अट्या पाट्या 3: ‘Apologetic’ Patya

Then there are shopkeepers who are apologetic about the fact that they have to make their signboards in Marathi… so they will make the Marathi logo so small that no one will notice it!

अट्या पाट्या 2: ‘No English Please’ Patya

Taking a more extreme step (unlike Sandwich Patya), some of the shopkeepers ensured that there is no Enlish word on their signboard… “No English please… we are Maharashtrians!”

Vengsarkar for Lok Sabha

After Samajwadi party’s plan to field film stars like Sanjay Dutt, Manoj Tiwari and Jaya Prada… it is time for the right wing parties to field sportspersons. Shiv Sena fired the first salvo by planning to field former Captain of the Indian Cricket Team – Dileep Vengsarkar… while BJP plans to rope in Anil Kumble and Jaspal Rana!

Coming Lok Sabha elections look more of a star parade… thoda filmy… thoda sporty!

अट्या पाट्या 1: 'Sandwich' Patya

3M took a stroll down the Matunga Market to ‘review’ if Marathi Patya still exist 6 months after the MNS campaign… and some of the finding were hilarious. So here is a series of different signboards... and today’s special is ‘Sandwich Patya’!

The shop owners didn’t want to disturb the existing English signage… but were probably afraid that a small Marathi signage can draw MNS ire… so the decided to have 2 Marathi Logos to ‘sandwich’ the English one!

Rane eats a humble pie… or does he?

Narayan Rane has backtracked on his tirade against Congress High Command for not making him the Maharashtra CM... Probably after realizing that floating a new political outfit won't be a cakewalk… or has Sharad Pawar dangled a new carrot for Rane as he himself prepares to be the first Maratha to ascend the Delhi Gaddi!

The plot thickens... let's wait and watch!

Vaishali Made – First woman to win a Music reality show

Vaishali Made became the first woman to win a Hindi music reality show. 3M was really surprised by the win… not because he doubted her capability, but because of the open support she got from Raj Thackeray. It is impossible to win the contest without support from the Hindi speaking belt… but she managed it! Some people would like to believe that she was able to garner votes due to sympathy wave she generated by speaking about her ailing husband… whatever the case, 3M wishes Vaishali all the best for her future endeavours!

हे राष्ट्र देवतांचे He Rashtra Devatanche

Raj Thackeray quotes Indira Gandhi

Raj Thackeray repeated most of his old points (more rhetoric than content) in a mammoth rally @ Thane on 24th Jan… but refused to reveal his strategy for elections. Interestingly, he quoted Indira Gandhi on the migrant issue… “Though she was opposed to any legislation to prevent migration from one state to another, she had opined that somewhere a balance is needed and locals should get preference”… 3M awaits a rejoinder from Congress on this issue!

For those who missed the speech… here is a six part series courtesy youtube…

Taxiwallahs start ‘understanding’ Marathi

One of 3M’s cousins recently came back to Mumbai for a month long holiday from US. Staying at her Matunga apartment, she decided to inculcate a regime of morning walks @ Shivaji Park to shed a few kilos before heading home. To avoid the murky footpaths on the way, she decided to use the Legendary Mumbai Taxis. Much to her chagrin, most of the taxiwallahs refused to ply such a short distance.

Then her Gujarati neighbour taught her a trick that worked wonders. It was a method that was “foolproof”. And what was that? Speak to the Taxiwallah in MARATHI… Surprisingly, the trick worked for the entire month!

3M is amused that a Gujarati advised a Marathi Manoos about using the T-factor to one's advantage!

‘Karachi Sweets’ under MNS ire

MNS’s anti-Pak campaign has taken an absurd turn… 3M may not agreed on the methods but can appreciate ‘communicating our displeasure by cutting cultural links with Pakistan after 26/11’. But asking ‘Karachi Sweets’ to change their name is stupid! So will Karachi Society at Juhu be the next victim? Should we stop using ‘Multani Mitti’ in our ayurvedic facepacks? How about banning Afghan Snow? Drop the word ‘Sindh’ from our National Anthem? Stop eating Chicken Peshawari @ Khyber? Shiv Sena has already vandalized ‘Baluchi’ restaurant in Intercontinental The Lalit 2 days ago… so it need not be on your list!

