) is to take place next month at Ghuman, Punjab. The choice of location has aroused quite an amount of curiosity. This is the first time that the annual meet is taking place in such a far away place. Everybody is anxious to know what happens to this mega event in a land where Marathi speaking population is scarcely available.

Organizing the literary meet out of Maharashtra is not a new development. This has happened earlier also and the Sammelans at Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Belgaum (Karnataka) or Vadodara (Gujarat) in the past have left their mark in cultural life of Marathi speaking populace. One meet was held even in New Delhi. Actually, the demand for United Maharashtra, a separate state for Marathi people, was made in such a meet at Belgaum. Still, the meet, which will take place in first week of April, has created a sort of buzz in Maharashtra.

Ghuman is situated in Punjab but its claim to fame is the samadhi- the memorial - of Sant Namdev, the 13th century saint poet who went to Punjab and spread the message of Bhagavat Dharma. Even though venerated by Punjab's population for almost nine centuries, it was almost forgotten place for Maharashtrians.

The initiative to hold this meet at Ghuman came from Sarhad, an NGO from Pune and its head Sanjay Nahar. When Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad, the organizing body for the meet, finalized this location as the next meet, everyone was puzzled. How will a meet, focused on Marathi language, be successful in a land where Marathi was not spoken for centuries and is not spoken even now.

However, the sarpanch and other functionaries from the village in Punjab visited Pune more than once and assured their full cooperation. Their gestures have shown a renewed cordiality which has made everyone yearn to go that land.

However, there is some roadblocks in the way. The Marathi publishers have decided to boycott the event saying that nobody would buy their books in Punjab where hardly anybody knows Marathi language. This threatens to be a major headache as large chunk of Sammelan’s revenue comes from the fees collected from the publishers to set up their stalls.

Nevertheless, Marathi literary meet has an extraordinary place in the cultural arena of Maharashtra.

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After Tendulkar, Paresh Rawal Want to Shoot Politicians

Noted film and theatre actor Paresh Rawal created storm in Pune saying that he sometimes wants to become naxalite and criticized the politicians as very substandard people.

Rawal was felicitated in the city on Monday with ‘Pu La Sanman’. After the ceremony, he vented his ire through an open interview. When asked what does he think about today politics, he minced no words in venting his anger.

“What should I say? They are very third-rate people, mean creatures with no morality. After watching corruption around me, I sometimes want to join naxalites and shoot them all. I sometimes think why no revolution takes place in our country,” he said.

He added, “People like us who have money feel the hardships. What must the common people be feeling,” he said.

This reminds of the statement made by late theatre legend Vijay Tendulkar, who created a storm about eight years ago when he said that he wanted to shoot Narendra Modi. “If I had a pistol, I would have shot Narendra Modi,” he said during one of his famous interviews.

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Professor of English Sues Publisher For Infringing Copyright

A former reader of Goa University, who is settled in the city, has filed lawsuits against two publishers and claimed Rs 25 lakh each in damages over copyright infringement after he allegedly found books written by him being sold without his permission at high prices.


Prof Anand Patil, former head of the English Department, Goa University, claims that he has not received the royalty amount for his books Western Influence on Marathi Drama published by Rajhauns Vitaran, 1993 and The Whirligig of Taste: Essays in Comparative Literature published by Creative Books, New Delhi.

He said that the academic books are also available online. Patil has also filed cases against Google Books and Amazon.com.

Patil, a resident of Dahanukar Colony, learnt about the piracy last month from his US-based daughter who told him that his books were available on Amazon.com.

“Western Influence on Marathi Drama was based on my thesis on which I had worked for 12 years. When I found that it was sold online for about Rs 4,000, I was shocked,” Patil said adding that after browsing further he found The Whirligig of Taste: Essays in Comparative Literature was also on sale.

“Both of these publishers did not pay a single penny. When I demanded an explanation, one of them denied having published the book. Rajhauns Vitaran has offered me a cheque of Rs 10,000 but my counsel advised me against encashing it,” he said.

“Since there is no authoritative work available in English on Maharashtra’s language, culture and traditions, my books are sought by researchers. My essay is included in Cambridge Sourcebook of Comparative Literary into Comparative Literature,” he added.

Patil said that he was not worried about recovering damages from Google Books or Amazon.com because they have a better Intellectual Property Rights policy and will settle the dues. “It is these two publishers that I want to teach a lesson,” he said.

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Nilu Phule Gets Tribute From Mother Organisation

Rashtra Seva Dal, an arm of the socialist organisations, paid tribute to one of its illustrious members on Sunday by opening an art academy in his name. The academy, named after actor Nilu Phule, will conduct classes in acting, dance and singing.

