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Cultural give and take
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The cultural link between Tamilians and Maharashtrians has a historical significance, was what one discovered at the recent annual celebrations of the Maharashtra Association in the city.
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MOST WOMEN in the hall wore vairu thodu, while the men were in veshti. Not unusual in Chennai. But as it was the annual celebrations of the Maharashtra Association this past Sunday, one didn't expect much of a Tamilian touch to the event.
"Ironically, most of us are comfortable with everything Tamil than Marathi — language, attire, food, and even names," said S. Devaji Rao, secretary of the association, who has been enthusiastically taking the lead to get fellow Maharashtrians in the city to interact, involve in Marathi-oriented activities and keep their cultural identity intact.
Devaji speaks flawless Tamil, besides being able to read and write. "Obviously as most of us were raised here and have our roots in Tanjore. After all to be able to merge with the ethos of the environment you live in, is the essence of human existence," he avers philosophically.
"It's this truth that marks the vibrancy of the Indian culture. But it does not entail you to cut yourself off from your origin," emphasised N. Vittal, former vigilance commissioner and a Maharashtrian. To prove his point, he preferred to address the gathering in Marathi.
The Marathi one heard that evening had an obvious South Indian intonation. And some of the words sounded different from the way it is pronounced in Mumbai or Pune. To that Vittal quipped, "In Mumbai, Marathi is spoken with an English accent, in Pune, it is Sanskritised, the Nagpur version shows Hindi influence while the one spoken by Tanjore Maharashtrians has retained the words and usages of classical Marathi."
Despite the local influence, the language has not lost its original flavour, pointed out Vittal Rao Dhotrekar, one of the oldest members of the association and one who still signs in Marathi. He fondly remembers the time when the activities of the association were at a peak under the leadership of M. Devaji Rao (grandfather of the present secretary), who was residing in Triplicane. Most Maharashtrians then were concentrated in that part of the city. "Every Saturday we would meet to sing bhajans."
"In the 1930s, E.Vinayaka Rao started a Maharashtra Education Fund and a school to encourage academic pursuits among Maharashtrians based in the South. But it soon folded up due to lack of patronage," lamented Vittal Rao. "However, it's heartening to see Devaji step into his grandfather's shoes to make Maharashtrians stand out in the ethnic crowd."
In fact, the most interesting aspect of the impact of Maharashtrian culture on Tamil culture, besides arts, is sambhar. Vittal explained this spicy point by saying that dal being the staple diet of Maharastrians is also the basic ingredient of the dish. He further elaborated that katha kalakshepams, so popular in Tamil Nadu is Maharashtra's contribution. So also is the poi kal kudrai. He felt Maharashtrains should take more interest in learning more about their hoary past.
Inspired by the exchange of ideas that evening, Mr. Vittal said he now plans to research more into this cultural give and take.
CHITRA SWAMINATHAN
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
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Thiruvananthapuram
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