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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Politics of Settlement

Settlement has become the catchword of the Maharashtra politics nowadays. The thing was part of the political manners for a long period, probably dating back to pre-independence era. However, the personalities involved in the process always tried to avoid the utterances which might give any clue to this thing.

On this backdrop, it was surprising when Sharad Pawar, a veteran of settlementalsim went public with his displeasure over how 'some opposition members are blackmailing builders, threatening them with raising questions in legislature and thereby arriving at settlements'. Having spent his almost five decades of political career in more than three parties, forging alliances with thrice that number parties and boasting of innumerable friends in various political parties as well as businessmen, Pawar is undoubtedly a seasoned player in the way the settlements are done.

To take an example, one can remember how Chhagan Bhujbal, the lone Shiv Sena legislator in Assembly during late 80s fought single handedly against the illegal sale of 289 land plots all over the state. Bhujbal raised a storm of protest which has damaged Pawar's image, putting a stigma of 'land shark' which has refused to leave him since then. Pawar managed a Houdini act of political settlement when he brought Bhujbal into his fold just two years later. The latter has become a stauch loyal foot soldier of Pawar since then and continue to enjoy fruits of power till today.

On this backdrop, Pawar's statement drew a lot of criticism, which he intended, from the opposition quarters. Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in Legislative Assembly, was at the forefront. Khadse has raised many issues pertaining to land scams in assembly, notable among them were irregularities in Lavasa and land scam at Pune.

Pawar had tried many times to repeat Bhujbal feat for Khadse but latter refused to budge. Again, NGOs and activists have shown with evidence how Pawar is involved in the Lavasa project. It was fitting then that when Pawar came up with his utterances, Uddhav Thackerey, Executive President of Shiv Sena replied him with 'a thief knows well the ways another thief uses'. It is a well observed convention in Indian polity that one politician does not reveal his cards, even after a game is over. So when Pawar disclosed the cards, it was evident that either he wants to change rules of the game, which is a Herculean task to say the least, or he simply want to dissuade others so that they are no longer interested in game.

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Festivals Are Among Our Few Healthy Signs

The mood in Pune is festive. With Krishna Ashtami tomorrow and arrival of Ganesh less than two weeks away, the rush of Ganesh Mandal workers has begun. However, as usual voices of protest against the 'pollution through jubilation' has begun already.

Citizens of Pune have tradition of raising their voices against the unnecessary noise pollution in tha name of the celebrating Ganeshotsav, which is arguably the biggest festival in the city. This tradition dates back to same era when the celebration began as an occasion to raise consciousness against British Raj. In an age when marketing consideration have taken precedence over everything else, the voices of opposition have not diminished in least.

As the economic situation of the country prospers, so does the level of enthusiasm among masses to find a way for collective recreation. Nothing can stop them. The dance, the blaring music, high walls of music, all these are only symptoms of the less sophisticated formation of the society.

People, especially the youths, seem uncontrollable when engaged in revelry. But they do so because almost all elements of Indian society vie for the pomp and superfluousness. Since the showiness is catchword of the day, it will be little wise to blame the youths for missing their ways during the festivities.

With so many problems and vices plaguing this country, it is one of the few healthy signs that so many people come together for whatever reason and indulge in non-destructive activities. On the contrary, the number of Ganesh Mandals doing one or another kind of social welfare work runs into thousands all over Maharashtra. Therefore, we should welcome, not despise the festivities.

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Another Blow To Sharad Pawar

Till Tuesday afternoon, Nationalist Congress Party supremo and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar enjoyed a week-long adventures of aggressive statements. He first ruffled some feathers in opposition parties' camps in Maharashtra. His associates and garters managed to wrest some brownie points in Pune by forcing mayor to announce that the Dadoji Konddeo statue will be removed from Lal Mahal.

However, the Supreme Court came down heavily on union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for saying that the court's suggestion on free distribution of foodgrains to the poor was not binding on the government. Referring to media reports attributed to Pawar wherein he said that the court only made a suggestion Aug 12 and the government will consider it, an apex court bench of Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice Deepak Verma told Additional Solicitor General Mohan Parasaran: "Tell your minister not to make any such comment."

According to court: "What we have said is an order and not a suggestion. Let him not misunderstand our order."

This comes one day after Eknath Khadse, leader of opposition in Legislative Assembly let his tongue loose, in the same fashion as Pawar had done a day before. He went on to say that Pawar is a builder's friend and opposition will try its best to expose deals in the state done at the behest of builders. Khadse's pounding of words appears creditable since Narayan Rane, Minister of Revenue in state cabinet has openly expressed doubts over Lavasa deal. A meeting in this regard is scheduled tomorrow in Mumbai.

