Readers’ comments: ‘Divisive’, ‘imagined’ claims about caste and Marathi pronunciations

I take strong offence to such articles that try to create an unwarranted wedge between people (“How the hard ‘na’ insists on Marathi’s caste hierarchy”). This feels like an unnecessary attempt to read caste into something that is simply linguistic diversity.

I have seen similar claims elsewhere too, like people in one part of Karnataka calling their Kannada more “refined” than another region. That is just regional bias.

Framing everyday language differences as caste-coded risks creating divisions where none exist. Language should connect people, not be used to subtly divide them. I hope this response is also posted on your website, which I doubt you will. – Vivek Joshi

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The non-nasal “na” and nasal “na” have nothing to do with Pune brahminical Marathi. In Marathi (Devanagari) script, there are different symbols for non-nasal and nasal “na”. This means there are two different pronunciations for “na”.

The author might be aware that even Jains and Punjabis have nasal “na” in their languages. To the best of my knowledge, not all Jains or Punjabis are Brahmins. – Vasant Kalegaonkar

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I read the article with some amusement. As I am not a Maharashtrian Brahmin, I believe I can offer a relatively neutral perspective on the matter. The use of what is referred to as the “hard n” has its origins in Sanskrit, where the dental “n” changes to the retroflex “ṇ” when preceded by sounds such as “r” or the retroflex “ṣ” (mūrdhanya ṣ). This is a well-established phonetic rule.

By way of illustration, my wife, who is from Rajasthan, has this sound in her name, and its correct pronunciation is important to her. The article appears somewhat biased and reflects a limited understanding of basic phonetic principles.

Such sound changes are governed by ease of pronunciation and established linguistic rules; they are not markers of caste or regional identity. Articles of this nature risk misinforming readers and do little to contribute constructively to public discourse. – Ashutosh Kaushik

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I am not a Maharashtrian but I felt that I had to respond to this article. The article talks of two Pranavs, one who pronounced his name the “right” way and the other who did not know what his name meant. What is the objective of this article? Both Pranavs are living happily.

It takes a nit-picking mind to assume that caste is perpetuated “subtly” through names and pronunciation differences. Of course, such an article will find many readers with assumptions about India and caste-differences.

I wish we would focus on our similarities instead of deviously looking for unintentional caste superiority. I hope the author gets out of their imagined world of differences and steps into the sunny world where we are all one, walking hand in hand. – Shankar

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When you travel to places outside India and people there correct your pronunciation, do you call it Brahmanical patriarchy? What a rubbish article! – Rashmi Athalye

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This a typical Scroll rant. Every innocuous incident is dissected through the cultural lens of alleged Brahmanical superiority. – Pradeep Pimparkar

Delightful, sharp insight

Shailaja Paik’s diagnosis and insights are sharper than a surgeon’s knife. Such a delight. Thank you, Scroll and Shailaja. – Santosh Verma

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This is an interesting observation that caste is embedded in the “na” spoken by Pune brahmins. Truth is stranger than fiction, they say. But it is also a bit frightening to know how this becomes a marker of caste. – Mohammed Koduvamparambath

Mumbai vs Delhi

This was a good article (“I moved from Mumbai to Delhi. I’m embarrassed by what I used to defend”). Transport in all cities is a mess but lower AC bus fares in all cities is getting better, especially where Metros or local trains do not operate or unreliable, or there is heavy, unpredictable traffic. Delhi Metro is far more ubiquitous and therefore this person’s real reason to be thrilled. Autorickshaws and taxi drivers for last-mile connectivity is still bad in Delhi though.

Unabated population is the main culprit, finally. The author also underplayed Delhi’s pollution problem. Another matter not discussed is that water supply and quality is bad in New Delhi. He should also have asked women about the safety aspect of New Delhi.

He praises northeastern food in Delhi but what about how the city treats people from those states? Also, Sanjay Van in Delhi is just a park whereas Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park is forest, and the only one in a big city, though it is small and has shrunk further. – Ravishankar

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The point about food can’t be justified because Mumbai was founded much later and finding old food establishments set up over decades is difficult. But vada pav tops and samosa should be had with pav – you won’t get this in Delhi, try asking.

Maybe the author should ask a non-Delhite and a Mumbaikar to live in Mumbai and Delhi for three months as a trial. The author will realise that he was not betrayed but just never knew that the Mumbai was so comforting that something new feels like a thrill. – Sarvesh Shinde