Marathi and the politics of linguistic survival
The Maharashtra government recently withdrew a mandate requiring Hindi as a third language in schools following widespread public protests. The article contextualizes this event within the historical framework of Marathi linguistic identity and resistance against external language imposition.
Why it matters
It highlights the enduring political sensitivity of language policy in India and how historical narratives of cultural preservation influence modern governance.
I n April and June of 2025, the government of Maharashtra, led by the Mahayuti coalition, issued two resolutions mandating Hindi as the compulsory third language for students from Class 1 onwards in Marathi- and English-medium State board schools, citing alignment with the National Education Policy of 2020 . The announcement was, by any administrative measure, modest in scope, though its political consequences were anything but.
Within weeks, the streets of Mumbai and Pune were filled with protesters. Two figures who had not shared a platform in years, Uddhav Thackeray of Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena , found themselves, improbably, on the same side. By the end of June, the government had withdrawn the orders. The grammar of this linguistic confrontation is centuries old.
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