To add woes to Pawar's kitty is ongoing scandal involving Pakistani cricket players. Barely two months after taking over as the chief of International Cricket Council, Pawar has hand full with assignments. Seasoned politician as he is, it will be very interesting how he navigates his way through this mud.

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The Same Old Story And Meaningless Too

It is funny and at the same time distressing to point how the stories are repeated. About a year ago, I was among the reporters who reported on controversy raised by the Maratha organizations. The issue was not much different from the one which has plagued Maharashtra for over a century-the Brahmin-Maratha tussle.

Last week, the city of Pune witnessed much heartburn over the issue of a minuscule statue. “Dadoji Konddeo has no place near Shivaji,” argued the Maratha organisations. Some see in it anti-Brahminism. Some – like me – try to find strains of political overtones in the drama. I would hardly repeat the same words and sentences, eating out tons of megabytes and draining down much valuable time.

The thing forgotten here is: in a land with a known record of at least 700 years of militarism (Maharashtra), Chhatrapati Shivaji is the only unifying force. Dividing him will not make any detriment to him, but the resulting loss in our present time will do irreparable damage to ourselves.

A News Story

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Pune Needs The Ownership Answer

The citizens of the Pune are asking a question now : Who is the owner of the Pune Municipal Corporation? The corporators elected by the voters whose credentials are always under the shadow of suspicion? The public who is supposed to be king in a democratic system? This is the questions few enlightened souls in the city are asking to the functionaries who taken upon them to unquestioningly assume all authority and skip the responsibilities involved therein.

The issue came to fore when a handful of activists filed Right to Information application and unearthed data from PMC. The data clearly showed that even though the elected public representatives do not spare any attempt to scream from their rooftops on various issues in city, the same representatives more often than not skip their duty when the moment of reckoning comes.

An application filed by Sandeep Khardekar, President of Creative Foundation and city deputy chief of Bharatiya Janata Party; Vivek Velankar, founder of Sajag Nagrik Manch; Vijay Kumbhar of Surajya Sangharsh Samiti;Jugal Rathi of PMP Pravasi Manch; Suryakant Pathak of Akhil Bharatiya Grahak Panchayat and senior cartoonist Mangesh Tendulkar brought the grim picture forward. The information showed that corporators across party lines, from ruling as well as opposition benches, gave a bye to the voting on important issues as well as General Body Meeting.

The just demand by the activists and their fact-supported attack did not go down well with the political parties. Ruling Nationalist Congress Party and Congress hit back at the same activists and asked them not to meddle into their affairs. Ankush Kakde, spokesman for the NCP went on to say that, NGOs have developed the habit of targeting corporators on some issue or the other. “Citizens elect civic representatives, who are thus answerable only to the common man, and not the NGOs," was his refrain.

Aba Bagul, leader of opposition in PMC and leader of Congress as well, even went further. “NGO members should contest the civic elections and take active part in the functioning of the PMC. Only then will they know under what pressure the corporators work,” he challenged the activists. The bold statements by the political parties were hard to digest by the intelligentsia. Tendulkar, a veteran in his eighties and having experience of more than 50 years for fighting for public cause, raised the question which we have highlighted above: whose house is this anyway? According to him, ‘the time has come to ask who is the real boss here.’

The public have chosen their representatives so that they can discuss and raise the problems faced by the citizens. The representatives have not been sent their to gossip and engage in mud slinging. They were not sent to the PMC house to bargain for their ‘fare share’ of commissions in tenders issued by the civic body. The PMC has a glorious history of more than 50 years but the recent incidents have overshadowed much of that glory. One corporator (Dattatray Khade) is in jail after being convicted of murder; another one (Deepak Mankar) is facing charges of land grabbing and threatening with life. One or two another are having criminal cases pending against their names. In such a scenario, it was a welcome move on the part of some of the activists to take a bold step and unearth information. Whatever points raised till now against the corporators, they were only accusations. This time it is the data which has provided ammunition to the attack.

It will be fallacy to think that all corporators skip their duty. Far from that. Fortunately, we still have people there who care for public probity and responsibility. In this scenario, it was reassuring that corporators like Mukta Tilak and Ujjwal Keskar stood on activists’ side and rapped the parties. However, it has every possibility that this verbal duel might take turn of mud slinging. Before that happens, Pune needs this answer: whose house is this?

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Wrestling Olympian Honoured In A Way

The Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. M.S. Gill unveiling the plaque to Re-christen the Wrestling Stadium as K.D. Jadhav Stadium in the memory of Late Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav, Independent India’s first Individual Olympic medalist who won wrestling bronze Medal at 1952 Olympic Games held at Helsinki, in New Delhi on July 06, 2010. The Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Pratik Prakashbapu Patil is also seen.

