I grew up in a cosmopolitan atmosphere where my education was concerned, but at home it was all Marathi. We were taught to appreciate Marathi literature, music, and theatre, the foundation of the language and community. This helped me to attain a fine balance between my roots and the world outside.
Today, I see Maharashtrians scrambling to be global people. They don’t want to be left behind. As a result they feel the need to shed their culture, customs, tradition. There may be some benefits in opting for Western culture and the English language, but there are more losses. There needs to be a fine balance.
Marathi has a tradition of over 1,500 years. The old Marathi is not spoken today. Maybe the language needs to be more open, adaptable, so that it can appeal to today’s generation.
Maharashtra and its people have been extremely accommodating, open, tolerant. Maharashtrians have assimilated other cultures and languages into their own. That is why we see words of other languages used easily today. Hindi films use a mix of languages. The Marathi we speak is not Sanskritised.
One thing that prevents the community from moving ahead is our timidity and fear of rejection. We have to take risks, make our language more dynamic. That the Peshwas invited Gujaratis and Jains to come and develop commerce tells us that
Maharashtrians never had an acumen for business. Today, money speaks the loudest and Maharashtrians speak softly or are silent.
Maharashtrians do not have a spirit of adventure, that is why we have not made it big in business. But we excel in the arts. Don’t forget that Maharashtrians started India’s film industry: Damles, Phatelals, Shantaram and Dadasaheb Phalke. But our influence dimmed when it became an industry. Be it music, films, theatre, photography, writers, our people have reached the pinnacle.
Yes, we need to get more economic power to hold our fort. We were proud to be simple, humble. Today that is seen as apologetic, beggarly. We need to stop being satisfied with the little we have. This does not mean, however, that we force Marathi down other people’s throats.
(Gautam Rajadhyaksha, therenowned advertising and film photographer, spoke to Neeta Kolhatkar)
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