Nilu Phule, a thespian of the Marathi and Hindi theatre and movies, was a member of the Rashtra Seva Dal before he rose to prominence. Till his death in July 2009, he was a dedicated worker of the organisation. To preserve his memories as a social worker, the organisation came up with the thought of building an academy. It took off with the inauguration of acting workshop on Sunday.

According to Deepak Rege, director of the academy, each workshop will be of 15 days and total 20 hours of training will be given to students in each workshop. Training on videography, editing and audiography will be added later. These workshops will be run all year long and keeping in socialist tradition, the fees for these courses will be kept low. Makarand Tillu, renowned artist, was present at the inaugural workshop.

The Rashtra Seva Dal came up with the idea to start such an academy after it conducted number of workshops teaching dance, music and even acting. Rege said, “There are a number of institutes right now teaching these type of things. However, they are limited to the affluent class. We want to create new artists with a clear consciousness to help the society. These were the ethos of Nilubhau and need to be imbibed in the next generation.”

Reminiscing about his association with Phule, Rege said, “Even though we met quite often, I could never act with him. At that time, he used to tour part of the month for plays and remaining part was given for shooting. I was working with a bank then and used to take part in plays after service hours. Because of this, we could never tour or work together.”

“Since this is a socialist organisation, we want to reach to every sphere. Younger generation want to learn every type art forms. This is evident from the audience present here. We got 100 to 150 calls within a month after we announced the opening,” said Suresh Deshmukh of Rashtra Seva Dal.

He said, “It was characteristic of Nilu Phule that he remained a hard core humanist till last. Today’s artists throw tantrums at the first chance they get in TV or other mediums. We are teaching the students to avoid this. In another words, this is an attempt to create a gentleman from them.”

Deshmukh said that the organisation is charging Rs 4,000 which includes lodging and food charges as well. He said, “I have seen talent at rural places. The young ones in villages can learn the art here and practice it in their place as well.”

Abhijit Kosambi, winner of the Saregama championship, will be training the students in singing. He said, “It was because of the guidance given by Phule sir that I ventured into singing. I am very thrilled that I will be a part of the exercise associated with his name.” He reminisced how Phule was humility personified and reminded the students that the greatness of the heart makes an artist great.

Offering a tribute to Phule, Sandhyatai Kate, a veteran theatre personality who worked with the thespian in many folk plays, reminded that Phule used to experiment a lot in his plays. “He along with Ram Nagarkar used to play pranks and make additions during plays which put other artists on toes. But that made the entire experience interesting one,” she said.

Nilubhau And RSD

Nilu Phule started his career with Rashtra Seva Dal, which had an art wing, during the independence struggle period. He mainly acted in plays which gave a strong message of socialism, humanitarianism and political agitations. He was the head of the art wing in Pune of the organisation during late 1950s. His major plays with the organisation include ‘Yeragabalyache Kam Nahi’, ‘Kunacha Kunala Mel Nahi’, ‘Binbiyanche Zad’ and ‘Pudhari Pahije’.

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Sorry Plight of Marathi Schools

Two separate agitations in two different cities in Maharashtra have brought to fore the sorry state of Marathi schools in the state. In an year when the state is celebrating 50 years of its formation, the government apathy is killing the language schools in favour of the English schools. The action of the government is in stark contrast to the numerous promises it has offered to public, both before and after the elections last year.

Thousands of students and teachers joined hand to protest against the closure Marathi schools on Saturday. “We have a right to learn through Marathi medium, the government can’t deny us the right to do so,” the statements written on the placards carried by students read.

The issue was first raised by Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthhi Sena, student wing of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena. The porganisation first objected to a Government Resolution brought out by the state government on June 19 which made running Marathi schools in the state illegal. First the government invited applications from the willing school owners for permitting the schools. When it received 9,000 applications, it conveniently allowed other schools while denying the same right to Marathi ones. Not stopping at that, it even threatened with criminal action for running schools without permission. Almost 4,000 schools all over the state are now facing the axe putting a question mark on the fate of the students.

The activists and lovers of Marathi are obviously concerned over the manner in which their schools are being sent into obscurity in a systematic manner. The Chief Minister himself and his council apparently have misplaced their priorities. In a state where 13 members of legislature have been elected on a strong linguist agenda and rejuvenation of the Marathi culture is evident everywhere, symptoms of Macaulay's mentality will be hard to digest. It comes as no surprise then that the opposition is growing stronger day by day against government policy. The state government will have to mend his ways.

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Marathi Is Flavour Of Season Ahead Of May 1

With Maharashtra completing 50 years this May 1, the political activity is in full swing. The Congress-NCP government and almost every political party in the state is organising plethora of programmes to celebrate the foundation day of Maharashtra.

