Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Aug 23: Marathi departments will be established in all private, deemed and private universities and colleges across Maharashtra, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil said on Saturday, announcing that the state government will soon issue a Government Resolution (GR) to implement the decision.
Patil made the announcement during a meeting of vice-chancellors and registrars of government and private universities at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) to discuss preparations for the 100th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, scheduled to be held at the university from January 28 to 31.
Marathi Language Minister Uday Samant attended the meeting, while Patil participated through video conference.
Patil said many students from other states come to Maharashtra for higher education and should have an opportunity to learn Marathi and understand its language and literature. He also announced annual state-level student conferences to promote Marathi, encourage students' artistic and literary abilities and help preserve the state's dialects.
Samant said the Marathi Language Department would support the Maharashtra Sahitya Mahamandal and SPPU in organising the 100th literary conference.
Marathi Language Department Secretary Kiran Kulkarni said concerted efforts were needed to establish Marathi not only as a language of knowledge but also as a language of employment.
SPPU Vice-Chancellor Suresh Gosavi briefed the meeting on infrastructure and development works at the university. Higher Education Director Shailendra Devalankar said plans were being prepared to connect nearly two lakh students enrolled in traditional degree programmes with the conference and urged educational institutions to participate actively.
Samant also called for dictionaries documenting Maharashtra's dialects. He said the state has around 260 dialects, many of which lack formal documentation. He proposed preparing and publishing dictionaries covering 100 dialects during the 100th Marathi Sahitya Sammelan.
“Marathi has received classical language status. However, we now need to make collective efforts to establish Marathi not only as a language of knowledge but also as a language of employment,” Samant said.
He said youth participation would be central to the conference, with competitions, informal literary interactions and digital initiatives planned at the college level.
Rajesh Pande, trustee of the Samarth Yuva Foundation, said efforts were underway to involve the National Service Scheme and student development boards of universities and colleges in the preparations.
The proposed Marathi departments are expected to expand access to formal Marathi education and strengthen efforts to promote the language and preserve Maharashtra's diverse linguistic heritage.