Maharashtra
When Balasaheb Thackeray safeguarded the future of a displaced community
More than three decades ago, when thousands of Kashmiri Pandits fled the terror nightmare in their homeland in 1990 to seek refuge elsewhere in India, many landed in Mumbai, the City of Dreams, and Pune, the academic capital of Maharashtra.
A majority of the uprooted Kashmiri Pandits, with their parents, wife and children, escaped from certain death with hardly anything more than the clothes they wore, and spent months in agony and uncertainty over how to rebuild their future from scratch in strange surroundings.
Maharashtra was the only state which opened its doors, hearts, wiped their tears and helped the Kashmiri Pandits grow new roots in this state, over a couple of thousand kms away from their birthplace.
“At that time, a group of Kashmiri Pandits met the roaring tiger of Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thackeray. Led by the late Lt Gen (Retd) P.N. Hoon, the delegation discussed the entire issue of Kashmiri Pandits threadbare with the Sena Pramukh,” said Sanjay Nahar, who runs an NGO, Sarhad, in Pune.
Acclaimed author-journalist Rahul Pandita, a teen then, recalls how the Kashmiri Pandits — though penniless — did not seek monetary aid from Balasaheb Thackeray, but wanted something that could help them stand on their feet and make them independent in the long run.
Nahar said the delegation requested Balasaheb Thackeray to use his good offices and offer the Kashmiri Pandits reservations in technical or engineering courses in various academic institutions here.
Interestingly, the meeting was facilitated by a reserved, young journo — Sanjay Raut — now the stormy petrel of the Sena and its chief spokesperson.
Balasaheb Thackeray readily agreed to the proposal — though some opposition parties then had sniggered — and sowed the seeds for affording a stable future to an entire generation of Kashmiri Pandits.
Amit Wanchoo — the grandson of the legendary H.N. Wanchoo who was assassinated by terrorists in December 1992 — said that it was only Balasaheb Thackeray then “who threw a lifeline to Kashmiri Pandits” when they had nobody to call their own.
“Many had no funds or friends, spent months in dirty cattle-sheds or slums, worrying about their future. We always believed that education is important for children, but educating them away from their homeland was a big challenge,” said Wanchoo.
He is among the few who decided to remain in Kashmir despite the near-total exodus by his fraternity.
With Balasaheb Thackeray throwing open all the higher-technical-engineering institutions for Kashmiri Pandits, thousands took advantage to enrol themselves and encounter the future with confidence, and around 7,000-8,000 have benefitted, said Nahar.
More importantly, Pandita said that the gesture came without any ‘strings attached’, and Balasaheb Thackeray never treated them as any kind of ‘a political vote-bank or a bargaining tool’, and it remained a totally unselfish measure.
Sena MP Raut remembers the days when Balasaheb Thackeray was the sole person who spoke for the Kashmiri Pandits when the rest of the country kept quiet in dread of the terrorists.
“When the delegation met Balasaheb Thackeray, he openly advocated giving arms to the Kashmiri Pandits for their self-defence… Instead, they asked for educational quotas, which he readily agreed to and allowed 5 per cent reservation in the state. Nobody knows the pain of the Kashmiri Pandits more than the Shiv Sena,” Raut said.
Pandita and Wanchoo point out how many Kashmiri Pandits occupying top positions in Indian government or in leading companies worldwide had benefited from Maharashtra’s generosity in their darkest hour.
Wanchoo said that inspired by Balasaheb Thackeray, even Maharashtra proved magnanimous towards Kashmiri Pandits and contributed their mite to wipe the tears of their brethren from the snowy Valley.
“I met him in 1994 and he was surprised to learn that some — like me — still opted to live on in Kashmir. There were many young students living in home-stays, rentals or as paying guests in Maharashtra. But when they couldn’t afford to pay their dues, the local owners/families quietly waived them off,” said Wanchoo.
Nahar recalled the times when many Kashmiris — Pandits, Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs — who became ‘refugees’ overnight, had problems with even basics like food and clothes and many NGOs came forward in Mumbai, Pune, Aurangabad, Nashik and other cities to care for them.
According to Pandita and Wanchoo, “we are indebted to Balasaheb Thackeray and till now, we consider Maharashtra as our ‘second home’ for all practical purposes”.
Years later, Balasaheb Thackeray’s initiative bloomed across the country with other states and even the Centre coming up with various reservations, quotas, grace marks, certain privileges etc. for the Kashmiri Pandits/Muslims/Sikhs, that ensured the displaced persons secured a firm foothold in life.
Navi Mumbai, Sep 14: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to Indian languages, stating that hearing the Prime Minister speak Hindi on global platforms fills the nation with pride.
He was speaking at the Hindi Diwas celebration and the 6th All India Official Language Conference organised in Navi Mumbai, an event attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Addressing the gathering, CM Fadnavis apologised for his late arrival before highlighting the significance of hosting the national convention in Maharashtra. He noted that while such conferences were once mere formalities, Home Minister Amit Shah spearheaded the effort to rotate them across different states.
Reflecting on language policy history, Fadnavis pointed out that Hindi was widely used for official work during the British era before both Hindi and English were designated as official languages in 1963. He stated that since PM Modi assumed office, mother tongues and official regional languages have received unprecedented respect across the country.
