Comments on: My land, my state http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/ Just another WordPress weblog Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:08:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Sydhwaney http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-251 Sydhwaney Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:20:11 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-251 Dear Shubhaji Haha !! You have certainly captured the Art of Writing WOW love the energy in this article .. its picturesque.. I could really see the line of musicians in the queue ... !! Dear Shubhaji

Haha !! You have certainly captured the Art of Writing WOW love the energy in this article .. its picturesque.. I could really see the line of musicians in the queue … !!

]]> By: Abhijit http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-250 Abhijit Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:21 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-250 Hello to everyone, I feel we cannot let the politicians divide the country into pieces over language and religion. I am a Maharashtrian and a typical Bombayite from a middle class family. Why can't we think our country as whole, why are we talking in terms of marathis- non-marathis? Lets talk about India. People come down from states of U.P and Bihar for jobs and not for fun. They come down here leaving their homes,families to do hard work and city like Bombay gives them some money to save and earn. We as people and state needs to create more job oppurtunities,more enterprenuers, government need to chalk out these long term plans with immediate effect. Same is the case with mot metro cities. India is a free country what MNS does won't stop people from coming to Mumbai. People will always come down for work and bread. This has been the history. At the same time, city infrastructure, cheap housing, more jobs need to start up, 2-tier cities like Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Nagpur,Pune and many other centre need to come up. Law and Order situation in U.P and Bihar needs to improve. Root cause of the problem is not those influx but lack of oppurtunities in those states. Violence needs to stop or I am sure we will see our country will be divided into small pieces like Bhaiyaas,kanadiaga,tamilians,marathis,punjabis and I don't miss my non-marathi friends for life due to that. Do you?.. Hello to everyone,
I feel we cannot let the politicians divide the country into pieces over language and religion. I am a Maharashtrian and a typical Bombayite from a middle class family. Why can’t we think our country as whole, why are we talking in terms of marathis- non-marathis? Lets talk about India. People come down from states of U.P and Bihar for jobs and not for fun. They come down here leaving their homes,families to do hard work and city like Bombay gives them some money to save and earn. We as people and state needs to create more job oppurtunities,more enterprenuers, government need to chalk out these long term plans with immediate effect.
Same is the case with mot metro cities. India is a free country what MNS does won’t stop people from coming to Mumbai. People will always come down for work and bread. This has been the history. At the same time, city infrastructure, cheap housing, more jobs need to start up, 2-tier cities like
Bhopal, Ahmedabad, Nagpur,Pune and many other centre need to come up. Law and Order situation in U.P and Bihar needs to improve. Root cause of the problem is not those influx but lack of oppurtunities in those states.
Violence needs to stop or I am sure we will see our country will be divided into small pieces like Bhaiyaas,kanadiaga,tamilians,marathis,punjabis and I don’t miss my non-marathi friends for life due to that. Do you?..

]]> By: AV http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-249 AV Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:36:25 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-249 Nobody said that you shouldn't converse in Hindi. Please read somebody's posts verbatim before you dish out a knee-jerk reaction. The whole issue is that it takes two hands to clap. The way to come to a truce is that people who come from outside to Maharashtra show some respect for Marathi culture, and for Maharashtrians to ignore useless organizations like the MNS. But there is nothing in wrong in showing respect to someone else's culture, and it does not require you to stop following your own customs and traditions. I can't understand why supposedly educated people like you don't understand a trivial point that was made in the post you responded to. As for your point that "maximum industrious people are of outside origin", I wonder whether you have made a detailed survey on this matter, or whether it is a figment of your imagination. And what are the criteria you used to define what or who is industrious? Nobody said that you shouldn’t converse in Hindi. Please read somebody’s posts verbatim before you dish out a knee-jerk reaction. The whole issue is that it takes two hands to clap. The way to come to a truce is that people who come from outside to Maharashtra show some respect for Marathi culture, and for Maharashtrians to ignore useless organizations like the MNS. But there is nothing in wrong in showing respect to someone else’s culture, and it does not require you to stop following your own customs and traditions. I can’t understand why supposedly educated people like you don’t understand a trivial point that was made in the post you responded to. As for your point that “maximum industrious people are of outside origin”, I wonder whether you have made a detailed survey on this matter, or whether it is a figment of your imagination. And what are the criteria you used to define what or who is industrious?

