#Marathi Localization

[devangriai]

Why is English to Marathi translation good for your website?

You are more likely wondering what approach to follow to make your business stand out when one way to do this is through English to Marathi translation. 

This information piece is not about how to translate a website but more about why you have to do it.

Let's dive deeper and learn why is website translation important.

Why Should You Opt for English to Marathi translation?

If you can't reach your potential customers in person, this is the best way to capture their attention to your brand.

To make you understand why you have to do so, here are a few reasons that would justify this question:

1- Expand Your Customer-Base

Every business person has to expand their business one day. If for you the day has come to grow and appeal to Marathi speakers, ensure that you translate your website. The effective English to Marathi translation cost is affordable.

2- Show You Value Your Clients

People buy for a variety of reasons. For example, they may want your products; they may like your way of messaging, design, packaging, or customer service. However, one of the most important things when buying from someone is TRUST.

3- Improve Your SEO Result

SEO can be a bit confusing, particularly for those who have a new game in town. If you want to make your website SEO go well, consider translating your website for various local markets. However, do not forget to add relevant keywords in Marathi as well. The descriptions and meta titles should be optimized as well.

Once your SEO tricks start working, you will see a great increase in website traffic. Also, your organic rankings will boost.

4- Accelerate Sales

There is something wrong if people don’t purchase from you. Yet, your ultimate target is to sell something – a service or product. And as you translate your business website, you expand your probability of selling to consumers.

So how?

According to Harvard Business Review, 42% reported that they don't want to buy products and services in non-native languages. Moreover, 9 out of 10 Internet users mentioned that, when given a choice of languages, they tend to visit the site in their native language.

5- Outrun your Competitors

So what to do if you want to stand out in the tough competition? The majority of your competitors have not considered this. It's truly great when a brand can establish itself as an excellent product or service provider in different markets.

How Do You Build Trust Between Your Business And Them?

English to Marathi translation can be a big step toward developing that trust and realizing people that matter to you. By connecting to your potential customers or clients through their local language, you get a great chance of winning their trust.

At present, a few translation companies for website translation are capable of translating your websites through various techniques.

Final Thought

Communication and accessibility are among the most important elements in the present business environment. For this reason, the vast majority of people in almost every business are deciding to develop their websites and perform English to Marathi translation.

But, as a business owner, you would have to consider increasing your scope and attracting more international customers. And for that, you will be asked to have each web page translated with as much accuracy and professionalism as possible.

Do not try it by yourself if you are not experienced enough to do website translation. Seek the services of the best translation agency who can complete the job for you on time.

[arissaokami]

मी: तू पृथ्वी का नष्ट करत आहेस!!!

एलियन: कारण असे लोक आहेत ज्यांना असे वाटते की इंग्रजी ही एकमेव भाषा आहे जी त्यांना बोलण्याची आवश्यकता आहे

मी: मला समजले ते बरोबर आहे

me: why are you destroying earth!!!

aliens: because theres people who think that english is the only language they need to speak

me: thats fair i understand

[indianfasttrack]

'अखंड शिवसेना': बालासाहेब के करीबी सहयोगी ने उद्धव, राज, एकनाथ से हाथ मिलाने और गठबंधन बनाने का आग्रह किया।

महाराष्ट्र की राजनीति में क्या बड़ा बदलाव होने जा रहा है? ऐसी राजनैतिक गलियारों में गरमागरम खुसफुसाहट होने लगी है। हालही में पुरानी शिवसेना को अखंड शिवसेना के निर्माण के लिए सभी प्रमुख नेताओं को हाथ मिलाने का आग्रह पूर्व गृहमंत्री और बालासाहेब ठाकरे के खासमखास नेता ने पेशकश की है। ‘Akhand Shiv Sena’: Balasaheb’s close aide urges Uddhav, Raj, Eknath to join hands and form alliance. मंत्रालय…

[journosatyam]

south-speaks-out-why-maharashtra-hindi-protests-resonate-differently

हिंदी पर महाराष्ट्र में रार, विपक्ष को ऐतराज, NEP पर हंगाम��� की कहानी

महाराष्ट्र सरकार ने तीन-भाषा नीति को मंजूरी दी है. अब कक्षा 1 से 5 तक के छात्रों के लिए हिंदी को तीसरी अनिवार्य भाषा के तौर पर चुना गया है. दक्षिण भारतीय राज्य, केंद्र की नरेंद्र मोदी सरकार की नई शिक्षा नीति के खिलाफ मोर्चा खोल बैठे हैं, ऐसे में नए फैसले से महाराष्ट्र में भी सियासी हंगामा बरपा है. इस फैसले की वजह से विपक्षी दलों को एक नया मुद्दा मिल गया है. भाषा और मराठा मानुष की सबसे उग्र राजनीति करने वाले महाराष्ट्र नवनिर्माण सेना के मुखिया राज ठाकरे ने इस पर बेहद कड़ा रुख अख्तियार किया है.