Let’s not forget that these are the only memories left of the Sindhi & Punjabi victims of partition with them… If you have support of a wide section of Marathi youth don’t waste it on such petty matters… get into the act for which you were created ‘Maharashtra Navnirman’- Building a new Maharashtra!

“Belgaum Border Dispute” – a bleeding wound

In the last one week, 3M is seeing a lot of chest thumping on the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute from politicians and bloggers in these two states… but sadly with very little analysis or facts!

So let us try to understand how this mess was created in the first place. In 1921, Indian National Congress passed a resolution for linguistic states as the geographical limits of provinces in British India were made ‘without any logic’. Belgaum was then part of Bombay Presidency, the most prosperous province at that time, which covered parts of today’s Sindh, Gujarat, Western Maharashtra and Northwestern Karnataka. In 1948, Belgaum City Council (BCC) passed a resolution that it wanted to be a part of the proposed Marathi speaking state. Later in 1953, Fazil Ali Commission was appointed by Pandit Nehru to decide on the linguistic states which formed the basis for the States Reorganisation Act 1956. The commission’s methodology was based on the principle that a district should be taken as a unit to decide which linguistic state should it be included and not taluka or village. Only if a taluka within a district had 70% people speaking other language, it would be transferred to the neighbouring state. This flawed methodology is the foundation of the current Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute… popularly referred to as “Belgaum Border Dispute”. Surprisingly, this ‘formula’ was overruled by the commission itself in all cases expect Belgaum!

In 3 areas in India, “border disputes” became political movements where local people created 'seperatist' parties and won elections on the issue… Bhensdehi & Saunsai in Madhya Pradesh wanted to merge with Maharashtra, Kasargod area in Kerala wanted to merge with Karnataka and the Marathi speaking areas of Karnataka wanted to be a part of Maharashtra. The first two political movements died down in course of time. But Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES) had put up a brave and politically successful fight for 50 years till it became a victim of factionalism in 2005. At its peak it was able to send 9 MLAs to the Karnataka Assembly… currently the tally is zero!

In 1966 on insistence of Maharashtra Government, the Indian Government appointed one-man Commission under the Chief Justice Meherchand Mahajan to resolve the issue. The Mahajan Commission’s scope was also included the Karnataka-Kerala border dispute. Sadly the commission decided to use different yardsticks for the two disputes. The report said that Kasargod area should be given to Karnataka as ‘there were more Kannada students (not speakers!) than Malayalam students’. It had also considered the win of a Kannada candidate in Kasaragod as a reason for merger with Karnataka. However, in case of Belgaum, it didn't take into account, the number of Marathi-medium schools and their students, or the winning streak of MES in elections. Maharashtra Government further argued that 89% of octroi paid in Belgaum was for goods from Maharashtra indicating that economic links of the city were with Maharashtra instead of Karnataka. Even though the 1961 census showed that Belgaum city and surrounding areas had Marathi majority, the commission insisted Belgaum will not be handed over to Maharashtra because it was a ‘cosmopolitan city’. 3M fails to understand why a ‘cosmopolitan city’ should be given to Karnataka when Kannadiga population half that of Marathis!

Maharashtra laid claim to over 800 villages in Karnataka which lay in the Bidar, Belgaum and North Kanara districts and was ready to handover 250 odd villages which had Kannada majority. In sum, Karnataka was to lose 4000 sq kms of land (same size as Mumbai Metropolitan Region). The commission ensured that Karnataka does not lose any land in the deal. Obviously, Maharashtra and Kerala Governments rejected the report… while Karnataka government insisted that the report be implemented or status quo be maintained.

