MUMBAI: As the August 15 deadline for the city’s auto rickshaw and cab drivers to pick up Marathi draws nearer, unions affiliated to the BJP and Shiv Sena have sprung into action. Using the booklet printed by the transport department to acquaint migrant drivers with a working knowledge of Marathi, the unions have begun holding training sessions. Two unions distributed the booklets at workshops with drivers on Saturday and Sunday, while a third union is expected to hold a similar training session next week.
The booklet, titled ‘Maharashtra is my state… Marathi is my language!’, has been brought out with the assistance of Marathi litterateurs and language experts. It contains simple Marathi phrases commonly used in conversations between drivers and commuters along with illustrations to make learning easier. Hindi sentences and their Marathi translations are arranged across 15 sections covering topics such as destinations and fare transactions, and also explains how women passengers and senior citizens should be addressed in Marathi.
On Saturday evening, Haji Arafat Shaikh of the BJP-affiliated Nav Bharatiya Shiv Vahatuk Sanghatana distributed the booklet to auto and taxi drivers at the union’s anniversary function in Bandra. Shaikh said he believed that drivers should have a working knowledge of Marathi but needed to be given time and training, and “beating them” was not the solution. “We will distribute the booklet and help the drivers learn from it,” he said.
Speaking at the function, state transport minister Pratap Sarnaik lauded the union’s efforts. “If drivers themselves come forward to learn Marathi, the government is ready to extend full support,” he said. “Learning practical Marathi is necessary for all commercial vehicle drivers in the state but it reflects respect for Maharashtra’s culture and identity rather than being a form of compulsion.” However, the minister also warned that if drivers failed to comply and gain a working knowledge of Marathi by August 15, action would be taken against them from the next day.
Apart from the unions, a politician—Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam—also organised a Marathi communication workshop of auto and taxi drivers on Sunday in Goregaon. Nirupam, who had opposed the deadline earlier, will now, with the aid of the transport department’s booklet, help drivers speak Marathi with commuters.
Shashank Sharad Rao, president of the Autorickshaw Chalak Malak Sanghatana Sanyukt Kruti Samiti, Maharashtra, has also planned a Marathi training stint for his drivers. “The transport department has sent us a digital copy of the booklet, and we will print and distribute it to drivers,” he said. “In the coming week, we will organise training sessions in Goregaon and at our centres such as Kurla and Andheri. We will distribute the booklet to drivers and hold small training sessions to help them learn from it.”
