Mumbai in question

If not anything else, the anger-spurts of the Marathis against North Indians in Mumbai this week would have had Abraham Lincoln sit up in his grave with a twinkle in his eyes and utter his famous words once again:
You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.
There was a time when all non-Hindi speakers were fooled. Even to this date, many of them remain fooled. But we now have proof that you can't fool all the non-Hindi speakers all the time: they hit back.

No doubt the recent events are unlawful and not worth writing home about. It's also being argued that the need for Raj Thackeray to survive in the world of politics is behind them. However, is that all there is to all this? Is this just about a set of barbarians attacking innocent hawkers on the street driven by the political ambitions of Raj Thackeray? Nobody seems to go beyond this. Nobody seems to even bring to memory the slow but certain wiping off of the Marathis and their language from Mumbai. The pain of the Marathi people is no longer questioned today; indeed, that pain has become an unwritten law.

The sad state of Marathis in Mumbai

While the Constitution of India accords the status of "official language of the union" to Hindi, its uncontrolled and unwarranted imposition on innocent speakers of the language of the land outside the walls of central government offices is perhaps on an all-India high in Mumbai. Over time, the Marathis have been made to give up their own identity as speakers of a separate tongue called Marathi which is the lawful heir to the throne at Mumbai. Instead, Hindi has usurped that throne.

Bollywood itself - the Hollywood of erstwhile Bombay - has no traces of the Marathi language left in it. The word Bollywood which should ideally denote the Marathi film industry is famous world over as the Hindi film industry. Hindi imposition seems to have worked such magic on the Marathi people that they seem to have given up hope of elevating their mother tongue to be the entertainment language of choice.

Due to all this, the Marathis see that their language has been thrown into the dustbin. They see that their own people are not getting jobs in Mumbai. They see that the interests of their own people are neglected. While Mumbai is no doubt providing employment to millions of people, they are forced to ask -- "what's in it for us, the hosts?". The answer manifests itself as an undisclosed pain in the hearts of millions of Marathis.

Obviously, this can't go on for ever. No people desirous of furthering their tribe can afford to yield to the rhetoric that they, and they alone need to be altruistic in an environment of reckless predators, however much the rhetoric be sugarcoated and temporarily fooling.

Flawed rhetoric

There is no dearth of flawed rhetoric about all these events being "against the spirit of India", "parochial" and "politically motivated".

These events are admittedly unlawful and leave a bad taste in the mouth. However, to call these as "against the spirit of India" is going overboard. In truth, these events are against the spirit of only that India into whose definition one permits an undemocratically higher status to one language and its speakers from North India called Hindi, an India which is stuck up with the task of synthesizing unity by way of Hindification, an India struggling to iron out diversity as opposed to celebrating it. It is Hindification which is against the spirit of India. These events are merely unlawful and uncivil.

The correct India is that in which unity is practiced by way of upholding diversity as opposed to destroying it. The correct India is that in which subscribers to the Federation of States are looked at as equals as opposed to unequals . The correct India is that in which the subscribing linguistic states have a fair representation in Delhi as opposed to unfair. The correct India is that in which the subscribing linguistic states have the right and duty to protect and develop their own languages, cultures and peoples. The correct India cannot impose Hindi all over India. The correct India cannot look at the people of any language, their culture and their rights with abandon.

Those who think all this is "parochial" must first understand that the scope of events pertaining to the sustenance of any linguistic populace is far from being narrow. This particular time, it is about a People called the Marathis -- close to 65 million people! That's not a few people, mind you, and the protection of the rights of millions of people of one tongue is not parochialism. If this were parochialism, our cries as a united India in the community of nations in the world is parochialism too. Why shouldn't one call as parochialism India's need to protect its borders from Pakistan? Isn't the protection of India from Pakistan too "narrow in scope"?