The newly constructed wrestling stadium within Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium complex has been named as K.D. Jadhav Wrestling Stadium in the memory of late Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav. The formal ceremony of renaming by Dr. M.S. Gill, Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports took place in New Delhi yesterday. Jadhav was independent India's first individual Olympic medalist , when he won the wrestling bronze medal at the 1952 Olympic Games held at Helsinki. He was awarded Arjuna Award posthumously in 2000. Pratik Prakashbapu Patil, Minister of State of Youth Affairs & Sports , several sports persons and senior officials of the sports ministry were present on the occasion.

Ranjeet Khashaba Jadhav son of Late K.D. Jadhav was present on the occasion. He was felicitated by Dr. Gill with a shawl, silver plaque in appreciation and recognition of achievements of his illustrious father. He was also given Rs. 3.00 lakh from National Welfare Fund for Sportspersons.

Khashaba Jadhav remained the only individual medal winner for India at the Olympics for nearly half a century till Leander Paes won a bronze in 1996. Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav (January 15, 1925 – August 14, 1984) was widely known as 'Pocket Dynamo'. He

was born in Goleshwar in Satara district in a poor family. His nick name was Anna. His father’s name was Dadasaheb Jadhav and his mother’s name was Putli Bai. They were four brothers and three sisters.

Hailing from a wrestling background, Jadhav was an ardent fan of sports, mainly wrestling, kabaddi, running, swimming and others. His father, a wrestler himself taught Jadhav about the sport and despite being the youngest in the family managed to grasp the game and outclassed everyone. Gradually he began emerging as undisputed wrestler in the area and soon was competing in national events. Jadhav was flat footed, which made him different from other wrestlers of his time. English coach Rees Gardner saw this trait in him and trained him prior to 1948 Olympic games.

He started his wrestling competitions from State Championship by winning Gold medal followed by All India Inter-University Gold medal and then gold medal in National Championship in 52 kg weight category. In the 1948 London Olympics, he participated in the flyweight category finishing sixth. He defeated wrestlers from Australia, United States of America, Canada and Mexico in the first four rounds and in the fifth round he lost to two Wrestler from Iran, getting sixth position.

Four years later, before the selection for Helsinki Olympics, Jadhav alleged that nepotism among officials prevented him from getting selected for the Olympics. According to him, they intentionally gave him one point less than the eventual winner at the Madras Nationals thereby ruling him out of the Olympics. He did not bow down to corrupt officialdom and appealed to Maharaja of Patiala seeking justice. Fortunately the Maharaja of Patiala loved sports, saw his point, and arranged his entry in Olympic trials where he floored his opponent and won an entry in the Olympics.

Now Jadhav faced his next set of problems. He had to arrange for money for his travel to Helsinki. Even the principal of Kolhapur's Rajaram college, Khardekar, mortgaged his house for a sum of Rs. 7,000 to pay for his travelling cost. Local shopkeepers from his village Goleshwar, in Karad taluka Satara district presented him with groceries and other items of use.

At Helsinki, Jadhav had to fight seven bouts in all in the 52 kg freestyle event. In the first five, he met opponents from Europe and the Gulf countries and took barely five minutes to dispose them off. In the sixth round, his opponent was the famed Shonachi Ishi of Japan. Ishi's novelty of the ankle hold surprised Jadhav, but when he counterattacked, Ishi attempted rolling fouls which were penalized giving Jadhav a win.

Unfortunately his next bout was soon after this sapping bout. This was officially not permissible, but since there was no Indian official to lodge an official protest, he had to face this bout within less than half an hour of this bout with Ishi.

The tired Jadhav took on his next opponent, Manod Bekov of Russia. It is believed that had Jadhav not been tired from his previous bout, he would have defeated Bekov in no time, but tired as he was, he was beaten by Bekov and had to settle for a bronze.

Despite his loss, his was a unique achievement in India. Yet like most talented individuals in developing countries, he was largely forgotten. A principal reason for his oblivion was that in India cricket dominates and all other sports invariably take a backseat.

There was no fanfare from his return to Helsinki. No newspaper interviews, no television. Television in fact was not born in India then! There was however a small felicitation for him at Mumbai's Shivaji Mandir auditorium in Dadar. Interestingly there was also a cavalcade of 101 bullock carts from Karad to his village.

He started his job in Maharashtra Police as Inspector in 1955 and retired as Assistant Superintendent of Police in 1983.

After this glorious moment he slid into oblivion and despite serving in the state police was living in poverty until he died - almost certainly a broken man - in 1984 in a road accident. In 1990, he got Meghnath Nageshwar Award and in 1993 Chatrapati Shivaji Award from Government of Maharashtra. He was also awarded posthumously Arjuna Award in the year 2000.

A tribute to his sterling feat is that it remained unmatched for 56 long years. In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Sushil Kumar ultimately won bronze in wrestling equaling - not beating - Jadhav's feat!

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