With resounding cries of “Har Har Mahadev” a relatively small number of very brave men and women gave a piece of land in the western region of India, bordering the vast Arabian Sea an independent identity. That identity developed over some 400 years, and after much further strife, into the present day Maharashtra. That is at least what the history books (including countless number of poems, songs, plays and, of course, films) tell us.
What is so special about this particular slice of the great Indian cake? Is it the strategic location, with the sub-continent’s largest commercial city? Or is the natural beauty, with the great plains and plateaus of the east rising up to magnificent heights towards the west and then, quite abruptly, giving way to a vast sapphire ocean? Or is that nebulous word “culture” – the all-encompassing, tradition and novelty embracing, concept that is somehow said to link those who live within and provide a subtle (and at times not so subtle) distinction from those without?
For someone who has lived the better part of her life on the outside, I clearly don’t have the answers. However, what I and a handful of other very enthusiastic people, with varying levels of this knowledge, have undertaken is to bring a flavour of “Maharashtrian-ness” to the rolling hills of South Wales.
At the European Marathi Sammelan 2012 Wales the driving intention is to celebrate Maharashtra, with Maharashtrians living all over the world. We are not the first in Europe to do so, and we will certainly not be the last. Our novelty is perhaps that, for the first time in the history of this 15 year old tradition, we will ask a question, and hold a live debate, get the attendees’ views and present those of some very eminent Maharashtrian thinkers and doers, namely that “Why is Maharashtra relevant to today’s NRI youth”?
I believe, however, that this question is applicable not only for the purposes of the debate. It seems to me to be relevant at a fundamental level. For those of us who have spent decades in other countries amongst other “cultures”, why is “Maharashtra” and “Maharashtrian-ness” continually relevant? Why should we celebrate it with such enthusiasm every two years? Why should Maharashtrians from all over Europe and elsewhere take a few days out of their precious schedules and meet other like-minded, and perhaps not so like-minded, people and enjoy some time of reminiscing about the old, and experiencing some new, joys of this piece of land?
As I said, I don’t have the answers although I will be attending on the 4-6th of April to perhaps get some clarity. We, the committee of EMS2012Wales, hope sincerely that all of you who read this blog will also be there – there will be undoubtedly a great deal to be enjoyed and even more to be simply imbibed. See the website (ems2012wales.org.uk for more details).
However, before that, in the hopes that we get to know some of you beforehand, perhaps you could try answering my questions?
Nice piece.
ReplyDeleteShaw said, "patriotism is a feeling that my nation is better than the other nations because 'I' was born in it." !!!
ReplyDeleteI guess human is an animal who can't help living in a 'group' but has a basic instinct of being alone....
The comfort and security an individual finds in a group is at the core of the concepts like family, village, town, city, state, nation, cast, religion etc etc etc.
The list is unending.
Language is a very common and quite an important aspect on which a 'group' is formed. And I guess that is our matter of interest here.
I think that though we overtly name the group as Maharashtrians and associate it with Marathi, the common language spoken ; there are plenty of sections or sub groups within that group. The cognizance of major subgroups is important to help defining the Maharashtrian-pana. For example in the context of something like the EMS, subgroups formed on the basis of different age groups or say generations have to be taken into consideration Seperately. The context, relevance and/or importance of being a 'Maharashtrian' could be different for these different groups. And so, if we decide to talk about ' why is Maharashtra relevant to today's NRi youth?' ; without getting emotional we probably need to rephrase it a bit. To let the discussion have a little openess and a better clarity, is it better to rephrase it to, ' If and to what extent is Maharashtra relevant to today's NRI youth?' ? Just a thought.....
Have got a few other thoughts too but I think I shall keep them for a later date!!!!
Atul Kulkarni...
Well said Atul! Needing and getting the comfort in finding a 'common thread' of language is wonderfully soothing, especially when one is living in a foreign land. Hence, getting together under the umbrella of sammelan- s is a happy pretense to share the utter joys of this 'common thread'!
ReplyDeleteAnd again, the inherent / inbuilt need to go back to our roots, to keep in contact, to keep getting the nourishment .... we cannot not ignore that.
I like the rephrase in Atul's writing: 'If and to what extent is Maharashtra relevant to today's NRI youth?' The question is focused direction for thoughts. As youth, and as responsible adults, how could we establish and maintain lasting contact with Maharashtra / marathi -pana / contribute to it's future?
Madhura
Carrying on with the above thread, I would like to touch on a few points raised.
ReplyDeleteThe question - Why is Maharashtra relevant to expatriates be they Youth or Adults - could be turned into - Does Maharashtra need to be relevant to today's expatriates - especially NRI Youth?
All aspects of identity, roots, culture are contextual in my opinion. We have amongst us perfectly "British-Indian" youngsters who just crave to go to the place they spent a few early years of their lives in. Other similarly perfect young "British Indians" may have a mild curiosity about their place of origin but may not be keen to visit it too often. This perceived dichotomy might arise, in my opinion, from the strata of society that one originates from. If you have been born and brought up in the higher echelons with all the inherent privileges, then the memories that you carry and the places that you are eager to go to, are those that give you great pleasure and a sense of well being albeit through, I feel, "rose-tinted" spectacles.
