Maharashtra To Mark Marathi Language Pride Day Friday

Today, February 27, Maharashtra marks Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Din (Marathi Language Pride Day). The day celebrates the 114th birth anniversary of Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, whom we know as Kusumagraj, whom the Government of Maharashtra honoured by declaring the observance in 2013. 

Many confuse this day (February 27) with Marathi Rajya Bhasha Din (May 1). But the distinction matters. May 1 marks the birth of Maharashtra as a unified state in 1960 and recognises Marathi as its official language. February 27 is a cultural tribute to a writer whose pen name was Kusumagraj, and it was he who shaped the language itself. 

So, Who Was Kusumagraj? 

Born in Pune on February 27, 1912, Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar was a novelist, poet, playwright, and critic. His poem "Modun Padla Sansar...", still moves readers. It says: The world may have crumbled, but the spine remains unbroken... just put your hand on my back and tell me to fight! 

In 1987, he won the Jnanpith Award, India's highest literary honour. Before that, he had spent decades making Marathi what he called a "language of knowledge", a tongue fit for science, ideas, and modern thought. Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Din is now celebrated not just in Maharashtra but in Goa, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh. 

Marathi: Backbone of Identity

As a mother tongue, Marathi is not just a medium of communication; it is the backbone of Maharashtra's culture, history, and identity. It is the foundation of the state's intellectual tradition and social consciousness. The language has evolved over time through saints, literary works, travel writers, oral narratives, folk music, and trade. It became a language of social reform, human values, and transformation. 

The Challenge Ahead 

Marathi faces the same pressure as other Indian languages. The necessity of foreign languages, the influence of other tongues, and the limited use of Marathi in globalized systems have led to a sense of neglect. Yet it survives only through use. Only through speakers who choose it, teach it, carry it forward. 

Yet Kusumagraj left a warning, in verse:

परभाषेतही व्हा पारंगत ज्ञानसाधना करा, तरी।

माय मराठी मरते इकडे परकीचे पद चेपु नका।।

भाषा मरता देशही मरतो संस्कृतिचाही दिवा विझे।

गुलाम भाषिक होऊनि अपुल्या प्रगतीचे शिर कापु नका।।

This roughly translates to, "Become proficient in foreign languages and pursue knowledge, but do not neglect Mother Marathi. When a language dies, the nation dies, and the lamp of culture is extinguished. Do not become linguistic slaves and cut off the head of your own progress."

Keeping this responsibility in mind, to conserve and preserve the Marathi language one should ensure it flows confidently with the currents of the modern world.