In the last few days, Maharashtra has been experiencing a controversy over the Hindi and Marathi language. It all started when the state Government decided to make Hindi mandatory for Class I students in Marathi and English medium schools. There’s been a huge debate surrounding the language and how the citizens of Maharashtra must know Marathi. Several celebs have given their opinions on it. Now actress Renuka Shahane has also made a strong statement regarding the debate. Shahane said on ‘InControversial With Pooja Chaudhri’ podcast, “If you are in a place for a very long time, it’s a good thing to understand the local language, the local culture and be respectful more than anything else…It’s not about the speaking of it, much more than the intention of wanting to, you know, respect it. I do not like people who do not feel the necessity to be accommodating of the local language and local culture.” She added, “I do not like violence at all, you know; I do not like the fact that people can be rude about it. Going into a place where Marathi is not spoken and just slapping two or three people, it’s not going to help the language in any way.” Recently, Renuka’s husband Ashutosh Rane also spoke about it. He said, “Marathi maajhya mulanchi maatru bhasha aahe aani maajhi bayko chi pan tar tumhi chinta nako kara. (Marathi is the mother tongue of my children and my wife, so don’t worry).” He added, “Mera personal jo maanna hai, woh yeh hai ki bhasha jo hoti hai, woh samvaad ka vishay hoti hai; bhasha kabhi bhi vivaad ka vishay nahin hoti. Toh Bharatvarsh jo hai, woh itna paripakv aur itna adbhut desh hai, jahan par isne saari cheezon ko sweekar kiya hai aur samvaad mein vishwas rakhta hai. Bharat kabhi bhi vivaad mein vishwas nahin rakhta. (My personal belief is that language is always a subject of communication, never a subject of conflict. That’s why our country, India, is such a mature and wonderful place, where it has accepted everything and believes in dialogue and trust. India has never believed in conflict.)”
