JNU to teach Shivaji’s war tactics, Marathi; Fadnavis hails mother tongue on campus

Amid a raging Marathi versus Hindi controversy in Maharashtra, state’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday emphasised the importance of respecting all languages while taking pride in one’s mother tongue.

He was speaking after inaugurating Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Special Centre for Security and Strategic Studies and Kusumagraj Special Centre for Marathi Language, Literature, and Culture in JNU today.

Maharashtra Language Minister Uday Samant, JNU Vice-Chancellor Shantishree Dhulipudi Pandit, Chhatrapati Babajiraje Bhosale of the Tanjore Dynasty, and Registrar Ravikesh were also present.

Fadnavis expressed satisfaction over the commencement of studies on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s strategic foresight and military tactics at JNU.

He said, “UNESCO has recognised 12 forts of Shivaji Maharaj as the ‘Maratha Military Landscape,’ granting them World Heritage Site status. Shivaji Maharaj identified foreign threats and built impregnable forts in the Sahyadri, Western Ghats, and coastal regions, inspiring the Marathas to hoist their flag across India. His military tactics are still praised worldwide. Every battle of Shivaji Maharaj is an example of strategic prowess and it was because of him that Swarajya was established. The indomitable spirit of the Maratha people was instilled by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.”

The Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting classical language status to Marathi. He said, “Marathi is a very ancient language. The royal seal of Shivaji Maharaj is inscribed on the flag of our navy, and now the royal seal of Marathi has been established in Delhi as well. Even today, Marathi literature and theater are of the highest quality. The language that has kept theater alive is Marathi. Research on the Marathi language should be conducted in all universities.”

He also announced that a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj would be installed on the JNU campus.