At various points of time, Belgaum, Nipani & Khanapur Municipalities and almost all affected Gram Panchyats and Taluka Panchayats have passed resolutions for merger with Maharashtra. In 2005, when BCC passed a resolution requesting the Indian and Karnataka Governments on transfer the city to Maharashtra, Karnataka Government decided to dissolve the council to quell the protest. To ensure Kannadiga domination on the city, the Karnataka Government decided to conduct the winter session of the Karnataka Assembly in Belgaum. This was considered as ‘rubbing salt into wounds’ by the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, who decided to mobilise protest through Maha-melava (Grand Gathering) by inviting prominent Marathi politicians in January 2008. R R Patil’s (the then Dy CM of Maharashtra) speech on this occasion was strongly condemned in the ongoing assembly session. This year’s Maha-melava was banned by the Karnataka Government leading to large scale violence in different parts of Maharashtra and Karnataka. To further ‘kannadise’ the city, the government plans to rename it ‘Belgavi’ and lay the foundation stone of ‘Suvarna Soudha’ – a building to house the winter assembly session. During the current delimitation process, care has been taken to ensure Marathi votes are divided. The administration has also ensured that no Marathi speaking official is appointed in the border areas in any central or state government agencies to avoid any bias towards Marathi speaking population. State sponsored Marathi schools are denied Marathi teachers and are provide Kannada teachers instead. During H D Devegowda’s regime some Kannadiga radicals (Kannada Cheluvarigara Sangha) had even suggested that the government should set up industries in Belgaum area so that Kanndigas can be migrated there to alter the demographics… almost sounds like Chinese Government policy on Tibet!

Hutatma Chowk in Mumbai was raised in memory of 105 people who laid down their lives for a ‘Samyukta Maharashtra’… of which 5 were from the disputed Belgaum region! Over the last 6 decades, the Belgaum border dispute has claimed many lives – Marathi as well as Kannadiga. Vijay More, the Belgaum mayor, was beaten up by Karnataka Raksha Vedike mob giving him a fractured arm in 2005!

In 2005, Maharashtra Government decided to reopen the issue through negotiation but was cold shouldered by the Karnataka Government. So in March 2006, Maharashtra Government filed a petition in Supreme Court for resolution of the problem. According to Article 3 of Indian Constitution, if the disputed territory has to be handed over to Maharashtra, the Karnataka Assembly will have to pass such a resolution… which is next to impossible! Probably politicians are not really interested in solving the dispute as it gives them an excuse to do some rabble rousing… but how long can both the states continue to bleed?

Ideally, a fair commission should be instituted to ensure that the border dispute is resolved at the earliest and can even include a referendum in the disputed area to have a full and final settlement between the ‘warring states’!

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3M Trivia -

1) In the last 75 years not a single Kannadiga has been able to become a mayor in the Belgaum City Council... This shows that Kannadigas have a weak case on Belgaum!

2) In 1961, when Yeshwantrao Chavan (the then CM of Maharashtra) offered to 'hand over' the Kannada dominated villages in return of Belgaum, the village panchayats protested that they were not keen on being transferred to Karnataka!

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3M recommends all marathi readers to read this Tarun Bharat Report which explains the dispute in great detail.

Heavyweights have an eye on Lok Sabha

Sharad Pawar initially insisted that he did not plan to contest the Lok Sabha elections and hence would field his daughter Supriya Sule for his stronghold… but ‘changes his mind’ and decides to contest from Shirur constituency instead hoping to be the next prime minister. After 26/11, Vilasrao Deshmukh trains his gun on Lok Sabha and starts making his plan… the adjustments for the tickets has just started!

Karve’s Sex literacy magazine revived

After a gap of more than half a century, a group of spirited Punekars have revived Samaj Swasthya, the pioneering sex education magazine in Marathi.

‘Prati Kolhapur’ – Kore flexes his muscle in Mumbai

Last week, Kolhapur descended on Shivaji Park in Mumbai during an event called ‘Prati Kolhapur’. If the surging crowds (more than 1 Lac visitors on each of the four days) were an indication, the event was a roaring success. Nitin Desai’s magic recreated some of the grand buildings of Kolhapur… From Mahalaxmi temple to New Palace and from Old Palace to a gigantic statue of Mahalaxmi’s consort – Jyotiba… With non stop folk performances, wrestling matches and crisp winter air, it was a spectacle not to be missed! The only sore point in the whole event was the arrangement of stalls… worse than a village fair. The food stalls were filthy… and one had to wade through muck to reach some of them. Those who had come with the expectation of buying Irkal Sarees and famed Kolhapuri jewellery (Saaj, Thushi etc) were left high and dry. Even the famed Kolhapuri chappal stalls were covered in red dust from the cricket ground! The organizers should look into this aspect if they plan to make this a recurring event in the years to come.