]]> By: snita http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-248 snita Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:13:31 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-248 i dont understand why everyone is bolstering over the issue of speaking marathi in maharashtra .. n bla bla whats wrong if people stay here and converse in hindi after all its our mother tongue. MOreover we should accept the fact that mahashtra is india not india is maharashtra.Maximum industrious people here are of outside origin just put aside them and see the potential of maharastra and then one would understand the point.Guys i dont understand why the educated ones are also getting carried away by the dirty politics played by the government i dont understand why everyone is bolstering over the issue of speaking marathi in maharashtra .. n bla bla whats wrong if people stay here and converse in hindi after all its our mother tongue. MOreover we should accept the fact that mahashtra is india not india is maharashtra.Maximum industrious people here are of outside origin just put aside them and see the potential of maharastra and then one would understand the point.Guys i dont understand why the educated ones are also getting carried away by the dirty politics played by the government

]]> By: james http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-247 james Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:49:55 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-247 "where else would you tolerate even an illiterate taxi-wallah being rude to you ". that comment strikes me as racist. Would you have the same attitude to a Keralite asking you to speak in English? I doubt it. Hindi, the national language is less acceptable than English in present-day Mumbai. Targeting the "Bhaiyyas" might be easy for the MNS goons but where it could lead is dangerous as we all know. Look at what is happening recently in South Africa- a virtual war on economic immigrants from neighboring countries. I wonder how many of the MNS cadres send their children to Marathi medium schools. Probably very few. If one goes abroad, say to Italy, within a year you will be speaking good Italian, or to Moscow- good Russian. Why? Because there really is no choice. Whereas here in Mumbai 1) Hindi is more useful than Marathi 2) English is preferred by educated Maharashtrians. Targeting the innocent taxi drivers was disgraceful and the absence of police to protect them outrageous. “where else would you tolerate even an illiterate taxi-wallah being rude to you “. that comment strikes me as racist. Would you have the same attitude to a Keralite asking you to speak in English? I doubt it. Hindi, the national language is less acceptable than English in present-day Mumbai. Targeting the “Bhaiyyas” might be easy for the MNS goons but where it could lead is dangerous as we all know. Look at what is happening recently in South Africa- a virtual war on economic immigrants from neighboring countries. I wonder how many of the MNS cadres send their children to Marathi medium schools. Probably very few. If one goes abroad, say to Italy, within a year you will be speaking good Italian, or to Moscow- good Russian. Why? Because there really is no choice. Whereas here in Mumbai 1) Hindi is more useful than Marathi 2) English is preferred by educated Maharashtrians. Targeting the innocent taxi drivers was disgraceful and the absence of police to protect them outrageous.

]]> By: vishan lal http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-246 vishan lal Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:45:15 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-246 I have read with great interest all the articles written on this subject. I belong to UP and by birth Punjabi and before partition belong to Jhang district and am Jhangi also. Now with all the three tags attached to me, I am still proud of each of my root. If fact I write my poem which end with "jhangi" as takkalus (?) I know if one feels small and hurt by others' offending reactions it is because he has not true pride in himself or herself. Those who have written against the views of Shubhaji must feel first as Indian and then a Marathi or UP-walla. Our country is unique. If one travels to different parts of India, its diverse culture fascinates. By heart and deed we must try to see that this fabric of oneness does not get affected adversely. Only positive words should come out from our mouth or in writing as each word has its effect and should never be misused. I have read with great interest all the articles written on this subject. I belong to UP and by birth Punjabi and before partition belong to Jhang district and am Jhangi also. Now with all the three tags attached to me, I am still proud of each of my root. If fact I write my poem which end with “jhangi” as takkalus (?)

I know if one feels small and hurt by others’ offending reactions it is because he has not true pride in himself or herself. Those who have written against the views of Shubhaji must feel first as Indian and then a Marathi or UP-walla. Our country is unique. If one travels to different parts of India, its diverse culture fascinates. By heart and deed we must try to see that this fabric of oneness does not get affected adversely. Only positive words should come out from our mouth or in writing as each word has its effect and should never be misused.

]]> By: Ritu http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-245 Ritu Fri, 06 Jun 2008 02:25:25 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-245 Ajit, Regarding your grouse against native marathi speakers being refered to as 'Ghati', let me assure you this is not an issue of outsiders vs insiders but more so to do with the colonial hangover that we all suffer from. Native language speakers are usually made to feel inferior from the English speaking, more cosmopolitan person. in many ways. All metros have the issues you are speaking about. It is only in Bombay they are making such a brouhaha. In Delhi, 'Bhaisaab/behenji' is the terminology used for people not well-versed with English. And the Hindi and Urdu that was spoken in the days of yore was replaced by the punjabi/haryanvi of the immigrants. Also, I guess we have to remember one thing. The reason why Bombay prospered over the other metros was because it was *not* parochial. It was a great melting point of cultures from all over the country. It embraced whoever came in without making any demands. The mumbaiyya Hindi is the manifestation of that composite culture. Chennai and Calcutta on the other hand were far more tied to their regional identity and hence did not prosper that much. This sudden resurgence of Marathi pride, in the long run is going to hurt Maharastrians more than anyone else. Regards, Ritu Ajit,

Regarding your grouse against native marathi speakers being refered to as ‘Ghati’, let me assure you this is not an issue of outsiders vs insiders but more so to do with the colonial hangover that we all suffer from. Native language speakers are usually made to feel inferior from the English speaking, more cosmopolitan person. in many ways.