My statement above might seem blatantly obvious but there is no denying the fact that in the whole World as in India or Maharashtra there are worlds within worlds and worlds exclusive of worlds that people live in.
So, "if and to what extent relevance" is contextual in my opinion.
However, does that negate or render irrelevant efforts made by sammelans like the EMS and BMM or other cultural programmes and lecture tours by thinkers from Maharashtra, where some steps are being taken to avoid a total disconnect with one's roots, whatever they might be?
So let's try and put it this way "Does Maharashtra need to be relevant to today's NRI Youth?"
Hence the debate "What can Maharashtra offer today's NRI Youth?"
I believe an important characteristic of Maharashtrians is their frugality. It is of course dangerous to make such categorical statement. While there are pockets of high prosperity, by and large people have evolved into a simple, life style. Frugality is very important in this age, and must be the basis of any green lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteFrugality and simplicity in the life-style also make for an uncluttered mind. I do feel that simple living is conducive to clear thinking, or at least a certain amount of humility. I feel that all this is also reflected in the language, which is very down to earth, as compared to several other Indian languages. Perhaps much the same as English compares to languages such as French and Italian.
Maharashtrians have many flaws, but I hope that the basic traits of simplicity and frugality are not lost in this process of globalization.
Abhiram Ranade
I find the question interesting even without any answers, for the sheer vastness and the consequent (potential) difference between individuals' perspectives :)
ReplyDeleteMaharashtra and the youth, in my opinion, will always have a need to be in tune with each other. Language, place of birth, upbringing and surroundings may define one's identity but there is something about being 'Marathi' that transcends several boundaries.
Those who left Maharashtra several years ago to 'make a home' elsewhere 'carried' a sizeable slice of it wherever they went. Maharashtra continued to flow past the bank of their memories but their Maharashtra is what they left and what they kept. The next generation grew up around the rich and somewhat frozen memories.
Time, technology and transition have made it much easier to keep महाराष्ट्राचे माहेरवासी and their following generations in touch with the current proceedings in Maharashtra. It is no longer only a distant memory of parents, it is a place the youth can connect and relate to for themselves.
I remember some famous lines by the poet वसंत बापट
दहा दिशांचे तट कोसळले ध्रुव दोन्ही आले जवळी
मीही माझे बाहु पसरुनी अवघ्या विश्वा ते कवळी
... मात्र भाबड्या हृदयात, तेवत आहे जी ज्योत
ती विझवाया पहाल कोणी मुक्त करुनी झंझावात
कोटी कोटी छातांचे येथे कोट उभारू निमिषात.
I believe this is what the मराठी माणूस worldwide carries as a bottom-line autograph of his/her identity. Therefore, as much as Maharashtra needs to be relevant to the youth the youth needs to actively find relevance with the past, present and future Maharashtra
~Arnika
arnika-saakaar.blogspot.com
I agree with Atul and Madhura. With that in mind and to answer Ninad'squestion, I would be interested to see youngster's response to the competition in "Anubandh". That way , we adults or parents have a chance to understand their perspective to our homeland.
ReplyDeleteAsmita
The only India we know is Maharashtra... and the only Maharashtra we know is Bombay, somehow we can't bring ourselves around to calling it Mumbai yet.
ReplyDeleteFor us going to Bombay is about merely meeting family and catching up with friends and not thinking about future opportunities the city has to offer. This is one thing we'd love to find out about, in the EMS 2012.
After reading this blog, its the first time I'm actually thinking of Bombay as a part of Maharashtra, for me its a different world altogether. (nikita)
We love Bombay and everything about it as it gives us a sense of freedom and belonging. I'm not sure whether this is looking through 'rose tinted glasses' because I feel we do have a vague idea of the flaws and pitfalls existing there.
The wonderful thing is we feel as comfortable with our local friends here in Wales as we do with our childhood friends in Bombay.
We would love to explore beyond the boundaries of Bombay to rural Maharashtra and even different parts of India.
We were skeptical about attending the EMS in 2010 but thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and felt a sense of bonding and belonging with a wider Maharashtrian community.
Looking forward to many happy debates and discussions...
Nikhil Pandit, 16 and Nikita Pandit, 15.
It has been a long time since we interacted. Pressures of work, pressures of trying to get together a truly exciting programme for the 9th EMS, all have contributed I guess.
ReplyDeleteSo, to carry on, we have discussed the debatable question of relevance, but what do we actually want to achieve in this EMS? I feel that what we will be striving for, is to get to know each other, of course from the stage, but also by one to one interactions, discussions, hopefully heated arguments without rancour, over a cup of coffee, around a table or over dinner or in the corridors for that matter.
We have a host of celebrities with us. They sometimes seem to be mirages, far away from the real world. But having come in contact with all of them over these one and a half years, I have come to realise that most of them are extremely down to earth. This goes for all our delegates as well.
I feel that knowing and understanding what actually makes all of us tick, gets us out of bed every morning, would provide for an intersting couple of days.