Prati Kolhapur can be considered as a show of strength by Vinay Kore, Minister for renewable energy in the current Maharashtra Government (Ranked 18th in MahaPol Powerlist Jan 09). This was an attempt to expand his powerbase beyond South Maharashtra, where his party Jana Surajya Shakti is very powerful. His plan includes bringing together estimated 4.5 Lac Kolhapuris from Mumbai to build a ‘Kolhapur Bhavan’ in the city. 3M won’t be surprised if his party fields a few candidates in Mumbai in the coming elections… probably after having a tie-up with Raj Thackeray’s MNS. Thackeray incidentally gave a fiery speech from the ‘Prati Kolhapur’ dias in support of Vinay Kore.

लेक लाडकी ह्या घरची Lek Laadki Hya Gharchi

Anna Hazare backs MNS

During his visit to Banaras Hindu University, Anna Hazare showed support for Raj Thackeray’s cause but shot down his method.

Where have all the kites gone?

Makar Sankrati has lost its charm in the Maximum city… where have all the kites gone? Probably the kids are content with video games… or are the high rises blocking all the wind?

3M remembers that as a kid spending the entire day and night on the building terrace on Makar Sankrant Day was a norm… especially in Mumbai’s Marathi and Gujarati dominated areas, where used Pej (Kite fites) between neighbouring societies were the highlight of the season… So, you started off as a Firki-holder to an elder kid and then graduated to become a ‘kite runner’ and finally were “mature enough” to fly the kite… But these days you hardly see enough kites in the sky… Sob… Sob..

So for the good old… here is a glossary of Mumbai eestyle kite flying words put together by 3M… enjoy!

Badav – To pull the kite string so that it rises to a higher altitude
Bhardor – A cut kite with a very long string... a prized possession for the kite runner!
Chaap – The lift given to the kite by a person (other than the kite flyer) by catching it in both his hands
Chand – Kites from Bhendi Bazaar which have a crescent and star symbol
Dheel – To let the kite fly in strong wind by simply releasing the Manja from the Firki
Firki – The spindle on which the manja (String) is wound
Gond – The gum used to resurrect damaged kites
Hool – Scaring off other kites by making aggressive gestures
Kauvva – A large kite
Kandeel – The candle lamp that is attached to the kites at night to create a spectacle.
Kani – A special thread formation that is used to tie the kite to the string. The ‘zero-zero’ kani is for beginners and the evolved ones would know by just looking at the kite that it ‘needs a two-one kani’
Kaipoche – The word that everyone on your terrace screams when you cut a competitor… To be repeated at least 3 times!
Manja - The string that is used to fly the kit is coated with fine glass powder so that you can cut the strings of other kites. ‘Ghaslet Manja’ used to be top of the pops till ‘Chinese Manja’ took over!
Patang – A regular sized kite

Readers are free to add their bit to the glossary…

American Kids discovering their Marathi Roots

Brihan Maharashtra Mandal (BMM), the largest Marathi organization in USA, is trying to generate interest in Marathi amongst second generation Marathi Manoos… and that they are relying on our good old Balbharti textbooks!

Marathi in BMC

Shiv Sena is adamant on ensuring the Mumbai Municipal proceedings are conducted in Marathi, the state language… but Samajwadi Party representatives insist that they don’t want to learn Marathi. As both parties take extreme positions, Supriya Sule (Sharad Pawar’s daughter) makes an interesting statement “You need not hate English to love Marathi!”… How true!

Slumdog’s Marathi connection

As Slumdog Millionaire is slugging it out at different award ceremonies across the globe, Maharashtra Times shows the Marathi Connection of the film… but Big B is not amused!

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Similarly others are finding their own connections - Gujarati, Allahabad, Punjabi and so on... Everyone loves a winner!

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3M wonders, "Hey... no Pakistani connection?"

तीळगुळ घ्या… गोड गोड बोला!

3M hopes that 2009 will be a "sweeter" year than 2008...

Wishing all the readers a Happy Sankrant!

MNS Vs Shiv Sena

MNS and Shiv Sena are again in the game of one-upmanship for the rights of Marathi Manoos… from MHADA flat allotments to Karnataka Border Dispute [1] [2] you can expect more fireworks in the run up to the elections!

