I am all for due honour to be shown to Marathi culture and, indeed, to the specific culture of all the diverse regions in India. Each of them is a wonderful flower in the bouquet of India’s national culture. Linguistic pride and regional ethos do not conflict with nationalism. Rather, they complement and enrich it. But when anyone espouses them in a parochial manner, it evokes a negative reaction all around, and the loser is not only the person espousing it but also the culture being espoused. For instance, how can you say that Biharis in Mumbai have no right to perform Chhath Puja by the sea? Do you know the implications of this for those who celebrate Ganeshotsav in Delhi, Lucknow, Patna and elsewhere? How can you say there can be no functions in Mumbai to celebrate ‘UP Divas’? In that case, can there be Maharashtra Day functions in Delhi? Does Amitabh Bachchan become a UPwallah simply because he has sung ‘Chora Ganga kinarewallah’? What, then, will others say about Lata Mangeshkar, some of whose finest songs are in praise of Marathi and Maharashtra?

Parochialism is a double-edged sword. Never pull it out of its sheath, especially in a multi-lingual city like Mumbai, where most residents are migrants anyway. (Consider the sobering results of a readers’ poll by this paper two days ago: 67 per cent of the respondents said ‘Yes’ when asked ‘Are you a migrant to the city where you live?’) Mumbai, Maharashtra, Marathi-speaking people — and India — will suffer enormously if you continue your parochial campaign, and I am sure you care for all four.

... contd.