The flavour of the season is of course being Marathi. After Maharashtra Navnirman Sena achieved spectacular success in assembly elections, everybody is trying to appear Marathi.

The main official function would be at the sprawling Shivaji Park in central Mumbai in the morning. 'Suvarna Maharashtra Darshan' exhibition is also organised to mark the golden jubilee year of the formation of the state. Freedom fighters from Pune today took water from rivers and soil from the forts as well as historic places. These will be sprinkled at the Hutatma Chowk in Mumbai. The initiative is being implemented in all districts of the state.

A scintillating laser show would be organised at Girgaum Chowpatty and Marine Drive here on May 1, officials said. Not to be left behind, Shiv Sena and MNS have also organised separate programmes. After taking its blood donation to Guinness Book Of Records, Shiv Sena is relying on another magnificent event in which none other  than legendary Lata Mangeshkar will sing the Maharashtra song. The trivia in the event is that Mangeshkar had sung the same song, ‘Bahu Asot Sundar’ 50 years ago when a grand ceremony had taken place on May 1, 1960.

Not to be left behind, MNS has hogged limelight with the food festival being organised in Mumbai. The festival showcases cuisines from all over the Maharashtra and has drawn lot of visitors. A similar festival is organised in Pune also. Even the state government has organised a cultural event tomorrow at Shaniwar Wada.

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Government Sings MNS Song

As expected, the issue of taxi permits to only those who know Marathi has snowballed into a controversy. Hindi media has in its typical theatrical style found an analogy with the attacks on Indians in Melbourne.

This is the start of the morning and I am watching a Hindi news channel. The reporter is screaming, “Maharashtra government has issued this order on the basis of an old Act.” Probably the reporter or anybody on the editing desk have never heard about the Motor Vehicle Act, 1989 which is still in force. Compared to many laws in India, this Act is fairly new and updated. But the channel has to convey its point to some of equally ignorant audience and has to resort to half-baked information.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena has got a shot in the arm with the government decision. Raj Thackerey can never thank Ashok Chavan more. The chief minister has handed Raj a perfect toy to play upon which is bound to provide a windfall in near future.

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MNS Attracts Strong Reactions

While political analysts and media is engaged in bashing Maharashtra Navnirman Sena over the incident yesterday in assembly house, there is equally strong reactions from the public in favour of the party. Marathi blogs are replete with the praise for the MLAs who staked their position in the incident. Surprisingly, Ramesh Wanjale, MLA from Khadakwasla constituency was also involved in the manhandling of Abu Azmi. Surprisingly, because he was not a genuine MNS member, but has recently switched over to the party from Congress.

MNS MLAs on Monday attacked Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi inside the state assembly for taking oath in Hindi and not in Marathi marking a violent debut for Raj Thackeray's party in the House. The house acted tough and passed a resolution suspending four MNS members from the House for four years within hours after the chaos. The MLAs were also accused of misbehaving with a woman MLA.

The resolution moved by parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil to suspend  Shishir Shinde, Ramesh Vanjale, Ram Kadam and Vasant Geete was approved by voice vote.

Chief minister Ashok Chavan also did not rule out action against MNS chief Raj Thackeray saying this will be taken if the video footage of his reported comments outside the Assembly showed he had instigated his party MLAs. On the other hand, people justify MLAs demands. The members have chosen a right target as Azmi has a very bad reputation in Maharashtra and nobody is willing to support him. One of my friend who works in a reputed IT company called me in night. He said he was receiving many mails pointing to the whole incident. So much as I have read yet, nothing was criticizing MNS. Even those who were not hailing Raj or MNS, only chose to remain silent because they are ready to consent through their silence.

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Diwali issues in Marathi culture

As the Diwali approaches, so are the Diwali issue of Marathi magazines. Diwali issues are the hallmark of the festival for the Marathi people and Maharashtra. Many houses in the state get a hint of the festival's arrival by thick issues of magazines stacked on the news stands. Its cultural standing is matched only by the Durga Puja issues brought out by Bengali newspapers and magazines. Many writers in Marathi owe their career to the existence of the Diwali issues only. In north India, Diwali means gifts and present full of mithai boxes. In Maharashtra, mithai is accompanied by Diwali issues.