सिर्फ राज ठाकरे ही नहीं, उनके चचेरे भाई और बाल ठाकरे के बेटे उद्धव ठाकरे भी इस नई नीति से बेहद नाराज हैं. उनके पिता भी मराठी भाषा और स्थानीयता की राजनीति करते थे, अब ठाकरे बंधु भी इस नीति के खिलाफ मुखर हो गए हैं. महा विकास अघाड़ी की एक और सहयोगी पार्टी कांग्रेस ने भी तीन भाषा नीति का विरोध किया है. मनसे, शिवसेना (UBT) और कांग्रेस का कहना है कि स्कूलों में हिंदी को अनिवार्य बनाना गलत है.

पूरा आर्टिकल यहां पढ़ें👇

हिंदी पर महाराष्ट्र में रार, विपक्ष को ऐतराज, NEP पर हंगामे की कहानी

[mhlivenews]

पुणे-लोणावळा लोकल सुरु, प्रवाशांसाठी आनंदाची बातमी; अशी आहे लोकलची वेळ

म. टा. प्रतिनिधी, पुणे : करोनानंतर दुपारच्या टप्प्यात पुणे ते लोणावळा दरम्यान बंद असलेली लोकल सेवा सुरू करण्याचा निर्णय रेल्वे प्रशासनाने घेतला आहे. त्यामुळे विद्यार्थ्यांसह कामानिमित्ताने प्रवास करणाऱ्या फायदा होणार आहे. शिवाजीनगर येथून दुपारी बारा वाजून पाच मिनिटांनी लोकल सोडण्यात येणार आहे.करोनाच्या काळात रेल्वे सेवा बंद करण्यात आली होती. त्यावेळी पुणे-लोणावळा लोकल सेवा बंद करण्यात आली होती.…

[shakti-enterprise]

Modi Lipi Translation Services — How A Brand Can Benefit From Local Language Marketing? | Shakti Enterprise

Language should not be considered as a mere means of communication your brand uses to communicate with its target audience segments across all channels. You need to understand that the growth of your brand, its identity and its position in the market also depends on the languages you choose to promote your venture.

As per the professional opinion of the CEO of a revered provider of Modi lipi translation services, language is a tool that should be used by entrepreneurs to offer relevant information to their customers. And at the same time, use it to connect with prospective clients in a bid to encourage them to become returning patrons who would support the brand in question through thick and thin!

Hence, apart from using run-of-the-mill translation and localization services, a visionary entrepreneur would also invest in local language marketing services.

What is the meaning of local language marketing?

An expert in Modi script translation services states that the process of creating promotional content in regional languages and their most frequently used dialects is defined as local language marketing. Local language marketing lets a brand connect with a wider target audience segment which was previously inaccessible due to language and cultural barriers.

For the best results, one must remember that they should only work with providers of professional translation services as they have access to talent who understand the history of a language and its dialects so that the same can be used properly all the while ensuring cultural contexts of the language in question are used all in the right places in a piece of promotional content.

What are the benefits of local language marketing services?

Local language marketing allows a brand to become culturally relevant

How?

Well, one should remember that when properly used, local languages and their classic regional dialects when used properly can create powerful emotions in the minds of the target audience segments. Hence, even if a brand is not local or is not the brainchild of a person who belongs to the local culture, instead of shunning the brand, the target audience segments would readily warm up to the brand in question. Ergo, the brand in question became culturally relevant!

Native language marketing has become part and parcel of promoting a brand

Local language services such as Modi lipi to Marathi translation can play a key role in campaigns that are being conducted by a brand to launch its offerings in a new region where the market is somewhat saturated with similar brands offering similar products and services. In simple words, if you want your brand and its offerings to stand apart in the crowd then using local language marketing services is a wise decision, to be honest!

The success rates of local language marketing generally surpass traditional marketing

As per data put forth by an agency offering Modi script translation services in Mumbai, local language marketing services tend to perform better compared to traditional marketing approaches since the former entails bespoke features that apply to the brand in question and its offerings as well as the promotional campaign that has been put together at any given point in time!

Contact Shakti Enterprise for the best Modi Lipi translation services in India

At Shakti Enterprise, veteran and certified linguists who are fluent in Modi Lipi work on the projects so that contextual, tonal and grammatical inconsistencies are kept at bay. Shakti Enterprise has been associated with the language service sector for decades. Hence, this is the best language service provider when the priority is adapting your brand’s message as per the market segment you have targeted. For more details, please contact the agency today.

[welcometotheravenclawcommonroom]

(South) Indian Harry Potter Headcanons:

Harry knew he was Indian (mostly because the Dursley’s used to say racist shit to him) but he didn’t know where in India the potters were from until he went to Hogwarts. He finds out from the Patils, who were close with the potters because desis stick together.