All metros have the issues you are speaking about. It is only in Bombay they are making such a brouhaha. In Delhi, ‘Bhaisaab/behenji’ is the terminology used for people not well-versed with English. And the Hindi and Urdu that was spoken in the days of yore was replaced by the punjabi/haryanvi of the immigrants.

Also, I guess we have to remember one thing. The reason why Bombay prospered over the other metros was because it was *not* parochial. It was a great melting point of cultures from all over the country. It embraced whoever came in without making any demands. The mumbaiyya Hindi is the manifestation of that composite culture. Chennai and Calcutta on the other hand were far more tied to their regional identity and hence did not prosper that much.

This sudden resurgence of Marathi pride, in the long run is going to hurt Maharastrians more than anyone else.

Regards,
Ritu

]]> By: Ajit http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-244 Ajit Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:21:10 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-244 Respected Shubha Mudgal-ji (and Ritu as well): I am totally against the MNS launching an attack on North Indians, or any other community for that matter. It is time we Indians took pride in the fact that people of different states freely move around. Many of the so-called outsiders have contributed immensely to the diversity of Mumbai and its growth as India's financial capital. Nevertheless there is another side to the story which also should be mentioned. If you move to another place, there is no harm in trying to learn the language or the customs of that state. (People are quick to adopt an American accent one week after they move to the US. I personally learnt new languages when I traveled abroad for my education.) At the very least, one shouldn't deride or speak disrespectfully of the Marathi language if one moves to Maharashtra. Every language has its unique charm and needs to be preserved. I am from Pune and studied in a highly 'cosmopolitan' convent school. I recall have been made fun of as a "ghati" or a "ganwar" merely because I was of Marathi lineage. So many a time people have equated Maharashtrians with good-for-nothings (which is a highly biased and parochial view) and the Marathi language as a lowly backward language (again something that is so false!) which should never be taught in schools. After decades of settling in Mumbai, so many people refuse to learn even the basics of the Marathi language. Is this right? I recall the resentment amongst people whose mother tongue wasn't Marathi, when the Marathi language was made a compulsory subject upto the 10th grade in state board exams in Maharashtra. This was around 1992/93. There is nothing wrong about it, because all vernacular languages are (and should be) taught as compulsory subjects in their respective provinces. Tamil is compulsory in all schools in Tamil Nadu which follow the SSC pattern (I am not referring to ICSE or CBSE schools). For that matter, French is compulsory in all schools in France, Quebec and Nova Scotia (Canada) and in French-speaking African countries. Of course, driving North Indians out of Maharashtra is definitely not the solution, because it will only exacerbate the discord, but I sincerely hope that people take cognisance of issues similar to the ones that I have mentioned, as well. Respected Shubha Mudgal-ji (and Ritu as well):

I am totally against the MNS launching an attack on North Indians, or any other community for that matter. It is time we Indians took pride in the fact that people of different states freely move around. Many of the so-called outsiders have contributed immensely to the diversity of Mumbai and its growth as India’s financial capital.

Nevertheless there is another side to the story which also should be mentioned. If you move to another place, there is no harm in trying to learn the language or the customs of that state. (People are quick to adopt an American accent one week after they move to the US. I personally learnt new languages when I traveled abroad for my education.) At the very least, one shouldn’t deride or speak disrespectfully of the Marathi language if one moves to Maharashtra. Every language has its unique charm and needs to be preserved. I am from Pune and studied in a highly ‘cosmopolitan’ convent school. I recall have been made fun of as a “ghati” or a “ganwar” merely because I was of Marathi lineage. So many a time people have equated Maharashtrians with good-for-nothings (which is a highly biased and parochial view) and the Marathi language as a lowly backward language (again something that is so false!) which should never be taught in schools. After decades of settling in Mumbai, so many people refuse to learn even the basics of the Marathi language. Is this right? I recall the resentment amongst people whose mother tongue wasn’t Marathi, when the Marathi language was made a compulsory subject upto the 10th grade in state board exams in Maharashtra. This was around 1992/93. There is nothing wrong about it, because all vernacular languages are (and should be) taught as compulsory subjects in their respective provinces. Tamil is compulsory in all schools in Tamil Nadu which follow the SSC pattern (I am not referring to ICSE or CBSE schools). For that matter, French is compulsory in all schools in France, Quebec and Nova Scotia (Canada) and in French-speaking African countries.