It was exactly hundred years ago, that the first Diwali issue of Manoranjan, a popular magazine of that time saw light of the day. Since then, the tradition has only grown to encompass in it all types of print as well as new medium publication. Some years ago, there came audio Diwali issues, then with advent of time they changed into video ones. Now, more than five web portals in Marathi bring their own issues. In one such issue last year, I wrote about the advent of web technology in indigenous languages. Diwali issue is a thing of status in Marathi media and no publication is complete unless it has one. Actually this will be a statement as there are more brands of Diwali issues in Marathi than the reqgular magazines. Some like Awaz, Ravivarchi Jatra, Maharashtra Times and Loksatta have a tradition of almost five decades and they require no marketing. Some like Dhanurdhari come only in Diwali issue form but are always looked forward to.

Even though known for their entertainment value, the Diwali issues have contributed to the exchange and growth of thought in Maharashtra. Prior to arrival of TV and web media, it offered a platform for discussion or debate an many controversial topics. Much of today's contemporary Marathi literature owe its existence to the Diwali issues. Not limiting to that, they have also helped put new thoughts. It is not surprising to find Diwali issue dedicated to women's issues or philosophy, medical issues or astrology lined up for sale. It is also not a novelty for the Marathi readers to find these issues selling like hot cakes. Even though one can find older people grudging about the decreasing habit of reading, the sale of the Diwali issue do not stand witness to that. The business of publishing Diwali issues have stood test of time. Even advertisers do not shy away from putting their money in it.

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Michael Lured Us to Pop

I was born and brought up in Nanded, which seems rustic today to my eyes habituated to the glamour of metros for more than decade. But even living in small countryside city twenty years ago did not bar us from being lured into pop music. And I, with people from my generation who are in their thirty something now, could easily pinpoint the one phenomenal reason for this inclination towards this 'un-Indian' music. It was named Michael Jackson.

It was very late that we began to know MJ as 'Whacko-Jacko'. We were still in the era of audio cassettes and video cassettes. MP3s and You Tube were still to be dreamt. My uncle used to run a video cassette shop, a highly profitable business at that time. Renting out Hindi and Marathi movies (word Bollywood was still to be coined then) was the most profitable work then. VCPs and VCRs were new entrants then and just like Twitter today, were craze as well as a status symbol. But the music videos were the last thing to be given, especially that of a pop music video. First it was looked at with indignation for being obscene and second, not many could understand English, let alone songs.

It was in the state of ignorance itself that I first began tapping my feet on the Whacko-Jacko's rhythms. One of the first video cassettes featuring Michael's tour. The flow of time has drained down name of that particular tour. But I remember being mesmerised by the unbelievable theatrics of the King of Pop. As I passed matriculation, the magic spread day by day. The madness reached to its zenith in 1993 when Michael performed parts of his 'Black or White' at the annual Grammy awards function.

Then I began to notice the popularity of this artist. I could sense his popularity when fellow students from slum danced to his tunes. Moonwalk dance was an all time hit affair. One of my friend, who runs a local orchestra troupe now in Nanded, had performed the dance (imitated?) at our National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp way back in 1989. His influence endured far than school days. Five years later, I was busy requesting a local shop owner to prepare a cassette full of selected songs from Michael. In the days when a litre petrol cost Rs 10, I spent about Rs 30 for that cassette. During polytechnic years, the cassettes circulated in number of rooms in the hostel and was lost forever two years later.

Besides Bruce Lee, the only US artist which could adorn walls in my home town was Michael Jackson. Although I fear the majority of customers for those posters were bachelors. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stalone were later entrants in the same category, although timeline of their successes was concurrent with Michael.

I am not sure why Michael was so popular in regions hitherto unexplored. I could understand when the revellers danced to 'Dangerous' in a function with full volume blaring out thumping beats on the huge walls of speakers. Because that was in Pune and it was year 1998, when satellite channels were available as easily as mobile phones today. He was the poster boy of MTV. But what about Nanded in early 1980s? Were controversies in a way responsible for his fame? Was he an icon of rebellion? Or simply a craze? Whatever might be reason, he lured us towards pop music...I say it because pop culture has never thrived in Maharashtra. Even when Michael performed his only concert in India, it did not transformed into a movement of bands or pop music. Life moved in the same fashion as before only increasing his popularity more than ever. That he was popular in India more than any other artist of his time has to be taken with the fact that within a span of two years, he was mired into controversies after controversies. Generally, Indian people do not take to black artists as they do white ones. Only Michael was exception.

After coming to Pune, I lost track of Michael. I liked History, some songs from the album still being played on my portable music player. But Blood on the Dance Floor was almost unheeded by me. In the meantime, he turned to Islam and then I lost any interest in the person. His music continues to Thrill me, that's all. He may rest in peace now, but we will still move on his rhythms.