The Patils are from the north and use Hindi to speak to each other. Neither of them knows Telugu/Tamil/Marathi/Malayalam/insert Southern language of choice here (I personally headcanon Telugu because it’s the only Indian language I speak and because there’s a huge diaspora of telugumandi in the west, but feel free to choose whatever you’d like). So Harry has to rediscover his heritage language on his own.

He also studies Sanskrit, and it opens up a HUGE world of spells that they don’t teach at Hogwarts (because of course Indian wizards don’t do spells in Latin). He and the Patils know a bunch of spells that nobody else does.

Harry’s pleat game is ON POINT. It makes sense, since he had to do all the chores at the Dursley’s and that includes perfectly folded and ironed laundry with the edges aligned neatly, or else he would risk being punished. But the result is that if you want your saree drape to pass the inspection of even the most judgemental auntie, you go to Harry to help with your pleats.

Even when they’ve graduated and all have their own homes, it’s a pretty regular sight for the Patil twins to come through Harry’s floo, half dressed, to have Harry pleat their sarees or their lehenga dupatta for them.

Harry LOVES spices. The dursleys only liked bland food, but Harry has always liked flavorful foods, and has no problem with (hot) spicy food either. He uses lots of spices in his own cooking now. His food is very flavorful, but when he’s cooking for himself, it’s too spicy for all his friends (even the Patils). So nobody can eat his leftovers unless he was specifically cooking with other people in mind. Ron learned this the first time he rummaged through Harry’s fridge after a night of drinking. Now Harry labels all his food as to whether or not it’s “Harry spicy”.

James LOVED to buy Lily sarees. He’d order them with custom, wizard-themed designs from weaving villages in south India. The women who made them assumed he was just very imaginative, so he wasn’t violating the statute of secrecy since saree patterns are often vibrant and unique. Harry finds some of them in the old potter manor, and they still smell like the perfumes and scented oils his mother would wear when James took her to the local temple for Hindu holidays.

Indian witches often store extra magic in or enchant pieces of their copious jewelry with spells that can keep them safe if they’re ever in a situation where they don’t have their wands. stuff like, each bangle can function as an emergency portkey that can take you to different safe locations if you say the activation word, or ones that create an instant magical shield when you tap them. Harry finds some of his mothers gajulu, gives them to his female friends.

He ties Rhaki on Ron and Neville, and all the weasley boys. Ron was the first person he ever tied it on, because Ron was the first person who he ever bonded with, and his closest brother.

Harry always cooks idli sambar or dosa for his friends for breakfast the next morning after a night of drinking together, and it’s the perfect hangover food because it definitely brings you back to full alertness/knocks the last bit of post-hangover grogginess right out of your system.

Harry’s parselmouth abilities are valued in his native culture because of the sacredness of snakes in Hinduism, and it comes to be something he’s really proud of (personally I think the ‘parselmouth connected to the horcrux’ thing is dumb, so I’ve always imagined Harry was just naturally a parselmouth).

As the number of Indian immigrants/expats continues to grow after they graduate, Harry helps some of his students (he’s the DADA teacher) start the Hogwarts “South Asian Student Union”.

He always has snacks out for his students when they come to visit his office hours, and they’re all Indian snacks and sweets. His personal favorite is kaju barfi, but he always has a good variety of both sweet and spicy treats, especially for stressed out owl and newts students.

He collaborates with Hermione, who works in the ministry, to make it mandatory for Hogwarts students to a “foreign magical language” course so they can broaden both their minds and their spell repertoires. Padma Patil becomes the “Sanskrit Spells” teacher, and Seamus teaches “Irish Gaelic”. (It took him a little longer to get his course started, since it turns out that at least 40% of Gaelic spells are just increasingly complicated and violent ways to repel the English).

Hermione and Harry also work together to make sure there are employees in the international magical cooperation department who specialize in post-colonial relations, because the magical world also has its issues with that colonialist mindset towards countries that were formerly part of the empire.

Just south Indian Harry embracing his heritage, learning about what was ripped from him, and using it to enact meaningful change in a multicultural magical society.

[poder--popular]

although im pretty sure one of my beloved fellow commieblr bloggers talked about this it's still like. baffling how seemingly no one acknowledges the clear privilege of being a native english speaker, and, primarily, being a native english speaker with a "normal" accent. even tho you can make a debate about how there's low levels of fluency in many global south countries, even bigger ones like brazil and mexico (with countries like india and the philippines being the exception, and their own accents are usually pretty rejected by most mainstream english speakers), i'd say the real deal here is how there's the NECESSITY to know english - and sometimes english only - to have a position in the international job market which is ten times better, all while opportunities to learn it are still expensive and low-quality in many countries. it also certainly diminishes the creative will of many to study languages with less of a global impact, leading to the ongoing process of widespread linguistic death in the world. like, to most companies - even many not in anglophone lands - if, for example, an indian person knows hindi, marathi and deccan it's probably worth less to these companies than if he knew hindi and english. or perhaps even just english with a """"good"""" accent. and thats even more extreme in the case of smaller languages with little to no recognition. a generation of indigenous inuits in northern quebec in 1980 may be almost entirely monolingual, but fast forward to today and many youths will speak english, some french and at best some of their local inuktitut dialect. and it sucks

we try to talk in the jet set, para que no nos crean incivilisados

[the-great-tiger-of-mumbai]

//Other things you can headcanon around your favorite boxers besides their favorite cereals, video games, shoe sizes, trans and gender, ships, Pokemon, etc:

Their favorite places to go within their birth cities.

