Playback singer Udit Narayan has spoken up on the controversy around Hindi and Marathi conflict in Maharashtra.The singer recently spoke with IANS, and concurred that being in Maharashtra one has to respect the local language and culture.
However, he said that people should also respect other languages of India as well. He told IANS, “We live in Maharashtra and it is my 'Karma bhoomi' (workplace). So, the language here is also important. Along with that, all the languages in our country are equally important”.
Currently, the state of Maharashtra has been gripped in controversy surrounding the language conflict between Hindi and Marathi speaking people. Workers of the political party MNS have been accused of using violent measures against those who refuse to speak Marathi, a language which shares the devanagari script with Hindi.
Earlier, actors Sharad Kelkar and Rajkummar Rao had shared their opinion on the growing language conflicts between different states of India particularly in Maharashtra, which is the economic engine of the country and contributes the highest to the National GDP.
Sharad recently spoke with IANS, and shared that though he prefers to stay away from politics, he surely respects all “beautiful” Indian languages that are spoken throughout the country.He told IANS, “Honestly, I don’t want to get into political matters.
I have no interest in it. Ask me about acting, and I’ll talk. Ask me why I haven’t done a Marathi film, and I’ll answer. But this isn’t about personal will or preference. I believe all Indian languages are beautiful.
I’m Indian, first and foremost”. Similarly, Rajkummar Rao shared his nuanced view on why not every actor publicly comments on every issue and why silence doesn’t necessarily mean indifference.
When asked whether Bollywood actors avoid speaking on controversial topics to remain politically correct, Rao responded by saying that people should talk about issues they feel strongly about but not out of compulsion.
He said, “I think if there's an issue you feel strongly about, you should definitely talk about it. But it's not necessary to speak on every issue". "And just because you don't post about something on social media doesn't mean you don’t care about it. I think that's a bit strange. Like, I love my country I love my country immensely", he added.