In the last few days, Maharashtra has been experiencing a controversy over the Hindi and Marathi language. It all started when the state Government decided to make Hindi mandatory for Class I students in Marathi and English medium schools. There’s been a huge debate surrounding the language and how the citizens of Maharashtra must know Marathi. Several celebs have reflected on this issue. At the trailer launch of ‘Son Of Sardaar 2’ in Mumbai, Ajay Devgn was asked about it. He literally lit up the room and made everyone chuckle as he reacted to the Hindi vs Marathi debate. He got into his ‘Singham’ mode and said, ‘Aata Maajhi Satakli’ Meanwhile, recently, Shilpa Shetty also commented on the issue. At the trailer launch event of KD The Devil with co-star Sanjay Dutt, when asked about it, both the actors refused to talk about it. However, Shilpa just ended the discussion by saying, “Mala Marathi yete. Me Maharashtra chi Mulgi aahe (I know Marathi, I’m Maharasthra’s girl).” Singer Udit Narayan also had commented on it. Speaking to IANS, he said, “We live in Maharashtra and it is my ‘Karma Bhoomi’. So, the language here is also important. Along with that, all the languages in our country are equally important.” Janhvi Kapoor’s boyfriend Shikhar Pahariya who is the grandson of former CM of Maharashtra, SushilKumar Shinde, had penned a long note about it. He had said that while the Marathi pride and ‘asmita’ is deep, emotional and rooted in our way of life, “That pride cannot come at the cost of others’ dignity… We cannot keep a language alive through fear.”