Their favorite locally made movies (as in made in their country).

Their favorite local celebrities (from their own countries).

Their favorite local dishes (from their own countries).

The foreign country they want to go and why.

What other languages they can speak (that is not English or the featured language in the game).

Yes, there is a pattern here.

Part of why I absolutely love Punch-Out!! as a game series is how the boxers are internationally represented, even through national stereotypes. But national stereotypes can be fun and even embraced--as a Californian, I embrace Super Macho Man with all my heart. And you can indulge in stereotypes WITHOUT being racist.

I love Great Tiger in particular of all the Punch-Out!! boxers is because his stats and character themes suggest a very interesting background--no Hindu or Vedic imagery, even WITH clones (no multi-heads or arms imagery; the closest you get is Tiger connecting with nature and space), the building he was floating out of appears to be a gurdwara, the composer of his music is Punjabi, and though he comes from Mumbai, he speaks Hindi (when he could have spoken Marathi or Punjabi instead). Not to mention in the NES, Doc Louis has told Little Mac that Tiger's father was a magician. So there is SO much material to work with beyond just his clones.

I know folks are not willing to go the extra mile to do their research, or that research bores them to tears, but I still recommend going that extra mile on your headcanons of your favorite boxers. Glass Joe is not a 15 year old American high schooler, he's a 38 year old Frenchman. Von Kaiser is 42 and from Berlin. Soda is 35 and from Moscow. The headcanons are there, waiting, open for the filling.

It's an invitation to explore, not to avoid. It may feel like much, but trust me on this. Consider this your excuse to visit Madrid with Don Flamenco, who'll be more than happy to take you to other parts of Spain like Zaragoza, Sevilla, Pamplona, and Barcelona. Let Glass Joe talk your ears off on the beautiful fields of Province. Take in the sobering experiences of Von Kaiser living in post-WWII/Cold War Berlin.

If this doesn't help you fall more in love with your favorite boxers, then.... I don't know. You do you. You make your own fun. I'm just sad and lonely in my old people corner, lmao.

[survivetoread]

A few reflections/questions from my first real trip to India:

For context, I’m Marathi but grew up in Singapore and China. While I visited India many times as a kid, I don’t remember much from those trips. I’ve spoken Marathi my whole life (it’s my “first” language) to my extended family, but I never had formal education in it. My reading skills were weak until recently, when I started actively improving my vocabulary through reading and study (which is how I discovered this page) in anticipation of this trip. I don’t really know any Hindi.

When I arrived in Mumbai, I was told Marathi wouldn’t be very useful—that I should stick to English and Hindi, and that assuming someone speaks Marathi could even be offensive. This didn’t surprise me. To me, Mumbai feels similar to Shanghai: a cosmopolitan city where people from all over the country live and work. While the local language exists, it often takes a backseat to the official language of the country, which serves as a lingua franca in the city. Unfortunately, in Shanghai, the local language (Shanghainese) is only really spoken by old people nowadays. I remember my classmates being able to speak some Shanghainese when I was little, but not many people my age or younger are able to speak it, including many of those who are ancestrally from Shanghai. This doesn’t seem to be the case in Mumbai. Marathi is still spoken by a lot of people, it just isn’t the first language of communication. 

What did surprise me was that this pattern continued even in other parts of Maharashtra, albeit to a much lesser degree. While visiting my aunt in Jalgaon, her neighbor spoke to me in Hindi and English, even though I responded in Marathi. It took ten minutes before she switched. In Pune, while shopping for clothes, a store assistant spoke to me only in Hindi, even though I tried to start the conversation in Marathi. I noticed she spoke Marathi with her colleague but would turn to me and switch to Hindi. Since she spoke too fast for me to follow, I tried switching to English, but she wasn’t comfortable with it, so the interaction continued—her in Hindi, me in Marathi. It was such a bizarre experience. We had one language in common, yet she refused to use it with me.