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Sanskrit and Marathi

A Tale of Two Languages

Sanskrit and Marathi, as anybody with a primary knowledge of languages is aware, are sister languages from the Indo-Germanic languages. In Maharashtra where the Marathi is the primary languages, both the languages shared a vibrant and cordial relation for centuries. Most of the vocabulary in Marathi is sourced from this ancient language. The scriptures from Sanskrit inspired a plethora of similar texts in the native language. Just as the Ramayana inspired Kamb Ramayanam in Tamil, the Bhagwat inspired Nath Bhagwat in Marathi. Most of the writings of leaders in the freedom struggle like Lokmanya Tilak and Swatantryaveer Savarkar was replete with Sanskrit quotations and couplets. It was no surprise then that the state emerged as one of the prominent centres of Sanskrit learning. For centuries, alongwith Varanasi (Benaras, UP) and Shringeri (Karnataka), Pune and Wai from Maharashtra were recognised as the centre of learning for the Sanskrit. So much so that University of Pune has a centre of advanced study in the language having been the only such centre in the country recognised by the University Grants Commission. Besides, institutes like Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (BORI) and Deccan College are heavily engaged in the learning, teaching and research of Sanskrit.

After Maharashtra was formed on May 1, 1960, Marathi became the official language of the state. On account of the three language formula adopted by the central government, Hindi and English replaced Sanskrit as the secondary language in the schools. Although on account of the exam pattern, Sanskrit remained scoring subject for students of the secondary schools. At the primary level though the study of the Sanskrit was discouraged as much as possible. Coupled with the government's unwillingness to continue the teaching of the subject in curriculum, nouveau intellectual voices also projected the language as a symbol of retrogression and caste supremacy. 'it is a language of Brahmins used to oppress the masses,' was a popular argument. Slowly the number of people knowing Sanskrit diminished. (at the personal level, I myself do not know much Sanskrit. I could not learn it in school because we had no teacher available. In later years, I tried to learn it and caught up a bit of skill in writing some stray sentences, but that is hardly a fluency. I can only say that I am a Sanskrit 'literate'.)

This fading of Sanskrit had its percussion on the linguistic life of the state. Speaking at a function in the city yesterday, noted Sanskrit scholar Pt. Vasant Gadgil underlined this fact. “Today we are decrying the sorry state of Marathi. but we have to understand that it is because of the neglect of Sanskrit that Marathi is fading into oblivion,” he said. And he has a point. In the last five decades or so, the formation of new words in the Marathi has taken a beating. That has made the language unpopular in the younger generation. Once Sanskrit was sidelined, hardly anybody has taken pride in using the native language. Government of Maharashtra had introduced many new words for the technical and administrative terms. But they were opposed on the ground that these words are heavily influenced by Sanskrit. The net result of this argument was that public remained away from using these words and people who opposed them could not provide any alternatives either. So first these words from English seeped in singularly and then whole language was adopted. The state of the affairs is such that in the state, number of Marathi schools is dwindling each passing year giving way to English medium ones. One more reason why English mediums schools are catching up is that it offers more opportunities for youths in contrast with vernacular languages. But that is a different subject altogether.

The severance of ties between Sanskrit and Marathi has not only affected the word additions, it has also created a void in the shaping of literature. After the tide of Dalit literary movement died down, the new Marathi literature appears heading nowhere. Its old roots have been lost and new directions are hard to get. As new generation is more prone to western influenced, it appears disinterested with the literature based on new conventions. Hardly any new book in Marathi has created wave in recent years while old classics like Mritunjay (an epic novel on the lifes of Karna) and Yayati (a novel based on a story from Mahabharata)still reign supreme in the market. This shows the affinity of common readers to its own roots. This is not withstanding with the popularity of Dalit literature which rejects the Sanskrit traditions but is more vernacular than it.

It is unlikely at the moment that Sanskrit will regain its glory in India immediately. But it continues to exist in pockets and continues to flourish, if dedicated attempts by various quarters are to be believed. However, in case of Marathi, it is unlikely to benefit by distancing itself with its source. The disadvantage will be more of Marathi and not Sanskrit.

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The Problems of Railway in Marathwada

The seven districts of Maharashtra bordering Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, namely Aurangabad, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Osmanabad, Jalna, Beed are collectively known as Marathwada. It was formerly under the Nizam rule and was separeted in 1960 at the time of formation of Maharashtra. The area is known for its economic backwardness and one reason ascribed for it is the lack of communication facilities. This absence of facilities include modern uitilities like internet and mobile communication as well as traditional ways of transportation. It is difficult for anyone to imagine how the area has been marred by the problems of railway.

