I am not a Marathi manoos, but if I was one, this is what I would be screaming from the rooftops.
Because the literate factions of the community know Raj is misleading the gullible members, his heart does not bleed for the community, he is like any other self-serving neta.
Because they know this sort of hate politics is going to destroy this nation, when it is the external enemies and our pressing internal problems we should be collectively focussing on.
Because they know Raj’s actions will come home to haunt the community, Marathis working in other states can and WILL come under pressure in good time. There are enough goondas in every state of India.
Because they know there is no heroism in bullying and kicking poor students from other states.
Because they know Thackeray is smearing the image of the entire community by waging hate in their name, and silence means quiet acceptance of this repugnant situation.
I fervently appeal to all my Marathi speaking pals to raise their voices against this goonda. Especially in the Marathi newspapers, television channels, and radio stations. And try to make the gullible members of the community aware of Thackeray’s real agenda.
Because they must know once the Marathis reject this man for his hateful and violent ways, Thackeray will have no choice but to build his party on the development agenda. Or, quietly fade away.
Jai Maharashtra!
11 comments:
Hi Anil,
I am a Marathi speaking person, and my views on this are on my blog:
http://love-marks.blogspot.com/
Cheers!
Dear Anil, I am wondering about the following points as a Maharashtrian born in good old Mumbai. l. Why does not the government call Raj Thackeray and hear what bothers him? Is there a genuine case of injustice against the poor maharashtrians who need jobs as much as the north Indians. Someone should file an RTI case to find out the employment figures in the railways and whether Lalu has filled their ranks with class IV Bihari employees so that his place as an MP is guaranteed. We want to know the truth though what Raj is doing is abominable, I don't give Lalu better marks either. He is as much a goonda as Raj. What we in India need more is 'negotiations' and dialogue to sort out problems rather than violence. Why doesn't anyone think of sorting out problems rather than resorting to crime?
Happy Diwali from Vimla Patil
Anil,
I sincerely endorse your views and will raise the voice as you wish in Marathi media. But would you and likeminded English journos endorse Marathi woes and write for the same in English papers? Would you accept Marathi People's first right over Mumbai and Maharashtra as per BHASHA WAR PRANT RACHANA by central Government though it belongs to every Indian? Would English press media give enough space to Marathi readers' views regarding their linguistic pride or their criticism against English press writings regarding the same? Would English media ever accept preference for Marathi over English in every field of Mumbai and Maharashtra? Would they stop efforts to make Mumbai a Union Territory? Would they accept Marathi as a compulsory subject in English medium schools of Maharashtra and Mumbai? All these Marathi woes are certainly in accordance with the Indian constitution and don't pose threat to national integration Bullying and kicking poor students is
certainly not heroism but neither is malpractice followed in exam procedure and not publishing the exam ads in regional papers.
Regards,
Ashutosh
Anil, i can't agree with you more. what's going on is sheer nonsense. Destruction of public property at will is something to be dealt with severely. The marathi manoos burns buses here in protest. and the Bihari manoos burns trains there in protest. Soon, people in every state will start attacking outsiders, including the Marathi manoos working outside maharashtra. the question is, where are we headed and who's showing the way? Jai Bharat
Sir..I have been thinking it might be interesting to know the reactions of the mass Marathi manoos..if he reads abt Thakeray's family etc. How they may advocate Marathi..their children still study English. How Raj held his nose abt using the Indian style loos rather than going "desi"..!! How many people know abt these and other facts?? Has anyone ever questioned how many of these activists are showing violence out of "idealism"?? My guess is the goons have been "paid" to spread the violence and thus create a "show of strength".
Another interesting point..Has anybody even seen a Marathi manoos outside Maharashtra state?? Yes..u might find them outside India..practising as doctors,engineers etc..but within India..u will not see them so commonly in other states as commonly as u may find a South Indian or a Bihari or a Bong..who u will see in equal distribution in all other states as much as their own home states...!! I think that alone shud tell u something abt the "abilities" of the average Marathi manoos..
This is not meant to be abt bashing the Marathi manoos...but merely pointing out facts for discussion and analysis..hoping all that self introspection wud throw up some interesting answers for all concerned..
Dont u think sometimes Marathi zatka is needed in such cases?nobody advocates harassing poor people like taxiwalas,but strong protest like this gives the Marathi Manoos as u call us an assurance tht nobody like Jaya dare to ridicule us.
