The day will also witness cultural vents in other parts of Maharashtra. The politics around languange in Maharshtra intensfied with the advent of Bal Thackray. Several commentators have argued that the legacy has been taken up by firebrand leader Raj Thackray.
The day will also witness celebrations in Goa where sizable Marathi speaking people are likely to participate in various events.
Who was Vishnu Shirwadkar?
Popularly known by his pen name ‘Kusumagraj’,Vishnu Shirwadkar was an eminent Marathi poet, playwright, novelist, short story writer and humanist. He wrote about freedom, justice and emancipation of the deprived. In a career spanning five decades starting in pre-independence era, he wrote 16 volumes of poems, three novels, eight volumes of short stories, seven volumes of essays, 18 plays and six one-act plays.
His works like the Vishakha (1942), a collection of lyrics, inspired a generation into the Indian freedom movement, and is considered one of the masterpieces of Indian literature.His play Natsamrat has important place in Marathi literature. He was the recipient of several State awards, and National awards including the 1974 Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi for Natsamrat, Padma Bhushan (1991) and the Dnyanpith Award in 1987.