Students of the University of Mauritius (UoM) will soon get an opportunity to learn Marathi at the post-graduate level. The UoM is all set to start an MA course in Marathi from August in the next academic year
Former HoD and senior faculty member of the Marathi department of the University of Pune Dr Manohar Jadhav recently returned from a month-long tour of Mauritius, during which time he acted as the resource person to frame the syllabus of the new MA course.u00a0
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“The UoM has an affiliated centre called the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, which has a School of Indian Languages,” Jadhav said. “The new MA Marathi course will start in this school in August 2013.”u00a0Jadhav also discussed the proposed course with the Culture Minister of Mauritius Mukeshwar Chunni.
“Mauritius is a small country with just 1.3 million (10 lakh) people, but 60 per cent of the population is of Indian origin and 17 per cent of the people are of Maharashtrian origin,” Jadhav said. “So the new MA course will definitely receive a good response.”
Dr Manohar Jadhav, senior faculty member, Marathi Department, UoP
The Mahatma Gandhi Institute already has a BA and a diploma course in Marathi. “I worked with the experts at the Mahatma Gandhi Institute and we have framed a detailed syllabus for the proposed MA course,” Jadhav said.
“I have suggested that the course can include subjects like how to write for audio-visual mediums, as the Mauritius Broadcasting Corporation has scope to work in Marathi for its radio and television.”
Marathi in Mauritius schools
In Mauritius, all secondary schools offer the option of Marathi as a second language. Former HoD of UoP Marathi department Dr Manohar Jadhav said: “Today, you have living in Mauritius the fifth generation of the Maharashtrian people who shifted there in the British era. But they still have a special place for their mother tongue Marathi. I think the Maharashtra state government should learn from these people, as many Marathi schools in the state are closing down because of lack of funding from the government.”u00a0
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