Marathi Is Not a Language of Compulsion, but of Devotion; Conclusion of the Hinduhṛdayasamrāt Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Language Course Campaign
Thane, August 2026 : Marathi is not a language of compulsion but of devotion, and the voluntary adoption of Marathi by non-Marathi people is a source of strength for Maharashtra’s cultural unity, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said. He was speaking at the concluding ceremony of the ‘Hinduhṛdayasamrāt Balasaheb Thackeray Marathi Language Course Campaign’, organised jointly by the Transport Department, the State Marathi Development Institute, the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh and the Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said that this was not an end but a vigorous beginning to the pride in Marathi. “Maharashtra is mine, Marathi is my language of communication” is the slogan of Maharashtra, and devotion to Marathi is a force that binds Maharashtra together, he said.
Through the 105-day campaign, 125,000 auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers learned Marathi and passed the examination. Certificates were presented to all of them. Quoting the lines, “We are fortunate to speak Marathi…”, he said Marathi represents identity, self-respect and the mother tongue.
Praising Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik for choosing the approach of teaching the language with affection rather than through the force of law, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said, “A language is learned not through law, but through love.” He also appealed to people not to make fun of those learning Marathi, but to communicate with them in Marathi.
Referring to Hinduhṛdayasamrāt Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideas on Marathi pride, he said that, as Chief Minister, he had taken decisions including granting Marathi the status of a classical language, the Ladki Bahin scheme, higher education opportunities for girls, a 50 per cent concession for women on ST buses, the Lek Ladki scheme, and recording the mother’s name in official records.
He expressed his resolve to increase the fund of the Dharmaveer Anand Dighe Corporation established for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers from Rs 50 crore to Rs 1,000 crore in the future. He also said Maharashtra is leading in industry, startups, GDP and foreign investment, and that Memoranda of Understanding worth Rs 3 lakh crore and Rs 4 lakh crore were signed at Davos. He conveyed the message that “Devotion to the mother tongue and respect for Marathi are the true strengths of Maharashtra.”
Industry Minister Uday Samant, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, MP Naresh Mhaske, MLA Ravindra Phatak, Padma Shri Madhu Mangesh Karnik, Marathi Language Secretary Kiran Kulkarni, Transport Commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, Additional Transport Commissioner Ravi Gaikwad, campaign coordinator and adviser Dr Jyoti Thackeray, along with other office-bearers, officials, auto-rickshaw and taxi driver representatives, and journalists were present in large numbers.