राधा ही बावरी Radha Hi Bawari

Access restricted to Pink Beauties @ Mahul!

Every year thousands of Flamingos flock different parts of the Thane creek in winter… from Airoli to Uran and from Shivdi to Mahul. This year the “foreign dignitaries” have been fewer in number and the only place where you can get a decent dekho is the Mahul Creek that lies about 4 Kms south of Chembur.

Today 3M had gone to Mahul Koliwada with like minded friends to see these pink beauties. The group leader had arranged for a fishing boat to take us into the mangroves where the birds are currently residing. We were told that after 26/11, you have to carry a photo copy of your identification proof to get entry into the Mahul Creek. Another group from Photographic Society of India was also present with “all the requisite permissions”. Finally, no one was allowed in the creek due to “security reason”… a classic case of bolting the stable doors after the horses have ran away!

3M was amused that two policemen with lathis were “protecting” the jetty from potential foreign terrorist!

But for those who may not be very keen on bird watching, Mahul Koliwada has another surprise in store… It is hosting a Koli Festival during the “Mumbai Festival” at the end of this month… so expect a lot of song and dance accompanied by fish fry!

It happens only in Pune

As the mercury in the city heads southwards, a careful Punekar decides to make Lord Ganesha comfortable… The Sarasbaug Ganapati can be seen in a homemade baby-pink sweater and skull cap!

Munnabhai follows Bacchans into the SP fold

Some ammunition for Raj Thackeray’s next speech as Samajwadi Party decides to field Sanjay Dutt from Lucknow against Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the next Lok Sabha Elections.

Making of a ‘Homogenous India’

3M comes across a lot of articles by Hindi speaking writers and bloggers who genuinely believe that not knowing Hindi is ‘anti-national’ for an Indian… They believe that entire country should converse in Hindi and propagation of other languages will lead to ‘Balkanisation of India’. But Jayati Chakraborty’s article – ‘How to tackle multilingualism?’ set me thinking because it was written by a ‘non-Hindi author’. The title itself smacks of linguistic prejudice. Why do you need to “tackle” it? Can’t you build on it? Why is conducting business in the local language “parochial”? When ‘National’ Conferences are held in Hindi is it not inconvenient for those who are not conversant with the language? We all know that Hindi is not our ‘National language’!

One of 3M’s acquaintances was once posted in Siliguri (West Bengal) and his wife faced a similar problem. But by the time they shifted back to Mumbai in 3 years, she was not only conversant in Bengali but also learnt Rabindra Sangeet. That is called “assimilation”!

When a person migrates, he weighs the pluses and minuses before taking the leap. Adjusting to local language/ culture is part of the migrant’s life. And this happens all over the world. Expecting the locals to adjust to the migrants… it happens only in Maharashtra!

26/11 proof

The clinching evidence about Pakistan's involvement in the 26/11 attacks can now be read by the Janta at large thanks to The Hindu. Click here to read the pdf files!

Marathi Audio Book

Hindustan Times claims that Drushti, First Marathi Audio Book is a roaring success! But 3M fails to understand how is it different from Pu La and Va Pu Kale Audio Cassettes?

In the mean time, a blog called 'Bolti Pustake' is putting free Marathi Audio Books online!

'Gabhricha Paus' makes it to Rotterdam

गाभ्रीचा पाऊस - Gabhricha Paus (The Damned Rain), a Marathi movie on Vidarbha farmer woes makes it to the Rotterdam Film Festival!

मी रात टाकली Mi Raat Takali

“Forgive Kasab”

“Forgive Kasab as he is only 21 and has been brainwashed. We should try to help him come back to normal”

No… this is not a statement made by a Pakistani official or cleric… But by Hemant Karkare’s daughter! During an interview on IBN-Lokmat today, Mrs. Karkare revealed a lot of her own views on a variety of issue in addition her daughter’s thoughts. The grit and determination shown by that woman was amazing. 'We need 1000 more Karkares in India today!'

BTW is Pakistan listening?

Support for Marathi Girl in Bihar

After months of Anti-Marathi tirade, Bharatiya Bhojpuri Sangh provides medical help to a Marathi girl in Patna. The outfit has clarified that they are 'anti-Raj Thackeray' and not 'anti-marathi'!

