To be or not to be – A Marathi in Mumbai????

I am actually putting forth a question, contrast to the one that is being debated about. Should I be proud of being A Marathi in Mumbai or feel isolated and alienated?

The arising of this question in itself raises doubt to my feeling of belonging and love for my motherland. I am a Mumbaikar but still I am trying to be neutral and analyse the whole situation wherein I found myself staring at the above question.I am not analyzing any political viewpoints or inclinations nor am I Gung-ho about the movement that North Indians must be kicked out.

But somewhere down the line I feel the so called Rules of “Cosmopolitan” City are being applied to Mumbai only. Let me be very clear that Mumbai has whole heartedly accepted all its incoming guests where people have made fortunes and indirectly contributed to the growth of the city and the nation. The scale at which this has occurred is enormous as compared to any other city in India not even our capital. This has strained the infrastructure and DNA of this city but it has not complained till now. Statistics will prove this statement nevertheless. After having toured throughout India and abroad, I still feel Mumbai is the city that breathes life into you and gets you going. You may curse it for all varied reasons but believe me you will long to come back to this city when away from it.

The people who have come from outside have become a part of the city but the problem arises when these people try to put their own people in place of the locals. This can be evidently seen from examples like colleges built only for these so called “Minorities”. A trivial thing like the decision to write Sign Board of a shop in Marathi/Devanagari script causes a furore when it can be evidently seen the same happening in metro cities like Kolkata, Chennai and even cities like Ahmedabad and Bengaluru. The reason for hatred is partially politically oriented and is given too much air by the people on both sides of the table. For example -  An non Marathi MLA of Newly elected Maharashtra assembly firstly announces that he wouldn’t take oath in Marathi when no one has asked him or no one is bothered, but this is done purposely with varied political motives. And the reaction which we saw was glorified and the whole issue which had subdued after the elections being given new air and portrayed as Marathi vs Hindi row. These needless provocations are the ones I am worried about. These are the ways to divert the attention and polarize the people. Similar is the case of Chhat Puja which is being celebrated by North Indian population for a long time now in Mumbai. But an unnecessary glorification was done last year to win a popular sentiment and finally votes.

What I want to convey is that we citizens should not fall pray to such political provocations as we have all seen the most fierce some enemies turn out to be the best friends in no time and we all are left wondering. The political equation keeps changing and we the usual sufferers of it. We as educated citizens should get influenced by this and propagate the real message what we know is logically correct.

Coming back to the point of being a Marathi in Mumbai, I feel it’s not just the question of rights but a logical conclusion that the locals should be preferred at least at the lower string levels of public service and in organisations. This same is being followed all over the country and we here are being isolated for fighting for it. I expect all the incoming people to respect the culture, language and traditions of Mumbai and Maharashtra and by doing this we are not asking them to commit a crime nor a favour. It’s an unwritten rule wherein you become a part and parcel of the place where you stay and tend to follow the tradition and culture of that place.

Let’s keep our Mumbai one of the best places to live rather than just straining its resources and limitations. Constructively we have to fight the REAL issues facing us.......

Anish