Marathi Din 2018: Date, History and Significance of the Marathi Language Day
The day is celebrated with fervour among people who speak Marathi. Several essay writing competitions and seminars are arranged in schools and colleges throughout the state on this auspicious day.
Marathi Day is celebrated with much fanfare on February 27, throughout the state of Maharashtra. It is also celebrated in some regions of Goa, Karnataka, and Madhya Pradesh too. Marathi-speaking people in these states observe this day and honour the rich history and literature associated with it.
It holds a great significance for people who speak the Marathi language. The Marathi Bhasha Diwas is celebrated on the occasion of the birth anniversary of noted Marathi litterateur Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar, alias Kusumagraj. We, at LatestLY, bring to you some facts about Marathi Day and why is it celebrated in several states.
1. The popular poet VV Shirwadkar was born on February 27, 1912, at Pune in Maharashtra. The famous Marathi writer died at age of 87.
2. Kusumagraj was a renowned poet, play-writer, novelist, and a story-writer.
3. The Maharashtra government started celebrating VV Shirwadkar’s birth anniversary as ‘Marathi Rajbhasha Gaurav Din’ after his demise in 1999.
4. Kusumagraj was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi in the year 1974. Also, he was awarded the Dyanpeeth Award in the year 1987.
5. Not many people know that he was born as Gajanan Ranganath Shirwadkar. However, after he was adopted and his name was changed to Vishnu Vaman Shirwadkar.
6. In the year 2016, the government had constituted two special awards for individuals taking initiatives to promote Marathi literature.
7. Notable works of Kusumagraj include Vishakha (poem), and Natsamrat (play), among many other poems and plays he wrote in his career spanning five decades.
Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. Not many people know that it is the fourth most spoken language, after Hindi, Bengali, and Telugu, in India. The Marathi language ranks at number 19 in the list of most spoken languages in the world. The Marathi day is celebrated with fervour among people who speak Marathi. Several essay writing competitions and seminars are arranged in schools and colleges throughout the state on this auspicious day.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 27, 2018 01:12 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).