At first, I thought maybe my accent or something else about me triggered this response. But after asking around, I was assured that wasn’t the case. During our trip to the Ajanta Caves, I noticed even my aunt would start conversations with strangers in Hindi before switching to Marathi. This is very different from my experience in China. For example, many people in Guangdong will happily start a conversation in Cantonese (even with someone like me who clearly looks like a foreigner in China) and then switch to Standard Chinese when they realize you don’t understand. This isn’t true for all regional languages though (in my limited experience). I’ve never heard someone try to start a conversation with a stranger in Wu Chinese (which includes Shanghainese) with the assumption that the other person will understand, for example.

As my Tamilian friends from my time in Singapore have told me, I know that these topics about language often come with political baggage. But that’s not my angle here. I’m not making a political comparison with China. Those examples just help me process my experience through the lens of the environment I grew up in. I have no concerns about Marathi’s survival. Almost everyone in Maharashtra speaks it, and it's used in education (unlike Chinese regional languages, which are actively discouraged in media and schools). I also have no problem with Hindi. It’s the next language I want to learn, especially after this trip!

I just found it strange that, even in Maharashtra, people seemed to prefer initiating conversations with strangers in Hindi rather than Marathi. Is Hindi necessary in Maharashtra? Why is it the default for so many people?

Sorry if this isn’t the right place for these questions, but I don’t know where else I can ask them anonymously and avoid the greater internet fuckwads.

Asks like these make me so glad I made this blog, as a shelter for conversation away from the 'greater internet fuckwads'. 😄

According to the last census India had (and might have for a while...), Maharashtra had an inordinately high percentage of people who spoke Hindi as a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd language, even more so than Punjab, which is stereotypically closer to the Hindi belt in culture.

I remember this stat surprised me when I read it in a news piece back in the day. Among the theories for why Hindi is so prevalent in Maharashtra were that Marathi and Hindi share the same script, making it easy for speakers of Marathi to learn written Hindi.

Another one is that Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra, and therefore it might project its Hindi-first culture onto the rest of the state.

As a Mumbai resident myself, I really can't speak for the rest of Maharashtra. However, I was able to initiate conversation in Marathi well enough during my travels along the Konkan coast.

In my perception, a lot of Marathi speakers seem to treat Marathi as a 'home' language to be used with family and friends, while Hindi is the lingua franca and the language of public life. This is especially true in Mumbai, but you already know that well.

It makes me think that a lot of Marathi speakers feel embarrassed to use their language publicly, if they sense that the other speaker does not speak Marathi well, or at all. I know that I would initiate most conversations in Hindi in Mumbai, only switching to Marathi under contexts where I know the other person is expected to speak Marathi - such as the police, government offices, Marathi cultural centres, Marathi neighbourhoods, etc.

As for the rest of Maharashtra, I honestly don't know what to tell you, and I'm sorry for the experience you had with people speaking Hindi instead of their own native language that you'd expect them to speak in their native state.

I hope others in the comments can shed some more light on this matter - without getting into hateful politics.

[proudhinduforever]

Sanatani Saints

Part 3

Shri Samartha Ramdas

We will look into the life of Shri Samartha Ramdas who was a prominent Sanatani saint, poet, and spiritual leader in Maharashtra.

Early Life and Renunciation:

Shri Ramdas or previously Narayan was born into a Marathi Deshastha Rigvedi Brahmin family to Suryajipant and Ranubai Thosar. His father was thought to have been a devotee of the Vedic deity, Surya. Ramdas had an elder brother named Gangadhar. His father died when Narayan was only seven years of age. He turned into a sadhaka after the demise of his father and would often be noticed to be engrossed in thoughts about the divine.

As per legend, Narayan fled his wedding ceremony in Asangao near Jamb, at age 12, upon hearing a pandit (Hindu priest) chant the word 'Saawadhaana!' (Beware!) during a customary Hindu wedding ritual. He is believed to have walked over 200 km along the banks of Godavari river to Panchavati, a Hindu pilgrimage town near Nashik. He later moved to Taakli near Nashik at the confluence of Godavari and Nandini river. At Taakli, he spent the next twelve years as an ascetic in complete devotion to Rama. During this period, he adhered to a rigorous daily routine and devoted most of his time to meditation, worship and exercise. As per legend, he once blessed a widow lady of a long married life, without knowing that her husband has just died. It is said that he was able to give life back to the dead body of her husband and this act of miracle made him very famous in Nashik. He is thought to have attained enlightenment at the age of 24. He adopted the name Ramdas around this period. He later had an idol of Hanuman made from cowdung installed at Taakli.

His contribution to Freedom movement and literary works:

Unlike the saints subscribing to Warkari tradition, Ramdas is not considered to embrace pacifism. His writings include strong expressions encouraging militant means to counter the barbaric Islamic invaders. He endorsed significance of physical strength and knowledge towards individual development. He expressed his admiration for warriors and highlighted their role in safeguarding the society. He was of the opinion that saints must not withdraw from society but instead actively engage towards social and moral transformation. He aimed to resuscitate the Hindu culture after its disintegration over several centuries owing to consistent foreign occupation. He also called for unity among the Marathas to preserve and promote the local culture. Samartha Ramdas Swami served an inspiration for a number of Indian thinkers, historians and social reformers such as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Keshav Hedgewar, Vishwanath Rajwade ,Ramchandra Ranade, and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar. Tilak derived inspiration from Ramdas when devising aggressive strategies to counter the British colonial rule. Ramdas had a profound influence on Keshav Hedgewar, the founder of Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He is also recognized for his role as a Guru to the Maratha king Shivaji Maharaj, inspiring him with principles of governance, spirituality, and valor.