“You must learn your mother tongue, and the New Education Policy (NEP) ensures this by promoting education in local languages alongside additional Indian languages,” CM Fadnavis said.
Recalling history, he noted that former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, then an opposition leader, was among the first to address the United Nations in Hindi. He added that writer Munshi Premchand played a pivotal role in making conversational Hindi acceptable for official work.
Addressing the conference, Home Minister Amit Shah emphasised the importance of regional languages, asserting that Marathi deserves deep respect. He highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration granted classical language status to Marathi.
HM Shah praised Maharashtra’s diversity, describing it as the most multilingual state in India.
Quoting freedom fighter and social reformer Vinoba Bhave, he noted, “If I had not used Hindi, I could not have reached every village in Kashmir, Assam, and Kerala with the revolutionary message of Bhoodan and Gramdan. It was the official language that enabled me to communicate with people across the nation.”
Reiterating the central government’s focus on language preservation through the New Education Policy, the Home Minister emphasised that foundational learning in one’s mother tongue is essential for a child’s holistic growth.
Describing Maharashtra as the land of Veer Savarkar, he emphasised that Savarkar was not only a freedom fighter and social reformer but also one of the most learned linguists of his time. He built upon Lokmanya Tilak’s call for the purification of the Marathi language and coined numerous words that were previously absent in Indian languages—words that found natural acceptance in Marathi and other national languages.
HM Shah added that the Ministry of Home Affairs honoured Savarkar’s linguistic legacy in Hindi through the ‘Shabd Sindhu’ initiative.
Maharashtra
Mumbai Crime Branch Major Crackdown: Two Arrested for Illegal Drug Sale, 12.81 Kg of Drugs Seized
In a major operation, the Mumbai Crime Branch arrested two drug peddlers found selling Nitrazepam tablets. Acting on a tip-off received by Unit 6 on September 9, a Crime Branch team laid a trap and apprehended the two accused near the Trombay Transport Office—located on the southbound service road of the Panvel-Sion Highway in Trombay, Mumbai. Authorities seized 21,000 Nitrazepam tablets—weighing a total of 12.81 kg and valued at ₹64,05,000—which the accused were intending to sell illegally for recreational use. The arrested individuals have prior cases registered against them under the NDPS Act; specifically, a case has been registered against both under Sections 8(c), 22(c), and 29 of the NDPS Act, 1985. The arrested men are aged 44 (resident of Shivaji Nagar, Govandi, Mumbai) and 50 (resident of Kausa, Mumbra, Thane district).
This operation was carried out by a team from Unit 6 under the guidance of Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Anil Kumbhare, Additional Commissioner of Police (Crime) Krishnakant Upadhyay, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection) Datta Nawathe, and Assistant Commissioner of Police (D-East) Dharmapal Bansode. The team comprised Police Inspector Bharat Ghonge (In-charge, Unit 6), Police Inspector Sushant Sawant, Woman Sub-Inspector Chaudhary, Woman Sub-Inspector Mashire, Police Sub-Inspector Desai, Police Havaldars Wankhede, Khedkar, Bhalerao, and Chamgar, Police Constables Panchal, Shaikh, Bodhare, and Sasane, and Woman Police Constable Khotod.
Mumbai, Sep 14: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will address the inaugural session of Hindi Diwas 2026 and the sixth All India Official Language Conference in Mumbai on Monday.
Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision, the event will highlight the vibrant relationship of Hindi with Maharashtra’s rich linguistic, cultural, and literary traditions, the official said in a statement.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, several Members of Parliament, distinguished guests from various fields, scholars, litterateurs, educationists, and senior officials from various departments and Ministries of the Central government will also be present on this occasion.
The Department of Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been organising All India Official Language Conferences every year since 2021.
During the inaugural session of the two-day programme, the ‘Rajbhasha Gaurav’ and ‘Rajbhasha Kirti’ Awards for the year 2025–26 will be presented by the Union Home Minister, the official statement said.
The institutions and individuals who have undertaken outstanding work and made noteworthy contributions in the field of Official Language will be honoured with these awards, it added.
Several important books and publications will also be launched during the inaugural session and other sessions. These include a special commemorative issue of the Department of Official Language’s journal ‘Rajbhasha Bharati’, centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’; ‘Bharatiya Gyan Tantra: Srot aur Swaroop’; ‘Shiv Anadi Hain, Anant Hain’; and ‘Andheron Se Ujalon Tak’, a compilation of writings by prison inmates.
A special attraction of this year’s conference will be a special discussion session centred on the National Song ‘Vande Mataram’.
Joydeep Chattopadhyay will also have a special presence at the programme. He is a fifth-generation descendant of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the author of ‘Vande Mataram’.
A special session will also be organised at the Conference on the role of Town Official Language Implementation Committees (TOLICs/NARAKAS).
NARAKAS is a strong and empowered unit that takes forward the implementation of Official Language Hindi at the grassroots level.
A special exhibition is also being organised at the conference venue, in which stalls will be put up by various institutions, organisations, banks and ministries, the statement said.
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