To begin with, whatever rail network exists in Marathwada was laid by the then Nizam administration. According to district gazettes of Nanded, “Nanded and the adjoining districts of Aurangabad and Parbhani are very rich in raw materials-. Cotton, the important staple crop, is abundantly grown. Visualising the importance of these raw materials in the prospective development of the region, the erstwhile Hyderabad State undertook the laying down of Hyderabad-Manmad railway line, which later on came to be called as the Godavari Valley railway, which was again renamed as Kacheguda-Manmad railway, so as to enable the transportation of the abovementioned raw materials as well as passenger traffic which was the necessity of the day. The work of this line was completed and it was opened for traffic in 1899.” Not a single inch of track has been added to that set up. Broad gauge railway was a dream for most of the public in the area till as late as 1992. There are still some districts like Beed (except Parali) and Osmanabad which have no presence of rail road. The district gazette of Beed district published in 2006 says,

“Beed district, along with other districts of the Marathwada region, was not supplied with a well-knit system of communications till recently. The total rail length in the district at present measures only 48.28 km. (30 miles), the main railway station in the district being Parali-Vaijnath. The rail track running north-east joins it with Parbhani and that running southeast with Hyderabad. The Parali-Parbhani meter gauge line was opened for traffic in 1929. The Parali-Vikarabad broad gauge line opened in 1933 serves the district well by connecting it with Secunderabad and Hyderabad, which are important places. Parali-Vaijnath is the largest market town of the district and is connected with many trade centres in the outgoing areas. Beed, the headquarters of the district, lies off the railway route and thus depends on roadways for trade. The railway communication is restricted to a small portion in the east only. It thus depends for the most part on road transport for passenger and goods traffic.”

The people are demanding for railway facilities since 1950s. Recurring agitations and demand to the central government have failed to garner any advantage for the people of Marathwada. The result is that even though most of the workforce of industries in Pune and Mumbai come from these districts, the travel to these cities is next to a nightmare for the people. Passengers going to Pune from Nanded have to take a circular travel of more than 200 kms which take approximately 5 hrs.
One reason why this apathy is being shown may be that the Nanded railway division is attached with South Central Railway which has been dominated by Andhraites. On the other hands, the people from the region ask to attach the division with Central Railway as is the case all over the state. According to Sudhakar Doiphode, the senior journalist and editor of Prajavani, a Marathi daily from Nanded, “The region has been locked into two sides with the same apathy. The developed regions like Western Maharashtra look at Marathwada as backward. The leaders their give a cold shoulder to the problems of the region, meting out a step brotherly treatment. On the other hand, the SC railway is more concerned with the good performance in Andhra Pradesh. The officers who are mainly from AP are absolutely no concerned with the people here.”

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No President for Marathi Meet

Freedom of Expression Takes Backseat

The Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (Marathi Literary Meet) will take place in Mahabaleshwar without any presiding authority. Yes, the meet which is to start from Friday will have no president. This is the first time in the history of the meet that it will be conducted without president.

The meet is scheduled to start in Mahabaleshwar from March 20. Anand Yadav, the path breaking author who started era of rural literature in Marathi was elected as the president of the meet through an election process conducted all over the state. He has written a novel 'Santsurya Tukaram' which has invited wrath from the Warkaris in the state. According to Warkaris, the novel depicts Tukaram in bad light and has defamed the revered saint. After the controversy erupted about a month ago, Yadav had first refused to budge saying that Warkaris do not know what a novel is. Then he relented and withdrew his novel from the market.

Not pleased with this, Maharashtra Warkari Mahamandal, a body of warkaris demanded an apology from Yadav. Two days ago, Yadav submitted his written apology at Dehu, the place of Tukaram. He was reportedly manhandled and abused by warkaris there. Finally, Yadav tendered his resignation on Tuesday. Warkaris had threatened that in case Yadav dose not resign, 10,000 warkaris will start agiatiation in Mahabaleshwar.

"I have nothing to say on this affair. I just gave up the fight so that this annual literary meet is not hampered by some forces," Yadav said two days ago. One day after tendering his resignation as the president elect of 82nd Annual Marathi Literary Meet (Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan). Yadav is in no mood to speak about the extra-constituential censorship.

He said, "What should I do when there are forces bent to disrupt the meet for the sake of a person? In earlier times, people (media) used to come forward in defence of freedom of expression. But this time everybody is silent. I am sorry but I have chosen to be silent."
A meeting of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal was conducted yesterday in Mahabaleshwar. It was decided in the meeting that the meet will take place in the absence of a president.

Who is Yadav
Anand Yadav, 82 years old, was born in a small village Kagal near Kolhapur. He completed Ph.D. at Pune University. His writing began a new era in Marathi literature called Gramin Sahitya i.e. rural literature.