Now, all those who are sticking to the single-point rhetoric that the recent events are "politically motivated" have also the obligation to ask themselves as to what it was which has motivated the imposition of Hindi on Marathis, what it was which has motivated the uncontrolled migration of Hindiwallas to Mumbai to the total detriment of the Marathis, what it was which has motivated the feeling that Marathi is the language of a lesser God inside Maharashtra itself! Wasn't that motivation also "political"? It is utter foolishness, nay hypocrisy, to expect a spiritual response complete with fasts-unto-death from people at the receiving end of decades of neglect.

Tailpiece

Thus, while the sad events in Mumbai this week appear on the surface to be "parochialism" or simply "politics", one just needs to scratch the surface to understand that they are the bitter fruit of decades after decades of disrespect towards the Marathis, their language and their land. We need to understand the reasons for such outbursts without sacrificing reason to hackneyed rhetoric, set right historical wrongs and march forward. That is the right path for the progress of every Indian state, and thereby of India.

34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Finally someone who understand the sentiment of being left out and robbed in our own home.

Regular Marathi children (esp boys not coming from scheduled caste)dont get admission in colleges.Because there are no colleges offering marathi quota anywhere.

Where as there are quotas for every other caste category in maharashtra. Be it rich or poor class, you name it.

What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to progress in our own land.

Shiv Sena takes advantage of this and often terrorises by means of destruction. That isn't really the solution.

Reform has to be initiated from the politicians who have power. Administration, has to be improved, laws have to be reviewed according to the changing situation, stop corruption most of all......what are these politicians doing for betterment of our society? I really don't understand.

INDIA IS REALLY RIDICULOUS!

Anonymous said...

Dude, if you don't know the history of a place, please don't show your ignorance by displaying it in your blog.

Mumbai's lifeline is its immigrants. Ratan Tata and Godrej are Parsis, the Ambanis are from Gujrat, and Mumbai's entertainment industry employs people from across India, including a whole lot of Mumbaikars. Mumbai celebrates India like no other city does. Mumbai's proudest asset Lata Mangeshkar is from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, which according to you would be North India. The south indian restaurants are predominantly owned by Shettys from Karnataka. And yes, what binds people from all these states in Mumbai is Hindi, whether you like it or not.

What you see and hear in the newspapers is the sound of a very small section of Marathi society that could not face up to the real competition.

I am from Karnataka and welcome all outsiders who want to make it big here. This is a free country and people can move here across their will. It is difficult for narrow minded bigots like you to understand such sentiment.

Regionalism in a country is a very very dangerous thing. As an Indian, and as a Kannadiga, I condemn people bringing disrepute to my state with such narrow minded blogs that do nothing constructive but incite ordinary readers.

People from Karnataka would have been forever laidback if not for the the immigrants who have brought in the spirit of competition. The best in the business will survive, the rest who cannot will crib. And the author of this piece is a fine example

Anonymous said...

I dont know how it got turned into Marathi vs Hindi debate but even if this is taken as a defence of the Marathi culture there is a lack of concrete data to support the arguments posited in the article. The points made in the article are 'emotional' rather than something supported by facts and verifiable data. The growth of cities/states/nations economically, socially and culturally is a very complex process and happens over decades and centuries. My simple suggestion to the author of this article to carry out a survey among Marathis to find out how many Marathis would like to send their children to Marathi medium schools as opposed to English medium schools. The results of that survey should be an eye opener. This can be done in any state in India including Hindi speaking states and the results would pretty much the same. Cultural florescence or decline is in the hands of its people and has nothing to do with so called outsiders and their language. Lastly, I totally support demands for debate on ANY subject but you cant beat up people when they try to put across their point of view- if you do that then the very basis of democracy is undermined.

Anonymous said...

Definitely there is something to gain from immigrants. However, when immigrants start to dominate over the locals, a check is warranted. That's exactly the situation of Mumbai today.

So in all, a great article throwing light on the issue.

My response to Mr. Abhishek follows.

What you see and hear in the newspapers is the sound of a very small section of Indian society which is far above the rest of India which languishes in incompetence. These are the folks who eat breakfast in Delhi and lunch in Copenhagen and give two hoots for the folks "languishing in incompetence" back home.

I am from Karnataka too, but I welcome all outsiders who can help me make it big here. If all I had to do was invite those who can make it big here, I wouldn't stop at the political boundaries of India. In fact, I'd get better people form Europe or Japan to make it big here. Y'see? That's not the point. The point is - what do we gain out of those who come in?

Regionalism...ah that great word! What the !@#$ is regionalism? Why isn't it regionalism when Norties want to expand their region outside their region? Bloody hell, that's the height of regionalism!

Agree with your point that immigrants have helped us get over laidbackness. No doubt about that. This is one of the good things which comes out of immigrants. But that doesn't mean you call these "teachers" to come and sit on your head until you die because of the weight!

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

The point is not whether all Indians prefer their language to English. The point is - whether India prefers the speakers of one language over others.

Of course, in the long run (not tomorrow, mind you)!, Indians cannot afford to prefer English to their own languages.

Your point on democracy is incorrect. Democracy is not undermined when there is 'beating up'. Whether you like it or not, 'Beating up' is a way of expressing your opinion (albeit in kind!). The law must take action, of course, and bring the 'beaters' to book. The beaters and the beater-bookers must both play their part in democracy. All this is not against democracy, if you really understand the word.

Anonymous said...

Abhishek,
If you're from Karnataka, and you think you're making this comment in all your wisdom that the lives of the original inhabitants of Karnataka has improved because of the "competition" immigrants have brought along, then you are one of the last bunch of fools Karnataka needs to get rid of. But still you're talking like a scholar of history and civilization etiquette alike!

So there're a few questions to this logically thinking mind in you -
Q: why then do you think those immigrants had to come into Karnataka to bring in this competition - to make our lives better?
A: No way!

Q: Why didnt they exercise this skill of creating competition in their very own states?
A: Their states didnt have the right kurukshetras to fight the battles arising out of this competition, right? In effect their home-lands were not fertile enough to support their competitive nature, and they had to fly out! Sad!

Q: Or is it because they knew this place is full of this kind of Abhishekas in which they can take a bath to glory?
A: Perhaps, yes!

Q: Then does it mean that either our state or the states of these immigrants is underdeveloped?
A: If this immigration continues (for all unwanted reasons) that'll soon be the truth, perhaps! All Indian states will probably end up under-developed, and go to dogs!

Unknown said...

MY RESPONSE TO MR.ABHISHEK
THE GREATEST INDIAN!(HE THINKS!)

LET ME TELL U ONETHING...
KARNATKA IS MADE BY HIS PEOPLE NOT OUTSIDERS...OK.
EG.KEMPEGOWDA,NRN(INFY) ETC.,

MR.ABHISHEK LETS TAKE MARVADIS (NORTHIS),TAMILIANS,MALLUS...
YOU KNOW ONE THING
1)SO CALLED MARVADIS WILL RECRUIT ONLY HIS COMMUNITY PEOPLE AND HE ENJOYS THIS STATE BY LEAVING LOCALS
HE BRINGS HIS PEOPLE TO DO BUSSINESS TO GET RICH IN THIS PLACE AT THE COST OF LOCALS..OK..!
AND HE NEVER EVER TRIES TO SPEAK KANNADA AND ITS CULTURE ...
HE WANTS HOUSE SO HE BUYS AT VERY DEMANDING PRICE BUT FOR LOCALS THE LAND RATE INCREASES IF HE WANTS TO BUY..!

2) MR.TAMIL TAMBI WILL RECRUIT HIS TAMBIS TO INFY(NRN IS LOCALER)AT THE COST OF LOCALS...HE BUYS LAND
SO LOCALS CAN NOT AFFORD..
WHY THE BUULSHIT IS LIKE THIS? MR.ABHI THE GREATEST INDIAN!.

3)MALLUS IN THE NETWORKING HE BRINGS HIS MONKEY GROUP TO THE STATE AT THE COST OF LOCALS...
HE NEVER EVER MINGLES WITH THE SO CALLED EVER FREINDLY KANNADIGAS....
AT THE COST OF LOCAL CULTURE OK..

WHY THE REGIONALISM IS LIKE THIS MR BULLSHIT ABHISHEK THE GREATST INDIAN EVER! (HE THINKS!...)? WHAT HAVE U DONE TO THE KANNADIGAS ,LOCALS IF U BELONGS TO THIS PLACE?
WHY THESE OUTSIDERS WILL DO LIKE THIS(NORTHI,TAMILI,BENGALI,MALAYALI
REFUGEE CAMPS)WITH THE SO CALLED FRIENDLY KANNADIGAS?
TELL ME?
THIS LAND HAS PRODUCED GREATEST POETS,PEOPLE...ETC.,AND WE HAVE ENOGHU SPACE TO EAT ,LIVE OK...

OUTSIDERS R COMING TO DEVELOP THIER WEALTH ,PEOPLE ,NOT FOR LOCALS KANNADIGAS...OK...!
IF THIS GOES LIKE THIS WE DONOT WANT PEOPLE LIKE THIS...LIKE U...
AND DO NOT EVER TRY TO SCOLD THIS WEBSITE SERIOUSLY I WILL NOT ALLOW U TO LIVE HERE!....DO NOT TURN TO THIS WEBSITE ANYMORE..OF SO CALLED DEVELOPED BY KANNADIGAS!

ENGURU IS MY PULSE, BREATH OF THIS KARNATAKA.

JAI ENGURU...JAI ENGURU. KANNADAMBE GE VIJAYAVAGALU BANNI ONDU DODDA HORATA MADOONA....

Unknown said...

ENGURU,BANAVASI BALAGA IS MY PULSE,BREATH OF THE KARNATAKA

Anonymous said...

This nice write up brings to the fore the fact that Hindi speaking folk need to relook at their Rashtriya Bhasha attitude...

In Mahrashtra, some politicians want publicity in the name of the "Marathism"... It is the same everywehere.... there will always be the ever willing politician to use sensitivities of people to their own benefit... they assume the mantle of protecting rights and polarize people... this generates bad blood only... many of the marathi people would have found some echo of their sentiments in the volatile/inflammatory remarks of the Politicians...

I'am from Bengalooru / Bangalore and am a Kannadiga by birth. I too many a time hear the call for doing something to put an end to this spreading "Hindi-ness" around me...but i cannot see myself resorting to violence of any sort to improve the situation at all... i cannot hate people and hope that things will improve at all...

The need of the hour is for our Hindi speaking bretheren to realise that we too are as proud of our languages as much as they are of theirs...

So in this country of the Mahatma we can use his ways yet... let us start talking in our mother tongue or our language of choice to anyone who speaks to us in Hindi which seems to be their language of choice... this is true freedom of expression which no one can take away from us... It is only a matter of time that folks get a hang of it...

Unknown said...

To hell with these ####### guy abhishek. Its because of people like you we kannadiga's are facing so much problem everywhere. First get your thinking right do not bend your $$$ in front of outsiders to jump & screw instead screw theirs, yes it requires guts which i doubt you may not have.

So stop supporting outsiders and instead help kannadiga's in a way u could.

Anonymous said...

I am A PROUD KANNADIGA staying (temporarily ;) ) abroad, met lots of foreigners who have travelled lengths and breadths of india...what they appreicate is : "UNITY AMONGST DIVERSITY". TRY AND PRESERVE IT NOT DESTROY IT. I completely agree with the blog.
SISYAN ENGURU...LEVELL-E BERE ARTICLE DU..KURCHI MELE NINTKONDU CHAPPALE THATTIDINI :)
/DG

Nandan S R said...

Well said Vinu.

NAN PRAKARA THE PROBLEM HERE IN KARNATAKA IS THAT THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

What i feel is that the Kannada should be made compulsory from standard 1 to 2nd PUC. Doesnt matter which school or college. Avaga students ge Kannada bagge abhimana bande baratte. I have seen schools in Bengalooru where the students speak in other languages apart from Kannada, English and so called national language hindi. This is a very bad development for us.

"GIDAVAGI BAGGADDU MARAVAGI BAGGEETHE"

So the root cause is that Kannada is not made compulsory.

I think Mr.ABHISHEK has completed his schooling and college in these kind of school and college. I think its better if Mr. ABHISHEK shuts his mouth and dont blog any more.

Kriti Kalwad said...

I am a person who is very interested in the idea of a language and hence have made an effort to learn quite a few languages. Each language has it's own beauty and NOBODY can "induce abhimaana"! That is by far the most ridiculous idea I've heard so far! It's as good as threatening someone to like someone/something.
Coming to the post.. I don't understand the need of showing Anybody that you like and respect your language or any other language especially through something as barbaric as violence.
Idealists still dream of a borderless world and here we are fighting inside the range of a country the size of India. God save our country from falling apart.

Anonymous said...

abishek anta nan maklu irodrindle naveu kannadadavaru oost agirodu.
asking for kannada and fighting for rights of kannadigas in karnataka is not regionalism or fanaticism. Fanaticism is if i want kannada to be in west bengal.. dont u get it? when i want to do business in bengalooru, i would want to do it in kannada the language , not in the language of one ***hole northie who comes here to make a living. he is a fanatic and all outsiders are fanatic if they come here, never learn kannada, never respond in kannada when someone speaks to them in kannada and never gets into the mainstream of the local culture and life. Abhishek will realise when he loses his job to a tamil just because the interviewer was a tamil / or lose a promotion to a bengali just because the manager is a bengali!! ee tara sariyagi goota ikkiskondre gottagutte.. how they have brought in competitive idea .. nan maklu avaru madidre regionalism alla.. navu kelidre maatra regionalism.. abishek man!! open your eyes to reality.. ilandre nale nin maklige karnatakadalli jaaga irolla.. bihar ge hogi jeevana madbekgutte!!!

Unknown said...

"What it was which has motivated the uncontrolled migration of Hindiwallas to Mumbai to the total detriment of the Marathis, what it was which has motivated the feeling that Marathi is the language of a lesser God inside Maharashtra itself! Wasn't that motivation also "political"?"

Political?!?! Pray how? Ppl migrating to Mumbai frm all over India is akin to ppl frm all over the world immigrating to NYC in search of better lives and opportunuites! What's political in it?
2ndly, why would you wantt them to learn Marathi when they can do without?
3rdly, Mumbai must follow the example of NYC and welcome all. The Govt. must ensure equal right to all so that li'l scope remains for communal clashes. Why must a Marathi be preferred over a Mallu or a Punjabi -- wouldn't that be unconstitutional?
4thly, the Hidni film industry happens to be biggest happens to be in Bombay may be because it is the commercial capital not besides being the Marathi capital.

Anonymous said...

Kush,

1. It's political because the migration of Hindiwallas to non-Hindi states is the effect of the political ambitions of a handful few who secured the undemocratically higher status to Hindi during the time the constitution of India was being written.

2. Because Marathi is the language of the land in Maharashtra, and as days progress, Marathi language and people should improve. With this, the usage of Marathi language should increase. If outsiders don't learn Marathi, they are the losers.

3. Mumbai - or for that matter Bangalore - must welcome all as long as the local language, culture and people are not affected in a bad way.

4. The very reason why the Hindi film industry is biggest in India is because of Hindi imposition all over India. There was no reason why students in Mah or Kar should have ever learnt Hindi. First they were made to learn, and then the Hindi film industry came about. So y'see? This is also political.

Anonymous said...

Again, an excellent post! To every individual who says "why should we learn Marathi, its not fruitful is it." Well, sadly thats not the attitude I subscribe too, everything doesnt boil down to black and white will it help will it not equations. The Germans could have spoken in English, did they? So could have the French? So could have the Chinese? You see, what makes us unique is the fact that I am a Maharashtrian and I bring with myself certain cultural values and ethos, so does someone from Karnataka, or Tamil Nadu or Mizoram. However, to impose and dictate a certain language and to show a completely lack dismal attitude to the language of the state you are living in is not acceptable. Dont be fluent in Marathi, but at least give it a shot! I know I'd do the same if I were in Bengal or Gujarat or Kerala, because that is what makes me Indian..not wheather I speak in Hindi or not.

kannadiga said...

Outsiders come here to make their fortune - not to develop Bangalore. Since when did outsiders stop doing favouritism here?
We should stop replying to outsiders in Hindi. Our ignorance that Hindi is the national language must go. India does not have any national language. As per 2001 census, only 41% of indian population consider hindi as mother tongue. This means remaining 59% (majority) does not speak hindi.

Vasanth Seshadri said...

Congrats for this courageous and truthful blog. I agree with most of the points here.

Please see my views at

http://vasanthseshadri.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/violence-in-maharashtra-the-root-cause/

Unknown said...

some one called abhishekh, who claims himself to be kannadiga ironically says hindi to be national language,,,,,i have some thing to discuss in regard,,,,
keep aside philosophies,it is universal truth,natures law that we all human beings have our own unique set of genes & every one is unique,and we need to be one identity at one time,you can be either male or female at one but can not be both,thats something against rule of nature,,,
in the same way we can truely saying either kannadiga or indian at a time,,,,we individuals carry a strong,basic bond like basically can be either kannadiga,marathi,bengali,tamilian,punjabi,,,gujrATHI ,this bond forms 'core' etc,though politically we have some sort of arrangement which is outer layer & tends to be very fragile as compared former basic bond and quite natually,,, so this thin fragile layer surrounds the core basic bond,in such situation when a force tries to manipulate that 'core' it rips off the outer layer which has weak bond with core,,,
when former the soviet union when went ahead to impose its communist rule on it's union states,,,it succumbed with break up of USSR,,
in indian context,,the indian union is using 'hindianisation'instead of communalism,,no more differences,,,,so the result seems to be similar,,,,only solution is doing away with Hindianisation,,other wise the concept of INDIA it self for all certain disappear.

kannadiga said...

These people call us 'parochial' when we try to bring up our language & traditions. When will they realize that they are being parochial too, when they enforce Hindi everywhere? Isnt this similar to goondaism?

Anonymous said...

Those who say we dont learn Marathi will lose out and always remain an outsider in Mumbai. I dont support the violence but this kind of reaction was bound to happen. Centre should wake up and discontinue its apathy towards Maharashtra. Marathi and Maharashtrians are being marginazlised in their own land.

Anonymous said...

Friends, dont be extremist is our views. Local culture/ language must be respected but not to be point of effacing identity of the 'outsider' because all of us are at one time or other were outsiders. Just give time to so called outsider to soak in the local culture. Roal of Hindi in national unification can not be belittled.Dont disparage others.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

Hindi has never united India. The whole funda that one language needs to be newly employed to unite India shows that unity does not exist. There is no unity in India when it comes to language, or in general when it comes to any other diversity such as culture, race, caste, etc. The point is to accept this diversity and celebrate it. Not talk as if the diversity itself does not exist.

I agree that outsiders should be given time to soak in local language and culture. But what if that time is 10 years? What if that time is 2-3 generations? What if those generations after generations of outsiders develop the audacity to start demeaning local culture / language and go to the extent of replacing locals completely in jobs?

Anonymous said...

What is this India and Indian ? I think these terms are artificial creations.This can be easily realised when we go to somebody and ask him , who are you ? Nobody ever says Indian.Everybody says I am a tamil , mallu , bengali , punjabi , gowda , jat , jha or Iyer.This India does not exist at all except in the mind of ill-thinking liberals.

India has been invented to further North Indian Imperialism. The concept of "Idea of India" serves North Indian exploitation only. According to this grand idea , Marathis and Kannadigas should starve so that North Indians can eat well and sleep well. If we object to it we are narrow-minded and parochial.

Anonymous said...

Personally I consider these things to be of artificial creations.This can be easily verified when you go out on the streets and ask somebody who he is ? He will tell you I am a tamil , bengali , gujarati , punjabi , jat , gowda or iyer.Nobody says I am an Indian.

This "India" and the "Idea of India" has been invented by North Indians to exploit others. According to this "Idea of India" Maharashtrians and Kannadigas and ppl of North-East have to give up their livelihood and jobs to support the North Indians. They have to give preference to North Indians first.

In retrun what the North Indians do ? Nothing. In the 50 years of independence , the North-Eastern states have been exploited for their jute and timber but no development has been given in return. Even educated North Indians do not know the names of the NE states and simply refer to their inhabitants as "Chinkis" or Chinese.

North Indians did not know the name of the four south indian states till the software revolution. Once anybody makes a lot of money North Indians begin to get to know them very well. Very crude type of people.

North Indians also make a hue and cry about cross-border terrorism but did nothing when Srilankan Navy routinely harrassed tamil fisherman.Only LTTE gave protection. North Indians also not able to stop influx of Muslims from Bangladesh who have ruined NE states. If NE states had been independent , they would have dealt with bangladeshi immigrant problem by now.

Essentially we have a selfish gang of looters and punderers using terms like "India" and "Idea of India" to arrogate all resources of the country for themselves.

lalit said...

Hey man... chetan.. i think there are some people who understand the real point behind raj,s activity in mumbai and dont get fooled by the incorrect presentation by Hindi Media...the reason why this caused a huge agitation is that people are really fed up with this people... they dont talk marathi.. they question why shold we talk in marathi..there are all central offices in mumbai like VSNL, MTNL, RBI,etc u will find 95% of the people in these offices are Non Marathis.... & they talk about parochilism....railways u will find all the people in are bhaiyyas even in south u will find most bhaiiyas in railways.... they shold understand what local are going through.. otherwise some day or other it will lead to bloodshed..these people come here grab the land .. free water conncetion, free electricity.. that is why local taxpayer is suffering...he is not getting the facilities he shold get....maharashtra, karnataka, gujrat , andhra, tamilnadu is progressing and the revenue which we send to centre is more distributed to up and bihar... states.. u must have seen the railway budget u can understand... i support raj for his stand... either this will happen now or never.....

kannadiga said...

I also believe that Hindi has never united in India. Rather, it has been the cause of divide. I also support Jughead's point. What if the outsider takes 15 - 20 years to understand local culture? Suppose the migrant has settled here, we are not asking him/her to forget his/her culture. They are free to practice their own culture at their home in Karnataka. They are free to talk in any language at their home. While out in public, as a basic courtesy to the state which has provided them livelihood, cant they speak in the local language? By promoting Hindi, we are destroying the local culture.
I have a question here: what is the problem with North Indians in speaking in English - atleast if they can't speak in kannada? I really want to know the reason for English hatred among North Indians. All those people who say 'we should think like Indians first', fail to understand that English is what is uniting and progressing the country. Why cant these people promote English?

Anonymous said...

Mumbai's proudest asset Lata Mangeshkar is from Indore, Madhya Pradesh,

That's news to me, thanx 4 adding to my GK, I used to believe she her roots were very much in GOa and her Kuldaivat was Mangeshi. BTW if the Maharashtrian settled in MP (which was the part of Maratha empire) comes back to their hometown to Maharashtra can not be called as 'migrant' isn't it?

Thank you blogger for voicing our agony ....

.....ಆಗ ಸಂಜೇ ಆಗಿತ್ತ...... said...

hi... talkin abt reginalism... i want to share with u ppl wht happened in my BE's wipro interview... I am a person born n brought up in Bangalore... I hd a frn in BE from Chennai... we both hd made it to the hr interview... my frnd gt recruited cos she was from chennai n the interviewer was from chennai.. all tht happened in her interview was: "wher r u from?... from chennai (though she's been livin in Bangalore from past 10 yrs )... oh gr8!! I'm from chennai too... thnk u "... thts all was the interview... I till now in my experience hv nt seen any Kannadiga do this. I think the kannadiga courtesy n honesty is itself showing all the bad effects n becomin the cause for Kannadigas. There's no solution to such ppl.. is there? whom can we complain to?

n one more thin.. ppl from tamil nadu in my company r tryin to learn hindi.. !!! look at the state of Kannada n bangalore.. whn i told thm to learn kannada, I was laughed at... alas, I don know wht to do :(

Anonymous said...

The imposition of the regional language of states like UP and Bihar on the people of other states is the cause for all the problems in India. The regional language of Hindia can never unite India. It will only divide India. Hindia is not India and Hindi is NOT the national language of India! Either all languages are regional langugaes with English, which IS an Indian language, the only pan-Indian link language or all languages spoken in India (including English) are national languages!

I don't know why people have been fooled into believing the bullshit dished out by Hindians that Hindi is the national language of India.

The violence in Maharashtra against people from UP and Bihar was not started by Rajsaheb Thackeray. It started because Hindi speaking people from UP and Bihar, supported by criminal goons like Abu Azmi, wanted to violently replace Marathi with Hindi in Mumbai. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena could never tolerate such a thing. Also, the violence was not against all outsiders, not even all Hindians for that matter. It was only against Hindi imperialists from UP and Bihar who wanted to wipe out the national language of the people of Maharashtra from Mumbai and replace it with their own language. Rajsaheb Thackeray only opposes such narrow-minded regionalism and Hindi fascist linguo-nazism of the Hindians in general and the Uttar Pradeshis and Biharis in particular. Non-Hindi states need broad-minded patriotic politicians like Rajsaheb Thackeray. It is the only way to ensure that the most corrupt, most criminal and most notorious politicians from UP and Bihar do not ruin India. The criminal politicians of UP and Bihar have ruined those two states completely and now they want to ruin the whole of India. Nobody wants the whole of India to be turned into UP or Bihar.

@Sandhya: Not all the people from Tamil Nadu are like the people in your company. I can understand Kannada to a certain extent though I have never lived in Karnataka. I cannot understand Hindi to the extent I can understand Kannada. Besides, I would learn the national language of the people of the state where I live and not Hindi. It makes me sad to read about your experience at the interview, though.

Anonymous said...

Raj, it's good to know tht all tamilians r not like this... I wish every Indian understands the value of every state, it's culture n it's language... only then India can b India n karnataka, kannada can prosper in such an India

Anonymous said...

It's just a matter of time b4 the northies overwhelm the ppl of karnataka....These morons with their huge populations keep coming in droves...Drastic steps should be taken...Only d educated n skilled northies should be allowed so as 2 develop our state...d rest of these illiterate idiots(which r huge in number) should be thrown out...bt who will take such steps? Sadly no 1...D way these monkeys keep coming it ll be a matter of time b4 hindi will be d language of bangalore... V have to stop them my dear friends

gowri said...

i have to disagree about what abhishek said..i dont know what he is thinking and if he is truely a kannadiga..I live in nj..and visit bengaluru very frequently..the vegetable vendors,auto drivers no one speaks kannada anymore...its kinda of sad to see the state of kannada.
immigration of other people from different parts of india are welcome..but at what cost??? people who come to settle in bengaluru should blend with the kannadigas and learn or at least try to speak kannada..no one does...they never even try to make an effort...on the other hand they try to push or influence their culture/traditions..ignoring completely kannadiga traditions...this i think is not fair..
and the great abhishek said that bengaluru would have been laid back if not for the immigrants and competition..give us a break on that abhishek...i dont know in what context you used this word..cox laid back attitutde is a individual attribute..its each once own personality..not all kannadigas are like that...
look at all the great kannadigas who have contributed to this society..(.i hope you know some of them at least...).are they laid back????
the only things the immigrants have done to bengaluru is rise in real estate,introducing the name "supari killers"making bengaluru dirty...traffic jams..thats what we got from them...
so when you write something like this so sensitive...u need to think about 2 sides of the coin...

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