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Mumbai: China mission to commemorate Dr. Kotnis’ 80th death anniversary

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The Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis Memorial Committee and the Consulate General of China in Mumbai will commemorate and pay homage to the legendary medico Dr. Dwarkanath Shantaram Kotnis on the occasion of his 80th death anniversary, an official said here on Friday.

Dr. Kotnis, revered in China and India alike, passed away in China at the young age of 32 on December 9, 1942 and the memorial event shall be held on Saturday, said Consul General Kong Xianhua.

The tributes will be in memory of Dr. Kotnis’ services to the Chinese people as part of the Indian Medical Mission there in 1938, and the focus of tomorrow’s event would be aInheriting the Spirit of Dr. Kotnis & Working together for a bright future, said Xianhua.

“We honour his heroic deeds to renew his spirit in the new era. Chairman Mao wrote in the elegy that the Chinese people will never forget Dr. Kotnis’ spirit of internationalisma He arrived in Chian at the most dificult time of the country’s anti-Fascist war, rescued the wounded in the front-line, and devoted himself to the liberation of the Chinese people,” he said.

The diplomat added his countrymen will forever remember how Kotnis devoted his precious life to the cause of China under very tough conditions, and the Chinese people admire and cherish his memory even today.

There are many commemoration events lined up in China on Friday and also during the annual Qingming Festival to pay homage to martyrs like Kotnis.

Kotnis was born in Solapur on October 10, 1910 and acquired his medical degree from the University of Bombay through the Seth GS Medical College & KEM Hospital here.

After Japan invaded China, the Communist General Zhu De had requested Congress leader Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru to send a medical team, and the then Indian National Congress President Subhash Chandra Bose made the necessary arrangements and organised the funds for the voluntary mission.

When Dr. Kotnis was barely 28 and preparing his Master’s, he took his family’s permission and joined the humanitarian Indian Medical Mission Team to China.

The mission — with Dr. M. Atal from Allahabad, Dr. M. Cholkar from Nagpur, Dr. B.K. Basu and Dr. D. Mukerjee from Kolkata, besides Kotnis from Solapur — first went to Hankou Port in Wuhan in September 1938.

Later it was sent to Yan’an where they met top Chinese leaders like Mao Zedong, Gen. Zhu De and others.

During the IMMT sojourn there, Dr. Kotnis worked under trying conditions to treat and operate upon wounded soldiers in mobile clinics virtually non-stop for days for nearly five years.

In 1940, Dr. Kotnis, who had learnt Chinese, met a local nurse Guo Qinglan and they married in December 1941, and the couple had a son Yinhua in August 1942.

Barely three months later, owing to the immense stress of his medical duties on the warfronts, Dr. Kotnis suffered major health issues and passed away on December 9, 1942.

Shocked by his demise, subsequently, China honoured him with a statue, a memorial, tomb and other honours, besides a memorial in his hometown of Solapur.

India released a special postage stamp (1993) in his honour, the renowned filmmaker V. Shantaram made a biopic “Dr. Kotnis Ki Amar Kahania (1946) and a Chinese film “Ke Di Hua Dai Fu” (1982).

Successive Indian Presidents and Prime Ministers as well as top Chinese leaders have remembered Dr. Kotnis and his family in Maharashtra, and his selfless services to the Chinese people in their time of need.

Maharashtra

Sashil Kodiyeri apologizes after tension over Marathi-Hindi controversy

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Maharashtra: In the context of the Mumbai Marathi-Hindi controversy, Shishil Kodia has apologized for his controversial statement. He said that his tweet was misrepresented. I am not against Marathi. I have been living in Mumbai and Maharashtra for the last 30 years. I am a fan of Raj Thackeray. I constantly comment positively on Raj Thackeray’s tweets. I tweeted in my emotions and I made a mistake. This tense and tense atmosphere should end. We need a favorable environment to accept Marathi. So I request you to forgive me for this mistake for Marathi. Earlier, Shishil Kodia had made a controversial statement about Marathi and refused to speak Marathi, due to which MNS workers attacked and pelted stones at Shishil’s company WeWork. After which Shishil has now apologized to X

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Maharashtra

Maharashtra Marathi Hindi Controversy: Strict action will be taken against those who take law into their hands: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made it clear on the Hindi-Marathi language dispute that linguistic discrimination and violence cannot be tolerated. If anyone instigates violence in the name of Marathi language or takes the law into his own hands, strict action will be taken against him because it is the government’s responsibility to maintain law and order. He said that in the Mira Road Hindi Marathi violence case, the police have registered a case and taken action.

A committee has been formed in the matter of Marathi and Hindi language. Whatever is better for the students on its recommendation, the government will implement it. No decision has been taken under anyone’s pressure. He said that the recommendation for Hindi language was made during the Maha Vikas Aghadi rule itself, but now these same people are opposing it. The public knows everything.

He said that in this election, BJP has got 51 percent Marathi votes. Violence and discrimination in the name of language cannot be tolerated. Marathi is a source of pride for us, but we do not oppose Hindi. What will happen if a Marathi businessman in another state is asked to speak his language? In Assam, he was asked to speak Assamese. He said that strict action will be taken against those who break the law.

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Maharashtra

Case registered for burning copy of Hindi Marathi dispute order

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Mumbai: Mumbai Police has registered a case against 200 to 300 activists including Deepak Pawar, Santosh Shinde, Santosh Kharat, Shashi Pawar, Yoginder Salulkar, Santosh Veer for protesting without permission, violating prohibitory orders and Police Act in the case of burning copy of order making Hindi language compulsory. The accused have been booked under Section 189(2), 190,223, Maharashtra Police Act at Azad Maidan Police Station. The case has been registered on the complaint of complainant Santosh Suraj Dhundiram Khot, 32 years.

According to the details, on June 29, between 2 and 3:30 pm, a copy of the government order against making Hindi i.e. third language compulsory in primary education was burnt without permission on BMC Road adjacent to Marathi Patkar Singh and the government order was violated. The accused had not taken any permission for this demonstration and had violated the prohibitory orders, following which a case has been registered against them, confirmed Mumbai Police. The case has been registered after recording the statement of the complainant.

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