Who's Stopping the Marathi Manoos

Let me tell you a tale, a tale of the marathi manoos. The man that lives on the fertile soils of the Deccan plateau, throbs with the heart of the nation in Mumbai and has more blessings from God than he can ever list out. Yet today this very marathi manoos is standing isolated, asking for a chance in his own land. Let us have a look at what's wrong with this picture that I have painted.

The lucrative stand alone economy of Maharashtra has lured in some friends from other parts of the country, for the wonderful opportunities it represents. They all came as friends and were welcomed with open hearts, that time when the marathi manoos actually had a heart. The time when the marathi manoos knew not that stones can be used to be pelted, fire can be used to burn precious resources and neighbors could refuse to help each other based on caste, culture and 'language'.

But then things changed. Shortage of jobs, income hardships and several other problems like housing, city cleanliness, etc have made this heart shrink like the Grinch's (the one that stole Christmas). Here's my take on this whole saga, that has been going on for longer than it deserves..

The outsiders (and I am not using this term with malice, just as a differentiation for this piece) came here looking for jobs. They didn't wait for opportunities to come their way. Using their good business acumen they became small scale entrepreneurs. The North Indians became train peddlers, 'chai walas' and even 'dabba walas'. Some started and succeeded in 'dhabba' ventures, that today pervade every nook and cranny of Maharashtra. They exploited an opportunity that was always there but just had no takers before. The South Indians came and did what they do best. They started 'udipi' restaurants and I for one cannot live without my 'sada dosa'. What differentiated them from the marathi manoos was their willingness to do any (and I mean 'any') job, without any distinction between good, bad, lowly, blue collar or white collar. The objective was simple, earn a livelihood, not prestige.

Why do we begrudge them their success when they've toiled hard, all these years. Why were we so ignorant of these home made opportunities or even too pompous to notice and disregard them? Why are we so jealous now?

Charles Darwin gave a wonderful theory once, the theory of evolution. This theory advocates one proponent, 'the survival of the fittest'. The Earth cannot sustain everyone and so only those who top the rat race have the right to survival. Sounds cruel, but for all others, it is all about how quickly they can get competitive again. Protectionism is the worst economic policy ever followed and in the long run it will only hurt the local marathi manoos. Time for him to wake up and play catch up.

This I think is the biggest grievance that the marathi manoos has against the outsiders. The other grievance of city planning, space and cleanliness require a general change in society. It doesn't pay to point fingers at one particular segment of the society. Start alone.

The marathi manoos has nothing stopping him. Look at Sachin Tendulkar, the ordinary marathi manoos, who is today an extraordinary international icon. Let us bring back the heart in the 'aam marathi manoos' and give a shot to a new, equal opportunity, competition on talent, way of life. Let us not rot behind our own demands for protection, for sending them away will not solve anything. If I am not good enough, my job will always be replaceable, no matter who the replacement is.

I am all for the preservation of culture but not at the cost of progress. The marathi manoos needs to understand that extreme nationalism did not help Germany and regionalism will not help Maharashtra. Stop harping on 'Marathi' this and 'Marathi' that. Understand the need of the hour. Teach your kids Marathi, and the ancient Sanskrit shlokas and the entire works, but walk the road of progress with the rest of the world. Proudly speak Marathi when you hold the UN chair, but also understand that you will need English to reach there. Know more on Raj Thakeray, the insider outsider theory proponent.

Let us not forget humanity, kindness and human rights (the right of choice). Let us not put one thing before another. I know what I want to teach my child and I am proudly Maharashtrian. But tell me, is it necessary to show this to everyone? I know who I am and isn't that enough.