2 min readMumbaiFeb 9, 2015 01:05 AM IST
First published on: Feb 9, 2015 at 01:05 AM IST
Bhalchandra Nemade
Jnanpith winner for 2014, Marathi writer Bhalchandra Nemade’s comments dismissing the literary works of V S Naipaul and Salman Rushdie have fuelled a row with Rushdie attacking him on Saturday. Meanwhile, top Marathi writers made it clear that they do not support Nemade’s views on promoting only the local language.
The controversy was sparked after Nemade won the Jnanpith. At an event in Dadar, he spoke of “deshivaat”, stressing on the need to provide education in the mother tongue, Marathi. He suggested that English be eliminated from the educational system as it has led to many languages dying, not just in India but also across the world. “What is so great about English? There isn’t a single epic in the language. We have 10 epics in the Mahabharata itself. Don’t make English compulsory, make its elimination compulsory,” he was quoted as saying.
At the same event, Nemade dismissed the works of Naipaul and Rushdie and accused them of “pandering to the West”. That prompted Rushdie to take to Twitter and attack Nemade. Rushdie tweeted: “Grumpy old b*****d. Just take your prize and say thank you nicely. I doubt you’ve even read the work you attack.”
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Vinod Tawde said on Sunday that Rushdie’s swipe at Nemade was insulting and inappropriate.
Several top Marathi writers, however, made it clear that while they admired Nemade’s work, they did not share his views. Marathi writer and Sahitya Akademi Award winner Vijaya Rajadhyaksha said: “We definitely need to encourage the use of Marathi… But at the same time, we cannot fight for one language by disregarding the other.”
Marathi poet and writer Hemant Divate also said he cannot stand by Nemade’s views. “Nemade’s argument falls short. Today, you need a minimum of two languages to survive. You cannot hope for higher education in subjects like Math, Science or Biology if you are not comfortable with English.”
While Nemade was unavailable for comment, his publisher of 40 years, Ramdas Bhatkal (of Popular Publishing) said that both Rushdie and Nemade have a right to their own opinion.
Bhalchandra Nemade
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