Marathi Language Writers

"if European scholars and historians are truthfully interested in the pursuit of knowledge, they will learn Marathi and read my books."

"Marathi is today the language of a conquered people which is why it is neglected so thoroughly. Had it been the language of a ruling and independent nation, it would have been carefully studied even by Westerners and the fame of Marathi writers would have spread on the continent of Europe."

"The refined Marathi in which the literature of the past seven or eight centuries is written has become the object of love equally to all the Marathas inhabiting the various districts of Maharashtra and the various (Indian) states such as Baroda, Indore, Gwalior, Bundelkhand, Tanjore, Gooty, Bellary and others. T here is no wonder that the cultured language in which gifted writers like Mukundraj, Dnyaneshwar, Suryajyotishi, Ekanath, Tukaram, Ramdas, Moropant, and Chiplunkar wrote their works, should be respected alike by people of all districts and of all communities. A provincial language is coextensive with the boundaries of the province and the communal dialect with the community, but the literary language used in writing and speech is meant for the entire Maharashtra. Small peculiarities of provincial minor dialects and the puerile corruptions met with in communal brogue, pale into insignificance in the royal court of the literary language and the only one pure mother tongue of the Marathas becomes the object of pride, wonder and spontaneous affection to all the people in the country. The pride which the Marathas feel for their language is not vain. No language in the world can equal Marathi in respect of abundance of its vocabulary. Moreover, the fact that many gifted and great writers have clothed their sublime, grave, romantic and charming thoughts in this language has only led to the gradual growth of affection, in ever increasing measure in the people of Maharashtra for this language."

"Historians like Sarkar, Dr Romesh Chandra Majumdar, Vishwanath Kashinath Rajwade, Raghubir Singh, Hemchandra Raychaudhuri, Kashi Prasad Jayaswal, Devadatta Ramakrishna Bhandarkar, Govind Sakharam Sardesai and several contemporaries of theirs, many of whom shone in brilliance even under colonial rule, are in my view exemplars of what fact-based, dispassionate historians are."