Journalism of Courage
After Malayalam,it might soon be the turn of Marathi to be included in the list of classical languages. Constituted by the state government to study the languages claim for inclusion in the list of Classical Languages of India,a committee of eminent authors and historians has made its recommendation in favour of Marathi.
The committee has furnished proof to support the claim.
In order to probe the claim of Marathi as a classical language,the state government had set up a committee headed by author Ranganath Pathare,with historian-sociologist Hari Narke as the coordinator.
The committee had 10 other experts,including linguists,historians and language experts. After sifting through more than 200-plus reference books and other details,the committee submitted its report last month to the government,strongly recommending that Marathi be given the status of a classical language.
About the proof of Marathis eligibility as a classical language,Narke says the earliest example of the existence of Marathi as an independent language dates back to more than 2,000 years. A shilalekh (stone carving) discovered in Junnar taluka of Pune talks about Maharathi language,which is the same as Marathi. In fact,various references have been gathered that equate the Maharashtrian Parkit,Maharathi,Desi with that of present day Marathi, he says.
Citing the independent witness of Sri Lankan seminal work of Deepavamsam,a Pali work dating back 2,000 years,Narke says the book mentions the existence of Marathi as an independent language during the time of emperor Ashoka. The book states that Maharathi-speaking Bhikkhus (Buddhist monks) were sent to present day Konkan,Kundal and Kolhapur to spread Dhamma there, he says. The Vinayapithaka (one of the canonical works of Buddhism) talks about an abbot named Mahadhammarakshak being sent to various parts of Maharashtra as he was well versed in Maharathi. This,Narke says,shows that Marathi was existing as an independent language well before the common era.
In the book titled Criticism of Marathi by noted scholar Rajaram Shastri Bhagwat,says Narke,has references from the Vedas,stating that the Brahmin priests who were entrusted to conduct the yajnas were forbidden to speak among themselves in Marathi at the altar. This again proves that Marathi as an independent language existed during the Vedic period and contrary to popular belief that Sanskrit was the mother of Marathi,it can very well be said that Marathi and Sanskrit shared a common ancestor and both languages influenced each other, he says.
Throwing light on the literary heritage of Marathi,Narke says the third most important book of India named Kathasaritsagar by Somdeva was a translation of Brihatkatha by Gunandya. Gunandya was from Washim district of Vidarbha,but he went to Jammu and Kashmir. Somadeva,in his introduction of Kathasaritsagar,talks about how the original Brihatkatha had many lessons in Marathi. This proves the rich and unbroken heritage of Marathi as a language, says the historian. Narke says the concept of Dalit literature was in fact born in the traditions of Marathi literature.
Our work has cited references from many international works and we have gone to great lengths to prove our point. We have submitted our report to the state government,who would be taking up the case with the Union government. We hope Marathi,the language in which Dnyaneshwari is written,is soon accorded the classical language status, he says.
Madhavi Vaidya,working president of the Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad,echoes similar views. Not only is Marathi
an old language but also has a lot of heritage ingrained in it. The language should be accorded the status of a classical language immediately, she says.