Yadav's novel Zombi (lit. 'Fight against all odds') won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1990. Zombi is a realistic novel that narrates the story of small 'Andya', his eagerness to learn, his life in sheer poverty, his loving mother and illiterate rural father.

His second novel, "Nangarni" (cultivation of the soil), is a sequel to "Zombi". It narrates his struggle during youth and the challenges he faced in settling down in life. The third autobiographical novel of this series, "Gharbhinti", describes his adult life--his marriage, daughters' education and support of family back in Kolhapur.

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A Riot of Flowers

Chhatrapati Sambhaji Garden, situated at Jungli Maharaj Road in Pune is normally visited by the love lorn couples and unemployed youths. Now it is brimming with flowers and various kinds of vegetables. This feast of colour and aroma will continue for two days. Pune Municipal Corporation is holding an exhibition of flowers and vegetables in the garden. What is more, there are various models of gardens placed in the exhibition. Some of these gardens, like Mughal Garden are being developed in Pune itself. 

The exhibition is being organised on the occasion of PMC's anniversary. It will be open for public till Sunday. I visited the garden in the evening and was amazed by the sheer variety of flowers. There are Delia, Orchid, Jarbera as also Rose, the perpetual favorite. Even in roses, there is quite a variety. 

I was also pleased to see that there is a good bit of flower decoration in front of Ram Ganesh Gadkari statue. The Marathi literatuer, famous for his rich prose and dramas rich with rhetoric was always famous for praising the beauty. He is known as the poet of Love, premacha shahir, for his poetry advocating love. What could have been a better gift for him than the valentine's Day. 

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The Tiger Turns 83

Even though the name Bal Thackeraydoes not arouse same level of fear, awe or appreciation from the general public as it commanded say a decade ago, he is still the formidable force in Maharashtra. His party is nothing compared to his own personal charm. In Shiv Sena, only Thackeray Senior’s word is final and carried some word. Owing to his declined health condition, his word does not come to the public directly now. Either it is an editorial in Saamana, the party organ or a message through his son Uddhav Thackeray that common people get to know what he wants.

It is this kind of monopoly by Uddhav and his cotery over Thackeray that led Raj Thackeray to break away from his uncle, his original mentor in politics. It is an adage in Shiv Sena that Thackeray Sr. can not do any wrong. But it is a fact that he wronged in judging the potential of his nephew. Now Raj, carrying anti-north Indians and pro-Marathi agenda through Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has taken much ground below Shiv Sena's feet and at times SS is found to be dragging behind Raj. The agenda orginally brought in by SS in 1960s was later put on back burner in 1980s when Shiv Sena opted for an alliance with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The alliance adopted an agenda of Hinduist ideology.

Bal Thackeray stands out in many Hinduist parties for his frankness and open headed approach. He is probably the only leader in India who denounces Hindu priests and traditions followed in the temples. He was also the only leader in 1992, after the Babri mosque demolition, to accept the responsibility of the incident. "If the persons (those who brought down the structure) were Shiv Sainiks, I am proud of them," he said publicly at that time. The catch was nobody was and is sure whether it was true. But Thackerey managed to impress public with his boldness and public started to look down upon BJP. More recently does not one saw him welcoming 'Hindu Terrorists? On could mark he was saying that Hindu terrorists are all welcome but they should hit the bull's eye.

In one such instances, he showed to what extent he can go. When the Shirdi's Sai Sansthan decided to install a gold throne for Sai Baba, Thackeray decried the decision. Lokmat, a prominent Marathi daily took offence and criticized Thackeray Sr. sighting his own style of sitting on a throne in his bunglow. Next day itself, Thackeray Sr. sent his own throne to the Lokmat office, saying that the throne was given by his own 'people with love and devotion' and he is satisfied with public's love alone. The incidence created an amusing scene for the media in Maharashtra. Only when the top management officers of Lokamt came and apologised could the throne be taken back to Thackerey's bunglow.

For better or for worse, Maharashtra loves Thackerey Sr. No other leader has managed to draw people's love, affection, anger, frustration, devotion and that too for more than four decades! Even those who have left him for good, like deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal or ex-chief minister Narayan Rane do not shy away from praising or adoring him. It is not easy for outsiders and people with preconceived notions to understand how this man of relatively frail body and no logical reasoning manage to stir up passions in millions of people.

For an unpassioned and detached viewer like me, who has not attended a single rally addressed by him even in my home town but who has immense admiration for the power he holds, it is a sort of unhappy thing that he no more draws cartoon. Given that the cartoon-like politics of today and caricature-like personalities, perhaps he does not require to do so. Whatever old samples of his art I get to see, I enjoy it immensely.

