Mumbai and the Marathi Manoos

I must profess ignorance about the Marathi Manoos.
Who is he?
A person with domicile in Maharashtra?
A person who can speak Marathi?
A person whose mother tongue is Marathi?
A person both of whose parent's mother tongues are Marathi?

I want to know because this person seems to be wanting a special status in Maharashtra.
Now special status in and of itself is not new - There is a special status for certain people in Kashmir, for some people in the North Eastern states, and whats more, for certain caste/community/tribe based groups there is a special status for all over the country.
But what is funny about this special status for the Marathi Manoos is what the leaders of this "movement" seem to be demanding. Sample this:
Some politicians came out an compared the leaders making these demands to Fascists and Hitler. I think they were meaning to insult the leaders of the Marathi Manoos movement. I think they are insulting the Fascists!
Some RSS leader came out recently and exhorted his cronies to protect the whimpering migrants, to which some Sena leader has reacted by warning the RSS guys to stay away from issues in Mumbai.

I don't know if the Marathi Manoos actually understands what their leaders are asking for:
100% reservation, Ownership of their city, Squelching opinion, and prevention of other citizens of India from coming in there.
That is another way of saying isolation.
Is that what the real Marathi Manoos wants?

The Sena leaders are braying over the airwaves that they have the unflinching support of the Marathi Manoos. But do they?
And if so - back to my first question - who the hell is this Marathi Manoos supporting these retarded views?
If you know, please enlighten me.

And another thing.
Their whole argument rests on the confidence they have that people want to move to Mumbai.

India's own city of opportunity.
That city is the city of opportunity as much BECAUSE of the migrants as before it. These leaders didn't make it the city of opportunity. They just changed the bloody name!

And you know if these Marathi Manooses really want it - Fuck it. Build a wall around them, and let them have the god damned city to themselves.
We've got other ports.
And the finance and software industry can move pretty quickly.
And Bollywood? Really? Should we even care to address THAT situation?

Let them drive their taxis and speak to each other in only Marathi and descend into a state of chewing destitution.
Lets see how they like that scenario.

2 comments:

  1. Duh Mr or Miss Cynic....whoever you are. I understand your wanting to make a case for cosmopolitanism, but don't understand how speaking in Marathi equates descending into a state for chewing destitution.....er....why the superciliousness?

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  2. Duh Mr or Miss Cynic....whoever you are. I understand your wanting to make a case for cosmopolitanism, but don't understand how speaking in Marathi equates descending into a state for chewing destitution.....er....why the superciliousness?

    ReplyDelete