Below are some of his notable literary works:

Manache Shlok (co-written by Kalyan Swami)

Dasbodh

Shree Maruti Stotra

Aatmaaram

11-Laghu Kavita

Shadripu Nirupan

Maan Panchak

Chaturthmaan

Raamayan (Marathi-Teeka)

His Teachings:

Ramdas was an exponent of Bhakti Yoga or the path of devotion. According to him, total devotion to Rama brings about spiritual evolution. His definition of "Bhakti" was in accordance with the philosophy of Advait Vedant. In Chapter 4 of his literary work Dasbodh, he describes Nice levels of devotion / communion - starting from listening / comprehending (श्रवण) to Surrender of oneself or being One with Self (आत्मनिवेदन) - the later being the core tenet of Advait Vedant - where the sense of separate "I" dissolves into non-duality. He encouraged the participation of women in religious work and offered them positions of authority.

Ramdas Swami is a revered spiritual figure in Maharashtra and remains relevant to contemporary society in Maharashtra.

🙏🙏 jai jai Raghuveera Samartha 🙏🙏

[beardedmrbean]

A Bollywood film that portrays the capture and execution of an Indian warrior king by a 17th century Mughal ruler has fuelled street protests and demands from right-wing groups to demolish the emperor’s tomb.

Authorities have now tightened security around the tomb of Aurangzeb Alamgir in the western Indian state of Maharashtra after right-wing groups threatened to raze the monument.

On Monday, violence erupted in Nagpur following rumours of a holy book being desecrated. Police reportedly used tear gas to disperse the mob, and four policemen were injured. Police said they had detained dozens of people after 30 were injured and a similar number of vehicles torched.

“After the release of the film Chhaava, the views of many people on the Mughal emperor have turned extreme, as seen in social media posts,” local authorities said in a statement on 15 March.

Chhaava portrays the life and times of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was the second ruler of the Indian Maratha empire and the eldest son of the 17th-century Indian warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivaji is revered in western India as a Hindu ruler who fought the Mughals and established a Maratha kingdom. “Chhaava” is a Marathi-language word which means lion’s cub.

Right-wing groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal threatened to demolish the tomb in Khuldabad town in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district (formally known as Aurangabad) as they claim it is a reminder of “centuries of oppression, atrocities, and slavery” of Hindus during the Muslim emperor’s rule.

The groups threatened a “Babri-like” repeat if the tomb is not razed, referring to the demolition of the Babri Masjid (mosque) in Ayodhya in 1992 which sparked nationwide religious riots, killing more than 3,000 people in a decades-long dispute that fuelled Hindu-Muslim tensions in the country.

The groups, according to the news outlet India Today, pledged “karseva” if the government does not act on their demands. “Karseva” is a Sanskrit word which means voluntarily offering services for religious causes. In 1992, several religious volunteers called “karsevaks” were responsible for demolishing the Babri mosque.

The right-wing groups had earlier announced a statewide protest on Monday to demand the removal of the tomb, following which police deployed additional forces around the tomb and restricted entry to prevent any unrest.

Chhaava, directed by Laxman Utekar, was released in February, and was successful at the box office. It portrayed the captivity, torture and execution of Shivaji's son. But many called the film out for its “clumsy grip on history” and leaving “no room for complexity”.

“Chhaava does have the laudable goal of setting the historical record straight about Sambhaji as a great warrior and administrator against biased accounts. But it becomes harmful national-level propaganda when it is fixated on the good Hindu versus the bad Muslim binary, skips some incontrovertible facts, and is in complete sync with the ruling party’s ideology,” wrote Nissim Mannathukkaren, chair of Dalhousie University's department of international development studies, in The Hindu.

It also sparked extreme reactions among audiences. A fan in Nagpur rode a horse to the theatre to imitate the Hindu king, while in Gujarat, a man vandalised a cinema screen in anger over a scene depicting the torture of Sambhaji.

Last week, after two Indian politicians – Nitesh Rane and Navneet Rana – called for the tomb’s removal, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis backed the proposal but stressed that any action must follow legal procedures, as the historical site is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor, ruled from 1658 until his death in 1707 and was engaged in a prolonged war with the Marathas in present-day Maharashtra.

