Because of inclusiveness, the Marathi language is enriched – Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar

Mumbai, Feb 2026 : “The Marathi language is mature, enriched, and inclusive. By absorbing thoughts, literature, and expressions from other languages into our own language, the language becomes increasingly enriched. Because of this exchange, the cultural world expands further,” stated Cultural Affairs Minister Ashish Shelar.

The Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Shelar was speaking at the special programme ‘Likhai’ under the cultural festival ‘Word in Bloom’, organised at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA). Present at the programme were lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar, Director of the Directorate of Cultural Affairs Shriram Pandey, NCPA’s Shriharsh Keni, organiser Mrs. Sujata Jadhav, and other dignitaries. The programme was organised on behalf of the Directorate of Cultural Affairs.

Cultural Affairs Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar said that such literary initiatives held on the occasion of Marathi Language Pride Day are extremely important. The state government is continuously encouraging the development of the Marathi language through various initiatives. The contribution of veteran poet Kusumagraj (V. V. Shirwadkar) to Marathi literature is extremely invaluable, and his writing offers subtle glimpses of human emotions. His literature awakened the identity and self-respect of the Marathi mind. Through initiatives like ‘Likhai’, a broad circle of literature is opening up before the new generation, and a confluence of creativity from various languages is taking place.

On this occasion, poets from various languages including Hindi, Urdu, and Marathi—Arun Bawani, Shakeel Parsi, Udayan Thakkar, and Shri Chandrashekhar—were honoured. On behalf of NCPA, Cultural Affairs Minister Shri Shelar was felicitated by presenting a memento of honour.

Padma Shri Javed Akhtar, in his speech, shed light on the ease, beauty, and strength of thought in ghazal and poetic creation. Literature and language continue to evolve with time; through mutual dialogue, translation, and creativity, they become broader, he expressed.

The audience experienced a beautiful confluence of literature, language, and cultural dialogue at the programme.