Mahapol Powerlist in Lokmat today!

Lokmat, the largest selling Marathi Daily in the world, carried the MAHAPOL POWERLIST Jan 09 in today’s edition on Page 2.

BMC to introduce 'Language Labs' in school

In an interesting project, Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika (Mumbai Municipal Corporation) will introduce 'Language Labs' in Municipal Schools... Will the 'elite schools' follow suit or still be trapped in the 'Macaulian Era'?

MAHAPOL POWERLIST Jan 09 Edition

At the stroke of midnight... when the world is ringing in the new year... Ek Marathi Manoos is launching the inaugural edition of MahaPol Powerlist! Given below is the 'Top 10 Hall of Fame'

click on the image to see larger version

The complete list of 25 most powerful politicians is as follows -
1. Sharad Pawar (68) NCP
2. Bal Thackeray (82) SS
3. Ashok Chavan (50) INC
4. Raj Thackeray (39) MNS
5. Gopinath Munde (59) BJP
6. Narayan Rane (56) INC
7. Chhagan Bhujbal (60) NCP
8. Ajitdada Pawar (49) NCP
9. Uddhav Thackeray (47) SS
10. Vilasrao Deshmukh (63) INC
11. R R Patil (52) NCP
12. Nitin Gadkari (60) BJP
13. Praful Patel (53) NCP
14. Ramdas Athavale (55) RPI+
15. Prakash Ambedkar (51) RPI+
16. Murli Deora (71) INC
17. Gurudas Kamat (51) INC
18. Vinay Kore (37) JSS
19. Sushilkumar Shinde (66) INC
20. Manohar Joshi (71) SS
21. Vijaysingh Mohite Patil (64) NCP
22. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil (76) INC
23. Vinod Tawde (45) BJP
24. Jayant Patil (46) NCP
25. N D Patil (78) PWP

Party Code
BJP – Bharatiya Janata Party
INC – Indian National Congress
JSS – Jana Surajya Shakti
MNS – Maharashtra Navanirman Sena
NCP – Nationalist Congress Party
PWP – Peasants & Workers Party (Shetkari Kamgar Paksha)
RPI+ – Republican Party of India (any faction)
SS – Shiv Sena

To understand the methodology used for the ranking click here.
The figure in bracket indicates the age of the politician.

Analysis of the MahaPol Top 25 Powerlist (Jan 09)

Ministers in the current Central Government: 4

Ministers in the current Maharashtra Government: 6

Ex/ Current Chief Ministers: 5

Sugar Barons: 10 (Top 3 barons are present in the list)

Regional Representation:

• Mumbai: 9 (And people say Mumbai is neglected!)
• Konkan (Beyond MMR): 1 (Rane is the lone Konkani)
• Western Maharashtra: 10 (This region still dictates!)
• Marathwada: 3 (Representation is low in quantity but high in quality)
• Vidarbha: 2 (Very poor representation. There should have been 6 Vidarbhites in this list.)

Party wise breakup

• Indian National Congress: 7
• Nationalist Congress Party: 7
• Bharatiya Janta Party: 3
• Shiv Sena: 3
• Republican Party of India (All factions): 2
• Maharashtra Navanirman Sena: 1
• Jana Surajya Shakti: 1

Caste wise break up

• Maratha: 11
• Brahman: 3
• Kayastha: 3
• OBC: 2
• Scheduled Caste: 2
• Scheduled Tribe: 2
• Non Marathi: 2

Some interesting things to note:

• NCP emerges as the strongest party with Sharad Pawar being the uncrowned king.
• No woman makes it to the top 25… glass ceiling in politics!
• Balasaheb Thackeray is the oldest at 82
• Vinay Kore is the youngest at 37
• 3 Thackerays make it to the ‘Top 10 Hall of Fame’ without contesting a single election... Remote control zindabad!
• Besides the Thackerays, others who have never been ministers in any government are Ambedkar, Kamat & Tawde.
• Not a single Muslim leader makes it to the top 25 – Even Antulay with his ‘Green Card’ falls short.
• And above all... Had this list been made a month ago... Ashok Chavan would not have featured in it!

MahaPol can be directly contacted on mahapol25@gmail.com

Happy New Year

नववर्षाच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा