Wondered what is the State of Maharashtra up to? It is up to being more Marathi than before.
Years
back Marathi signboards and name hoardings for shops and business
establishments were made mandatory. The rules also insisted that in case the
name is written in more than one language, then the Marathi name should come in
the beginning and should not be of a smaller font size than other languages
used on the board. Now the Marathi-ness
is being taken a step (in fact two steps) further.
The
Multiplexes have been ordered to assign one screen for Marathi films during the
prime time slot (6pm to 9pm).
The
ministers want that all official work and documentation shall be conducted in
Marathi in the State Secretariat Office.
In
the first instance, the intention seems harmless and even progressive to an
extent. But the problems of Marathi films need more than compulsive screening
at multiplexes. Marathi films have a legacy of V Shantaram. The real strength
of Marathi films has mostly been in its story and content. However, the
industry has been struggling to cope up with the onslaughts of Bollywood in
terms of budget, among many other things. Marathi films are more often low on
budget. Indian audience (or at least a major part of it) is used to grandeur on
cinema screens. Thus, it is unfortunate that a regional film low on budget but
heavy with content on social issues do not attract many. The government’s contribution in budget
assistance is minimal and if this can be studied further to address inherent
film making issues, many problems can be resolved in the first stage of
regional film making. Similarly, about
80% of regional films are shot digitally but there are few government subsidies
or similar provisions to promote such films. On the contrary, government grants
subsidies for regional cinema shot on films. This doesn’t solve much purpose.
Instead it is forcing film-makers to choose the mode of film shooting that will
avail them a better subsidy rather than a mode which is in sync with time and
technology. Hence, though the multiplex orders seem like a change to be
welcomed, the inherent issues remain ignored.
As
far as speaking Marathi for official work is concerned, the rule seems archaic
and obviously inconvenient. If the intention is to instill a sense of pride in
Marathi language, then pride cannot be forced. In past, there have been panels
and committees set up to study ways of promoting and preserving Marathi
language. These suggestions included
· Promotions
and raises be linked to usage of Marathi for government officials and other
governmental establishments like schools
· Officials
to monitor ‘correct usage of Marathi on television channels
· Grants
to be withheld for non usage or wrong usage of Marathi in specific institutions
under the government
These
and such suggestions raise doubts about the intention behind rule. In a secular
state, people should be encouraged; not forced to learn and imbibe different
cultures and languages. Besides, can we demand respect for language by forcing
people to speak in it? Isn’t the language of respect missing in insisting on
respecting a language?