During a press meet, Kishor Chavan, a coordinator for the VHP in western Maharashtra, said: “Aurangzeb’s cruelty is well-documented – he imprisoned his own father, executed his brothers, and ordered the destruction of Hindu temples. The existence of his tomb only serves to glorify his atrocities, and the Maharashtra government must act immediately to remove it. If government fails to remove it, we will do it by holding ‘karseva’, like we observed during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.”

The Ram Janmabhoomi movement was a Hindu nationalist campaign pushing for the construction of a temple (dedicated to the Hindu deity Ram) at the site of the mosque in Ayodhya, leading to the demolition of the Babri mosque and the eventual building of the Ram temple that Hindu nationalist prime minister Narendra Modi inaugurated in January 2024.

The tensions in Maharashtra over Aurangzeb’s tomb come amid controversy over the state Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Azmi’s remarks about the Mughal emperor, which led to his suspension from the state assembly until 26 March and multiple police complaints against him.

“Wrong things are being said about Aurangzeb. He constructed a lot of temples for Hindus. He even got one of his soldiers trampled by elephants when he wanted to marry a Hindu priest’s daughter. As a mark of their gratitude, they constructed a mosque for Muslims. History has been distorted,” Mr Azmi remarked earlier this month.

It led to Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde demanding an apology from Mr Azmi and saying that he should be tried for treason.

Opposition Congress MP Kalyan Kale accused political groups of deliberately stoking controversy over Aurangzeb’s tomb to polarise voters ahead of the legislative council by-elections. He called it a strategic move to raise communal issues for electoral gain.

“The tomb has been there for years. Many are seeing it now only because elections are around.”

“If they want to remove the grave of the Aurangzeb, then what about various structures built by the Mughals across India?” Imtiaz Jaleel, a former member of parliament, was quoted as saying by The Hindustan Times.

Controversies surrounding Aurangzeb aren’t exactly new – prime minister Narendra Modi has referenced the long-dead Mughal emperor in his speeches in the past. “Aurangzeb severed many heads, but he could not shake our faith,” Mr Modi had said in 2022 during an event at the Mughal-era Red Fort in the capital Delhi.

In May 2022, the ASI temporarily barred public visits to the site following threats of vandalism from the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), a regional party. The MNS had called for the tomb’s destruction, leading to increased security measures and a five-day closure.

In 2023, another AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb sparked a political controversy, and was also met with increased security at the site.

On Tuesday, Maharashtra’s chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held Chhaava responsible for the violence in Nagpur. “This violent incident and riots seem to be pre-planned,” he said during a speech in the legislative assembly. “Chhaava has ignited people’s anger against Aurangzeb.” He added that “everyone must keep Maharashtra peaceful”.

[dear-indies]

this is kinda out there lol but! Cat, hiiii, might you have any fc ideas for a male 35-47ish that's serving Your Quirky Local Barista vibes? Like you trust him but he's full of mysteries lol. Thank you so much!

David Tennant (1971)

Omar Metwally (1974) Egyptian / Dutch - is pro Palestine!

Hugh Dancy (1975)

Ebon Moss-Bachrach (1977)

Antonio De Matteo (1978) - is pro Palestine!

Daniel Brühl (1978) - is pro Palestine!

Lee Pace (1979) - is queer.

Oscar Isaac (1979) Cuban-Guatemalan-Spanish, small amount of French.

Omid Abtahi (1979) Iranian.

Conrad Ricamora (1979) Filipino / German, English, possibly other - is gay.

Gustaf Skarsgård (1980) - is pro Palestine!

Ben Whishaw (1980) - is gay.

Brett Goldstein (1980) Ashkenazi Jewish.

Boyd Holbrook (1981)

Jesse Williams (1981) African-American, Seminole / Swedish - is pro Palestine!

Morgan Spector (1981) Ashkenazi Jewish / Irish, German, some Scottish and English - is pro Palestine!

Rami Malek (1981) Egyptian and a small part Greek.

Park Hae Soo (1981) Korean.

Riz Ahmed (1982) Muhajir Bhojpuri Pakistani - is pro Palestine!

Andrew Garfield (1983) Ashkenazi Jewish / English.

Utkarsh Ambudkar (1983) Tamil / Marathi Indian.

Ed Skrein (1983) Ashkenazi Jewish / possibly English.

Paul Dano (1984)

Yoon Jong Hoon (1984) Korean.

Martin Sensmeier (1985) Tlingit, Koyukon, Eyak, Irish and German.

Rahul Kohli (1985) Punjabi Indian - is pro Palestine!

Karim Kassem (1986) Egyptian / Egyptian Jewish - is pro Palestine!

Will Sharpe (1986) Japanese / White.

Remy Hii (1986) Chinese Malaysian / English.

Matt McGorry (1986) - is pro Palestine!

Saagar Shaikh (1986) Pakistani - is pro Palestine!

Here you go!

