Modern Marathi Literature: The Beginnings

Modern Marathi Literature:

The Beginnings

Four years after the last of the Peshwas had said his farewell to Poona and to Maharashtra, the Native Education Society was founded in Bombay, under the auspices of the Government of Bombay. The objects of this Society were, "to encourage the study and pursuit of English and the Vernacular among the natives; the establishing of schools, training of teachers, the preparation of suitable text-books for use in schools, and the starting of a press." The Society began its work in a very earnest way indeed, and a Government Depot for the sale of publications was soon organised as well. The Society secured the co-operation of many of the Native Pandits, and was responsible for the many valuable translations from the old Sanskrit Texts into the vernaculars.

The names of two Englishmen stand out prominently in the history of the growth of Marathi literature. Captain Molesworth, and Major T. Candy were largely responsible; for the first authorised edition of a Dictionary of the Marathi language. Simultaneously with the work of publication being carried on in this direction, the old Sanskrit Pathasala, at the "Vishram Bagh Palace" in Poona was re-organised, the Poona College was started, and the Elphinstone Institute was established in Bombay. The result was that within a reasonable period, there were many of the old Pandits who came to possess a workable knowledge of English. The year 1842 saw the establishment of the New Education Board, of which Sir Erskine Perry became the Chairman. His minute prepared in the year 1849 throws a valuable side-light on the difficulties in the way of the progress of education in the country. We note too that a sum of 1,25,000 Rupees was spent by Government between the years 1822 to 1849, for the spread of education in the country. It must be said to the credit of the Government that the major portion of this somewhat large sum was spent towards the publication of books in Marathi, as is seen from the list of the books we have on hand which were published at that time. The following gentlemen were among the prominent members of the Board. Bal Gangadhar Shastri Jambhekar, Mahadev Shastri Kolhatkar, Krishna Shastri Chiplonkar, Shree Krishna Shastri Talekar, Bhaskar Damodar Palande, Sadashiv Kashinath Chattre, Professor Keropunt Chattre, Parashram Tatya Godbole and so on. These men and many others too, began to write in Marathi, and here we have the beginnings of Marathi prose, for the first time in Maharashtra. Then came the Grammar of the Marathi language in natural sequence, published by Dadoba Pandurang.

Such then, in brief, was the history of the beginnings of Modern Marathi Literature and it is interesting to observe that this active interest in the study of the native language and the attempts to bring into being a Literature of the land, was largely due to the initiative and sympathy of the English officers and administrators of the country.

In the year 1866, the Government of Bombay ordered a list of its publications in Sanskrit and in Marathi. Dr. Kielhorn, the famous Orientalist, was given the work of the preparation of the list in Sanskrit, and Justice Ranade, that of the Marathi publications. This list, as corrected and amended up to the year 1864, is a very comprehensive and instructive one; and contains in addition to the lists mentioned above a critical review of the educational progress of the period by Justice Ranade. It will not be out of place to mention a few details from this official publication.

We note that until the year under consideration, i.e., 1864, there were in all 661 publications, 428 of which were in prose and the remaining 233 either in verse or dramas. Justice Ranade divided the prose publications into the following four divisions. (1) Books suitable for school use (2) for the general reading public (3) books of a scientific nature, and (4) books dealing with law. 98 books had been published which belonged to the first division, which dealt with history, geography, grammar. These were mostly translations prepared and graded according to the needs of the Department of Education. Major Candy was a prolific writer and one notes with interest that most of the books for school use had been prepared by him. The second division was further sub-divided into the following nine sub-divisions (1) History (2) Fiction (3) Essays on Morals (4) Biography (5) Travel (6) The Bakhars or diaries, (7) Philosophy (8) Political literature (9) Newspapers and monthlies.

Under History came the translation into Marathi of the works of the Elphinstone, Murray, Grant Duff and "an account of England" by Bal Gangadhar Shastri.

39 books were published under the head "fiction." These were mostly translations of ancient Sanskrit stories of a very coarse character; but still they seem to have been extremely popular. There were 15 more books which were translations from English. The very popular story of the "Arabian Nights" is one such.

Under the sub-division "Essays" two books were published the "Vidura Neeti"and "Narada Neeti."

Under the sub-division "Biography" were published the lives of Columbus, Captain Cook, Khusru, Nana Phadnavis, Socrates and that of Catherine, Queen of Russia. All these biographies were either translations or curious attempts at a newly-discovered craft in writing.

Thus we have under the several headings the details of the various publications. The details may not interest the general reader, so we pass on. The second great division which Mr. Ranade embodied in his report was verse; of the 223 publications mentioned above, most were the revised songs or poems of the great Saints and Poets of Maharashtra, like Tukaram, Ramdas and Ekanath. The rest were complete and wholesale translations of Sanskrit dramas and verses.

This was in brief an attempt to classify the vernacular literature of the period. No attempt seems to have been made in later years towards a further system of classification. But we have it on reliable authority that from 1868 to 1896, i.e., within a period of 28 years, the number of Marathi publications was 1686, and from 1897 to 1908 the number rose to 1724. We have, too, on the authority of the Curator Mr. Agashe, that up to the year 1909, the number of publications in Marathi was a little over 4000. But later on, as the knowledge of English spread and the Universities of the West and its publishers began to pour forth their publications; with the growth and development of the Universities in India; with the introduction of Marathi in the school curriculum, and then with the passion for the National genius to express itself, the modern literature of Maharashtra grew. It passed out of its infancy and suddenly announced its existence and mission allover the country. The increased use of machinery and modern facilities for printing added not a little to the revolution, and from the beginning of the 20th century, from the year of the death of the very same Justice Ranade, we have the modern Marathi literature as such. What its tendencies were, and how far it reflected the National genius we shall examine in the coming pages.

From the dry-as-dust sort of a beginning which has been sketched out here, we note its steady growth and then its mighty development as the literature of a very fine, intellectual, virile, race of men and women. We will endeavour to note too, what causes contributed to its growth and the men and women who guided it, and then finally, its tendencies.

Acknowledgments: -

The ‘Manoranjan’ Bombay

‘Occasional Essays’ by Mr. N. C. Kelkar.