The Maharashtrians
Our nation is composed of a multitude of ethnic and linguistic groups that have a rich and colorful history behind them. If we were to scan through the Independenece movement we shall see that all these ethnic groups played a role in fighting the British. However, if we were to pick the dominant linguistic forces I am sure that the Maharashtrians and the Bengalis would count among them. And I am proud to have grown up in an environment that has made me assimilate the best of both these forces.
However, blood ties being the strongest, I shall always remain faithful to my mother tongue and today I shall dwell extensively on the diminishing power of the people who speak my tongue.If you were an outsider trying to assess which of the many linguistic groups in India weild the most power, which area would you investigate first ?
I would suggest cinema...True, Bollywood is synonymous with Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra but it is an industry that churns of movies in Hindi and of late in the Hinglish medium. Marathi cinema does seem to do well but can never stand up to its Hindi counterpart...Now look to the south of Maharashtra and you shall come across Chennai. A city bubbling with raw Dravidian power and a film industry that is tech savvy with great musical talent ( A R Rehman ) and finacial muscle. Movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are a rage not in their respective bastions but also in South-East Asia and the Middle East, courtesy a large expatriate population.
The Marathi Decline
The Maharastrians of Gopal Krishna Gokhale have degenarated into an inward looking community whose circle of influence and concern does not exceed beyond the Vidarbha, Konkan and Marathwada regions. We rarely venture into other parts of the country and our idea of moving out is only to the outposts of Sunnyvale and SanJose with an equally large Marathi speaking population whose sole occupation seems to be writing codes. We fail to assert ourselves in front of other linguistic groups because our very nature does not seek confrontation and when we do it is of a nonsensical kind.
The Sikhs are recognised as a nomadic community who are hardworking , ambitious and thrifty and as the old joke goes when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon he found our very own red turbaned Sardar with a plate of Tandoori Chicken waiting for him...The Malayali is known for his quiet efficiency, the Tamilian for his intellect, the Marwari for his entrepreneurship .. what is the Maharastrian known for ??
I am pained to see that the community that has given this nation people like Shivaji , Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Baba Amte who have changed the basic fabric of this country, has no one to offer...... ( don't give me names like Madhuri Dixit,Sachin Tendulkar and Pratibha Patil)...
Arre marathi manoos .. kuthe gelas tu ?
However, blood ties being the strongest, I shall always remain faithful to my mother tongue and today I shall dwell extensively on the diminishing power of the people who speak my tongue.If you were an outsider trying to assess which of the many linguistic groups in India weild the most power, which area would you investigate first ?
I would suggest cinema...True, Bollywood is synonymous with Mumbai, the capital of Maharashtra but it is an industry that churns of movies in Hindi and of late in the Hinglish medium. Marathi cinema does seem to do well but can never stand up to its Hindi counterpart...Now look to the south of Maharashtra and you shall come across Chennai. A city bubbling with raw Dravidian power and a film industry that is tech savvy with great musical talent ( A R Rehman ) and finacial muscle. Movies in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam are a rage not in their respective bastions but also in South-East Asia and the Middle East, courtesy a large expatriate population.
The Marathi Decline
The Maharastrians of Gopal Krishna Gokhale have degenarated into an inward looking community whose circle of influence and concern does not exceed beyond the Vidarbha, Konkan and Marathwada regions. We rarely venture into other parts of the country and our idea of moving out is only to the outposts of Sunnyvale and SanJose with an equally large Marathi speaking population whose sole occupation seems to be writing codes. We fail to assert ourselves in front of other linguistic groups because our very nature does not seek confrontation and when we do it is of a nonsensical kind.
The Sikhs are recognised as a nomadic community who are hardworking , ambitious and thrifty and as the old joke goes when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon he found our very own red turbaned Sardar with a plate of Tandoori Chicken waiting for him...The Malayali is known for his quiet efficiency, the Tamilian for his intellect, the Marwari for his entrepreneurship .. what is the Maharastrian known for ??
I am pained to see that the community that has given this nation people like Shivaji , Gopal Krishna Gokhale and Baba Amte who have changed the basic fabric of this country, has no one to offer...... ( don't give me names like Madhuri Dixit,Sachin Tendulkar and Pratibha Patil)...
Arre marathi manoos .. kuthe gelas tu ?
posted by Shreerang at 4:20 PM
3 Comments:
You are a Maharashtrian, yet you live in Kolkata. So you should be familiar with the Bengali ethos. How about publishing a post on Bengalis in general? It would be nice to know how an outsider perceives the people of this very unique culture. And since you write so well, it would be a pleasure to read.
Bengalis haven't lost their identity as yet, but they seem to have lost out on their sense of purpose.... Not to mention their spirit (and I'm not talking about the 'cholche na-cholbe na' spirit here...it would be a relief if THAT died!)
The original Bengali was an enthusiast, not only about literature and intellectualism and culture, but about life in general. Today, not only is the culture dying out, but also the desire for it. All that the Bangali is obsessed with today is how to make his son an engineer and his daughter a doctor. That is sad!
He was http://www.jouqoech.info/?search=Galswin accounted the most successful and most unspoiled of men.. DEAR MADAM,--Having had a visit from the defendant in above, we should be pleased http://www.jouqoech.info/?search=admiral+diplomat+b to have an interview with you at 2 p...
Post a Comment
<< Home