[wrvtchedhearts]

ROHAN KOTHARE - the basorexic

Stats --

FULL NAME: Rohan Kothare

AGE & DATE OF BIRTH: 33 -- March 14th

OCCUPATION: underground fighter, singer

UNDERBOSS OF JADE TRIBE

GENDER & PRONOUNS: cis-man, he/him

SEXUALITY: homosexual, homoromantic

LANGUAGES: Marathi, Hindi, English

RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single & lonely

FC: kapil talwalkar

Biography / Headcanons --

Born and raised in Khandala, Maharashtra, India. Rohan was adopted by the local fighter boss and his wife, learning from a very young age how to fight, and how to keep a group of people in check. His adopted father was a legend around the town, not leading a gang but definitely in charge. As a result, Rohan had to make sure to step out of his father's shadow.

[ murder mention tw ] He managed to solidify his name three times, once when he won a brawl against his father - with luck on his side - at age thirteen, a year later when he took revenge on all the five men who had participated in murdering his family, and even later when he took on the biggest criminal in town, ensuring that at twenty-four he was the one the criminals listened to, the one they were all afraid of. He knew he didn't need to look strong, he just had to beat up the right people. And he needed to value those around him, his friends and colleagues.

[ homophobia tw ] All of what he did was done to divert everyone's attention from his heart. He knew he'd been abandoned by his birth parents because they thought he was too weak, too feminine. His adoptive parents didn't care, but his father made it clear that boys like him didn't have the freedom to be who they were. So if he wanted to follow his heart, he had to do it in secret. His secret came out eventually, and once it did, it resulted in the retaliation from his own gang. Not even his friends could see past this, unable to see it as anything but a betrayal. Perhaps it was, perhaps if he'd trusted in them that they wouldn't judge him, he could've stopped it from happening.

Instead he sought refuge abroad, attempting to get as far away from his home as he could, landing in NYC mostly by chance.

He has been in NYC for six years, and he's had to build himself up again through the ranks of the Jade Tribe. Something he saw only as a challenge, after all, he had to convince others of the skills he had. Keeping a crew in order, gaining loyalty, fighting. Rohan looked like an idiot, and he'd always used that to his advantage, appearing in the face of anyone like he couldn't possibly be taken seriously, and beating them at their own game in turn.

He likes to kiss people, not necessarily romantically, but just as a show of affection. Especially with friends, he tends to give them little head kisses. Three kisses on the cheek when meeting people, and so forth. He's called the basorexic for a reason.

Has a shiba inu called Walter.

He loves pancakes, weird sex, and doing renditions of bollywood movies.

Chaotic good.

tba

[mhlivenews]

लोकल प्रवाशांसाठी महत्त्वाची बातमी, पश्चिम, हार्बर मार्गावर ब्लॉक; वाचा संपूर्ण वेळापत्रक

म. टा. प्रतिनिधी, मुंबई : वडाळा रोड ते मानखुर्ददरम्यान अप-डाउन मार्गावर मध्य रेल्वेने रविवारी मेगाब्लॉक घोषित केला आहे. पश्चिम रेल्वेवर सांताक्रूझ ते गोरेगावदरम्यान जलद मार्गावर ब्लॉक घेण्यात येणार आहे. ठाणे ते कल्याण पाचव्या-सहाव्या मार्गावर श���िवारी रात्रकालीन ब्लॉक असल्याने रविवारी दिवसा मध्य रेल्वेच्या मुख्य मार्गावर कोणताही ब्लॉक असणार नाही. ब्लॉक वेळेत काही लोकल फेऱ्या रद्द राहणार असून काही…

[mumbaiorbit]

🎁 Top 10 Souvenirs to Buy in Vasai-Virar! 🎁

Exploring Vasai-Virar? Don’t forget to pick up some unique souvenirs that capture the region’s vibrant culture and craftsmanship. From traditional art to tasty treats, here’s your go-to list for memorable keepsakes:

Read the complete guide here: https://www.mumbaiorbit.in/blog/top-10-souvenirs-to-buy-in-vasai-virar/

Must-buy souvenirs include:

Marathi Folk Art Paintings: Warli and Madhubani-style artworks, perfect for art lovers.

Handcrafted Wooden Items: Statues, carved boxes, and coasters reflecting local craftsmanship.

Kolhapuri Chappals: Iconic leather footwear, stylish and comfortable.

Traditional Maharashtrian Sarees & Dupattas: Paithani sarees and embroidered dupattas for a touch of heritage.

Brass & Copper Religious Items: Statues, pooja thalis, and vessels for spiritual keepsakes.

Marathi T-Shirts & Apparel: Fun T-shirts with local slogans and cotton kurtas.

Local Spices & Masalas: Goda masala, pickles, and more to bring home the flavors of Maharashtra.

Shopping Tips: Bargain at local markets, check quality (especially for food and fabrics), and ask for proper packaging for fragile items.

Happy shopping and enjoy your Vasai-Virar memories!