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The Trip To kolhapur

Just last month I, together with my family visited the city of Kolhapur. Kolhapur is known for the Mahalaxmi temple which is centuries old. It was also the city where one of the seat of Maratha empire was situated. I was very eager to visit this place and happy this time that I could eventually realize my dream.

The history of Kolhapur stresses to many centuries. In the ancient times, it was known as Karvirnagari. The Mahalaxmi temple, which houses the idol of Godess Laxmi is at least seven centuris old. It is built in the old Hemadpanti style of archtitecture. This temple showcases the most intrinsic style of designing as well as decoration. Surprisingly, even though Mahalaxmi is considered to be godess of money, her temple is bereft of the money extracting methods emloyed by most of the Hindu religious shrines all over India.

The city stands on the bank of river Panchaganga. It is known as "Dakshin Kashi" on account of the deity "Mahalaxmi" or "Ambabai". Kolhapur is archaeologically an important place in India due to the ancient temple of "Goddess Shri Mahalaxmi ". The place of "Jyotiba" is about 15Kms towards north of the city. The famous hill station "Panhala" is about 18 Kms towards North West of the town.

This city is also home to the palace belonging to Shahu Maharaj, who was a descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji. Shahu Maharaj was a great administrator himself and he carried out various reforms in his tenure which paved the way for Dalits and backward classes to stake claim to the education as well as other opportunities. It is a well known fact that it was Shahu Maharaj who helped Dr. Babasaheb Amberdkar for his education.

Kolhapur has many places which stand witnesses to its glorious past. There are palaces built by Maratha kings. Panhala fort, a major tourist attraction is very near to the city. Also, Kolhapur is home to the Marathi films and shootings are still done at various places in and around the city.

The city is also famous for its wrestling tradition. Kolhapur city and its surrounding regions prominently come under the sugarcane belt where the sugarcane is main cash crop.

We could visit the temple and also see the Rankala lake which has become an icon for the city. The lake was built in the last leg of 18^th century. Its sorrounding as also nearness with Shalini Palace makes it a beautiful place. Many a romantic couple can be spotted here at any time in the day. We did the trip in a day. With the travel between Pune and Kolhapur only three and half hour, it was one of the most convenient trips that I have done.

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Ganga Flows in Marathi

Ganga-a book written after the twenty years of toil is coming in Marathi now. The authentic work, created after he carried out research for radio documentaries, is translated by senior journalist Prakash Akolkar. The Marathi translation was released on Saturday by Ulhas Latkar of Ameya Prakashan by the hands of union Power minister Sushilkumar Shinde.

Julian Crandall Hollick, the France born radio journalist works with Independent Broadcasting Associates Inc, US. When asked how Ganga came about, he replied through email, “Ganga is the culmination of more than twenty years of living in India. Ganga brings together so many different aspects that go to make up India - her history, mythology, culture, the environment. And it brings them together in an uniquely Indian manner of paradox and contradictions; a goddess both in mythological and liquid form.”

The writer is too excited about the Marathi translation and relived his days in Mumbai and Pune on this occasion. “I'm tickled pink it's appearing in Marathi. I have spent several years in Mumbai and a bit of time in Pune, but I have no real idea about Marathi readers. I will be extremely interested to read and hear their reaction. I lived and worked in Mumbai for several years in the 1990s with pavement dwellers and street kids in Byculla and I want to write a book about them because by chance I happened to stumble on them the week they made their first stab at organising themselves in October 1986. Ever since I've been a sort of unofficial chronicler. And it's a fabulously rich story that few Indians know.” Julian was to Pune several times in the 1980s. He had spent his first Diwali here.

Ganga, the book, was extremely well received in India last year. Julian is more pleased because ‘the critics who reviewed it invariably looked at what it said and not at the nationality of the person who was writing about Ganga.’ He says, “In most cases the greatest surprise for all readers has been the chapter on the extraordinary purifying powers of Ganga - The Mysterious Factor X. A river that purifies not just human souls but its own pollution! Now that really impresses the non-Indian reader. And I thought it was the weakest of all the chapters when I was writing the book. Did I get that one wrong!”

Interestingly, Ganga first appeared in radio documentary. “Someone suggested a book after all the recordings were finished in late 2005. Because all the tapes are transcribed and saved it was relatively easy to make the transition between electronic media and the written word. The printed form allows me to add so many explanations, to expand on what on the radio may be just a few seconds,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Akolkar, deputy editor of Maharashtra Times said, “When I first read Ganga, I realised it is a serious book. It is not a travelogue or a novel. It is an issue and the question is not about Ganga but pollution of each and every river of Ganga. Then I decided to translate it. This was a different book altogether and I had to ask help to many experts for the work. The translation was completed in just eight months.”

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