MUMBAI: They used humble postcards to assert their love for Marathi. Amid the row over the introduction of Hindi from class 1 to 5 as a third language in the state, with a section alleging that it could marginalise Marathi, students at Urdu medium schools in Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) recently showed their love for Marathi in a unique way.
They sent off 25,000 postcards with neatly written messages in Marathi to high officials, including the chief minister, divisional commissioner, and municipal commissioner.
The brainchild of Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi , founder-president of the Aurangabad-based Read and Lead Foundation , which popularises reading books among students and adults, the initiative has won wide acclaim.
“At a time when people have almost forgotten using postcards to communicate, we invited students at Urdu medium schools in Aurangabad to use humble postcards. They wrote small essays on varied subjects like ‘Me and My City’, ‘My Favourite Author’, and ‘My Favourite Book’. We made it mandatory to write in Marathi,” said Nadvi.
Nadvi added that students were encouraged to visit post offices and drop the postcards in the boxes. “Many kids never visited a post office before and did not know what a letterbox looks like. It was a sort of education for them too,” Qayyum added.
Exposed early to smartphones and other means of digital media, today’s kids cannot be expected to know the value these humble postcards held for earlier generations.
But why did Nadvi ask students at Urdu schools to write these letters in Marathi? “Marathi is the main language in Maharashtra, and it is the mother tongue of most residents here. Proficiency in Marathi will give an edge to students of other mediums. Students of Urdu medium are often accused of lacking proficiency in Marathi. By writing on the postcards in Marathi, these kids asserted their love for the language,” explained Nadvi, who has been volunteering to popularise reading books through Mohalla libraries for over two decades.
Through this initiative, the humble postcard has been transformed from an almost forgotten artefact into a tool for creative expression and civic engagement.
They sent off 25,000 postcards with neatly written messages in Marathi to high officials, including the chief minister, divisional commissioner, and municipal commissioner.
The brainchild of Mirza Abdul Qayyum Nadvi , founder-president of the Aurangabad-based Read and Lead Foundation , which popularises reading books among students and adults, the initiative has won wide acclaim.
“At a time when people have almost forgotten using postcards to communicate, we invited students at Urdu medium schools in Aurangabad to use humble postcards. They wrote small essays on varied subjects like ‘Me and My City’, ‘My Favourite Author’, and ‘My Favourite Book’. We made it mandatory to write in Marathi,” said Nadvi.
Nadvi added that students were encouraged to visit post offices and drop the postcards in the boxes. “Many kids never visited a post office before and did not know what a letterbox looks like. It was a sort of education for them too,” Qayyum added.
Exposed early to smartphones and other means of digital media, today’s kids cannot be expected to know the value these humble postcards held for earlier generations.
But why did Nadvi ask students at Urdu schools to write these letters in Marathi? “Marathi is the main language in Maharashtra, and it is the mother tongue of most residents here. Proficiency in Marathi will give an edge to students of other mediums. Students of Urdu medium are often accused of lacking proficiency in Marathi. By writing on the postcards in Marathi, these kids asserted their love for the language,” explained Nadvi, who has been volunteering to popularise reading books through Mohalla libraries for over two decades.
Through this initiative, the humble postcard has been transformed from an almost forgotten artefact into a tool for creative expression and civic engagement.
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