Why does this happen ? Why does the Marathi manoos get so violent ? Why is it that the Marathi manoos is so chauvinistic ? The answer is very simple. The Marathi manoos is outraged at the suppression of his culture. This is not a sudden act. This suppression has been going on for quite a while now. It is a cool calculated process perpetrated by the both the mighty and the lowly. Here there is no divide between the rich and the poor. The non-Marathis, rich and poor alike want to make this their own domain. And we are talking facts here, no theories. I will tell you how.....
If you go back to the earliest, this town called Mumbai was civilized by fishermen. These fishermen were Kolis, Marathi to the core. Gradually the island came under Portuguese and of course, some fishermen got converted into Christianity but they never left their Marathi language. This Mumbai is actually theirs. The Kolis and the East Indians who toiled hard to give this city the shape, the culture, the ethos. Today, I am a Mumbaikar because of these people. These are my brethren. And that's the reason why this is Marathi. But now slowly, these gaothans are becoming history. Girgaum and other parts of South Mumbai which were once part of the flourishing Marathi ethos, are now becoming Jain vegetarian zones. The same Kolis who actually made this island habitable are now outlawed in those zones. Marathi manoos is not allowed to buy flats in these apartments because he eats non-vegetarian food. In our own state we are not allowed to take flats and these liberals tell us that India is a free country and everyone is free to move anywhere in the country. Now, where is your freedom to move anywhere ? Hypocrites all !
To give you another example, take the Raghuleela mall in Borivali, a suburb in Mumbai. The mall has banned all non-vegetarian food in their premises, only to appease the Gujarati crowd. Instruction signs and advertisements in the multiplex are in Gujarati. This is an amazing example of the invasion of foriegn culture on us. Where the hell is the liberalist's and rationalist's freedom now ? or is there no freedom for eating in this country ?
Such blatant examples are there all over the city. Coming to the city in search for your bread or recognition, fame, success and glory is different from coming to this city in order to change the culture by destroying the local culture and putting forth your own. And that's what we're against. We will fight, and as Motley Crue wrote, in one of their songs, Fight for your right, we'll fight till the end !
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Hi,
I am a gujju residing in mumbai and I like your blog. This is one of the few places where the real issues of the maharashtrian are being expressed logically. I agree with some of the points you make like the inability of non-vegetarian maharashtrians to buy flats in vegetarian "zones". And the overall perception of the loss of culture.
But consider these few points. Is Marathi culture so weak as to feel threatened by a Gujarati sighns in urban malls or Hindi speaking chaatwals and taxidrivers from north India ? Even in the US if there is a concentration of Hispanics the shops often bear signs in spanish. Its a reflection of the people living in that area, that is it. Even if the issues you do mention are true, does that justify what Raj does ? Targetting students will solve this problem ? And do you really believe that Marathi pride will be salvaged through his acts ? Far from it ! These incidents will do to the image of the marathi manoos what Godhra did to that of the average Gujarati ! What is really required is the rejection of Raj's politics (without accepting any halfbaked solutions to the issues you mentioned) en masse by the people of maharashtra. This will earn maharashtra the kind of respect that nothing else ever will.
At the current rate one may succeed in ridding mumbai of all its outsiders but would you really want that sort of mumbai. Cities like Ahmedabad and Patna and Chennai are lacklustre because they are not cosmopolitan. That is what makes Mumbai special. It is in the hands of opinionmakers like you to decide its fate. Think well!
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