Jai Bhavani,Jai Shivaji,Jai Maharashtra
i am sure that he has taken some non-acceptable actions, and he is also the most politcally-incorrect person i know in Mumbai, atleast....
however, what infuriated me is that media has been biased in a lot of cases...i switched on the tv after his bail, n i saw his followers celebrating an early diwali n being interviewed..i heard stuff about Raj Thackeray being a saint n a revolutionary....n how every marathi manoos is proud to have such a leader....all i saw was his half-knowing followers evrywhr praising him...
what i didn't see was interviews of the marathi manoos who suffered bcos of his actions....
at one point we have certain news channels who giv us distorted versions of Thackeray's speeches....n on the other hand portraying him as a saint....
i wonder what our fellow marathi people might have to face in the other states...
i would really want the media to be more responsible n instead of just sensationalising n terrorizing the people....concentrate more on what is being done(? to tame the man....
I am extremely distressed at reading some of the comments. Everyone seems to be denouncing Raj’s methods but with clear riders. Maybe he has a point. But Lalu is a goonda too. Marathi people’s first right over Mumbai. What’s going on, guys? Are we going to allow this goonda to destroy all that Mumbai stands for by giving him support? Has rabid parochialism taken over our pride in the city, a truly Indian city with a heart of gold? A melting pot of cultures and religions, a microcosm of India that the rest of the nation only dreams of being? Are we in race with rustics like Lalu? If this is the way literate Marathis think, I am afraid this once great city is on a free fall into oblivion and irrelevance. I won’t be surprised if in good time many industries seek alternate destinations. For the first time in my life I am actually contemplating quitting the city I have lived all my life in. Alas!
and i am never coming back anil...i lived for 25 years in mumbai and i was born there too....the rest of my 11 years i have spent here in bangalore. i can speak both marathi and kannada quite well...what does this make me a maharashtrian or kannadiga?? i also know gujarathi and tamil....i yearned to come back to mumbai but not anymore especially after seeing some guy hijack a bus!!! i am an indian who wants peace and not violence. my father of my nation is mahatma gandhi....who is yours??
My parents are presently out of Bombay..Am worried for their safety when they finally return to the city. As Southies..they cud also stick out like sore thumbs..and makes me feel they are also vulnerable..never mind the fact that my mom has studied entirely in the same city and can speak marathi as good as a local wud.
at this rate..if the govt persists in inaction...the city is going to be ruined..i wudnt want to return to such a city.
let raj thackeray keep the city for himself..having said that let him also take the responsibility and bear the brunt of the ire of persons outside the state who cud and surely wud attack his beloved "marathi manoos" who are based there.
very sad thing indeed..!!:-(
Agreed that Raj's style of protest is not correct, but let's not ignore that he has a cause to fight for.
Every city has it's own limitations and Mumbai's capacity has been overloaded and still loads of people from other states are entering every day, which is creating an excess load on the State Government by way of providing clean drinking water, Electricity, good roads etc. It is due to this reason that People who have been staying here since last 40 / 50 years are suffering since they need to share the limited resources with the outsiders.
Raj is right when he's talking about stopping their entry, at the same time, he's clear that his move is not against people who have settled here before the year 2000. He's only speaking about evicting outsiders who have entered post 2000, which is in line with the Government of Maharashtra's decision to stop recognizing them as its domiciled citizens.
It is OK when Countries like US stop giving out Visa's for Indians and other Nationals, then what's wrong if Maharashtra or any other state tries to do the same for their own betterment?
The sad part is that we people criticize the Government for water shortage, Load Shedding, Bad roads, Lack of Parking Space etc., but not one Citizen has ever thought of analyzing the situation and dared to speak on the issue, which I feel, Raj has attempted to do. He has been speaking on this issue since years, but who's listening???
Let’s not be under the wrong impression that this issue is limited only to Maharashtra and is not being experienced in other states. The original locals of Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad also have similar feelings against outsiders, ever since they became the IT Hubs, the only difference is they are not as vocal today, as much as Maharashtra. But that day is not too far and will arrive soon. And this is not true only within India, but will happen world over... In US, it has already started and very soon things will catch-up with other Countries. I dread the thought, if all Countries ask outsiders to go back to their countries, what will be the state of our country?
So let’s not turn a blind eye to this issue and treat what Raj has to say as an EYE OPENER, before things go out of control.
Protest against any issue needs to be carried in a calm and peaceful manner, but people who have resorted to such style of protest have gone un-noticed and ignored due to lack of publicity & follow-up by the Politicians and the Media. Medha Patkar, Khairnar, Anna Hazare, Nana Chudasama and many others have stood-up, so many times, for a good cause, but the Biased Media has never highlighted their efforts to the extent as much as the Anti-Publicity Campaign they carry out against Raj?
This, in no way justifies violence, but I would like to stress here that the Responsible Media needs to fight for the right cause and support People like Ms. Patkar and likes.
Instead of spreading hatred against people, the Media and the Politicians need to try and understand the issue and look for a solution on a larger perspectve.
As regards Raj, let the Law of the land take it's own course, which is already under process, but when will the so called RESPONSIBLE MEDIA and THE POLITICIANS stop dividing the People and States of India???
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