The Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh is introducing its language learning course in an online avatar, making it accessible to a wider audience
The course will be held online
If you switch on a tube light, it only lights up what's beneath it, but if you light a samayi [Marathi: a metal lamp], its radiance illuminates the whole room." This is how Suhasini Kirtikar, coordinator of the Marathi language course at the Mumbai Marathi Sahitya Sangh (MMSS), describes the significance of the 85-year-old institution taking its decades-old course online for the first time. Starting in January, the course, originally designed for non-Marathi speakers, will be open to adults and students, as well as those familiar with the language.
The Dnyaneshwari, a commentary on the Bhagavad Gita written by the Marathi saint and poet Dnyaneshwar in 1290 CE. Pic Courtesy/Wikimedia commons
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Established in 1935 by Dr AN Bhalerao, the Girgaum-based MMSS has been instrumental in the nurturing of Marathi literature and culture. Kirtikar, who has worked with MMSS for over four decades, shares that before the lockdown, the 'Learning Marathi effectively for non-Marathi speakers course' used to run out of the MMSS building, along with centres in Sion, Chembur and Bandra, among other places. "Dedicated teachers including Marathi critic Dr Sudha Joshi, editor Ram Patwardhan, poet and critic professor Ramesh Tendulkar and teacher Suhas Limaye, have taught the course voluntarily over the years. In light of the pandemic, we shifted this course online for now. The first batch starts in January, and we'll see how it goes," says Kirtikar.
Suhasini Kirtikar and Dr Leena Kedare
The three-month online course, recognised by the state government, will now be taught by Minakshi Jayakar and Eknath Awad once a week to a batch of maximum 20 students. "They'll be introduced to the basics, short stories, songs and conversational Marathi to navigate everyday situations," explains Kirtikar. She adds that since people from various professions join their classes, they also accommodate special requests, "For instance, a doctor once needed to learn how to communicate with patients."
Shanta Gokhale
The online course marks one of the first virtual ventures by the iconic regional institution. "As someone who takes pride in her mother tongue, I'll feel honoured if people from all over the country and world join in," Kirtikar shares. Noting that although an online course may help MMSS take the language to a larger audience, writer, translator and critic Shanta Gokhale cautions that the act of teaching one-on-one is almost like a performing art. "Direct classes are never large, and teaching them becomes effective. In online courses, if one likes it, they stick to it, or they don't. It's a need-based situation. But if there is a need, then the pandemic, in a way, helps you to move out of a set structure and have a wider reach." Dr Leena Kedare, HOD, Marathi, Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College, meanwhile welcomes the idea. "It's a good thing that MMSS is using this opportunity to introduce the online course as it becomes accessible to so many people, including those Marathis who want the younger generation to keep in touch with their roots. In the current scenario, language is going to serve as a bridge to bring people from different communities closer," she says, adding that this course can be a step towards that.
On Sundays, from 9 am to 11 am; first batch starts in January email sahityasangha@gmail.com to register by December 15 Cost Rs 5,000 for a three-month course
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