Of course, driving North Indians out of Maharashtra is definitely not the solution, because it will only exacerbate the discord, but I sincerely hope that people take cognisance of issues similar to the ones that I have mentioned, as well.

]]> By: Ritu http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-243 Ritu Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:40:47 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-243 Shubhaji, I apologise, but I do feel compelled to respond to Shubhangi's mail, which, to me exhibits an exceptionally blinkered vision. Shubhangi, you have to understand that metro cities all over are hubs that attract people from all over the country. Whether it's Biharis in Calcutta, Punjabis and Haryanavis in Delhi or Rest of the South in Chennai or people from all over the world in New York City(!). If I were a Mumbaikar, I would be proud of that fact. The Mumbai, that Raj Thackrey and his goons are now trying lay exclusive claim on was not built by Maharastrians only. There are more non-maharastrians than Maharastrians that have made Mumbai what it is today. The financial capital of the country. The hard-working Gujjus, Parsis, South Indians (forget about the Bhaiyyas for a bit). So, when Maharastrians had no problem reaping the benefit from the hard-work of another community. why do they have a problem if a third community comes in and takes a share of what you never built exclusively anyway. I think this narrow minded parochialism is so anti the spirit of what we know as Mumbai. I always feel, instead of lingustic states, we should have just taken a scale and divided the country into 52 zones. Atleast we would not have wasted breath, money and energy on worthless issues. Just my two bits Warm Regards, Ritu What about all those Maharastrians that reside in other parts of the country? If we go with your Shubhaji, I apologise, but I do feel compelled to respond to Shubhangi’s mail, which, to me exhibits an exceptionally blinkered vision.

Shubhangi, you have to understand that metro cities all over are hubs that attract people from all over the country. Whether it’s Biharis in Calcutta, Punjabis and Haryanavis in Delhi or Rest of the South in Chennai or people from all over the world in New York City(!).

If I were a Mumbaikar, I would be proud of that fact. The Mumbai, that Raj Thackrey and his goons are now trying lay exclusive claim on was not built by Maharastrians only. There are more non-maharastrians than Maharastrians that have made Mumbai what it is today. The financial capital of the country. The hard-working Gujjus, Parsis, South Indians (forget about the Bhaiyyas for a bit). So, when Maharastrians had no problem reaping the benefit from the hard-work of another community. why do they have a problem if a third community comes in and takes a share of what you never built exclusively anyway.

I think this narrow minded parochialism is so anti the spirit of what we know as Mumbai. I always feel, instead of lingustic states, we should have just taken a scale and divided the country into 52 zones. Atleast we would not have wasted breath, money and energy on worthless issues.

Just my two bits
Warm Regards,
Ritu

What about all those Maharastrians that reside in other parts of the country? If we go with your

]]> By: Shubhangi G http://shubhamudgal.com/my-land-my-state/comment-page-1/#comment-242 Shubhangi G Wed, 28 May 2008 12:08:34 +0000 http://blog.shubhamudgal.com/?p=46#comment-242 I agree to disagree and very much in a civilized fashion. I know that there is no simple answer to the chaos that prevails, and I also agree that violence and headline-grabbing violent speeches only worsen the situation. But, if you were to read general blogs, or rediff message boards, you would know that people who have come to make this state a home do not respect it or its general populace, in spiate of coming from poverty-stricken states like Orissa and Bihar. We are a people divided by one country, and I feel only disgust and anger for the way things are. It wasn't my place or position to add those comments, but you still read that and took the time to comment on it. Thank you so much! I know that behind that beautiful strong voice, there is a beautiful and strong person. I agree to disagree and very much in a civilized fashion. I know that there is no simple answer to the chaos that prevails, and I also agree that violence and headline-grabbing violent speeches only worsen the situation. But, if you were to read general blogs, or rediff message boards, you would know that people who have come to make this state a home do not respect it or its general populace, in spiate of coming from poverty-stricken states like Orissa and Bihar. We are a people divided by one country, and I feel only disgust and anger for the way things are.

It wasn’t my place or position to add those comments, but you still read that and took the time to comment on it. Thank you so much! I know that behind that beautiful strong voice, there is a beautiful and strong person.

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