In heart of Delhi, Marathi community celebrates 100 years of togetherness
IN A TIME WARP For 400 members, the Maharashtra Sneh Samvardhak Samaj has been a home away for home for 100 years
NEWDELHI: As Veena Kantute flips open the pages of a photo album, tracing 100 years of the formation and growth of ‘Maharashtriya Sneh Samvardhak Samaj’ — said to be the oldest Maharashtrian society in Delhi — a whiff of old, black-and-white pieces of their history and culture permeates through the air.
Turning the pages, she suddenly stops and points out excitedly at her mother-in-law who is dressed in a traditional Uppada saree in one of the pictures, standing with other women during an event organised by the samaj.
“I have been associated with the samaj for over 40 years now. That’s also how long I have been married. I am a retired central government employee and my husband is a banker. The activities of the samaj bring us together,” Veena says.
On Sunday, the 400-member strong Maharashtra Sneh Samvardhak Samaj will celebrate its centenary year.
THE FOUNDATION STONE
When New Delhi was made the Capital of British India in 1911, the city had become the new hub for jobs. A group of them were from Bombay Presidency.
It all started on a cold winter morning of 1919, when one of them, PN Vaidya, gathered 20-25 families in his house at Naya Bazar to officially form the samaj.
Vilas Kantute, who has heard this story countless times from his mother, says that during this period, the railway finances were separated from general finances. After this several educated families from across Maharashtra came to Delhi.
Most of the members, who laid the foundation of the samaj, were employed with the Great Indian Peninsular Railways (now the Central Railways) and Bombay Baroda and Central India Rail- ways (now the Western Railways), giving them another area to bond.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME
Slowly, the samaj became a home away from home for several Marathi households who started settling around the one kilometre radius from the samaj’s old building at Naya Bazar. The samaj building was located very close to the Old Delhi railway station, which made it easier for the newly migrated people.
“Earlier, all the members of the samaj were extremely close knit. They would live in close proximity and had the same economic backgrounds, which made it easier to connect with each other and keep the spirit of the community alive. But that connection is missing today. Everyone lives apart and meet only during the monthly meetings or during programmes,” Vilas says.
Though members have over the years gotten busy with their independent lives, they always find a reason to come together.
Chandrashekhar Wamorkar, the secretary of the samaj, says the organisation’s motto when it started was ‘Let us help each grow together in Delhi’.
“When Lokmanya Tilak visited the samaj in Delhi, all the members and their families had come to hear him. He had told the members that we can’t take Delhi to Maharashtra but let’s bring Maharashtra to Delhi, and that is the motto we strive to achieve even today,” Wamorkar said.
In 1998, the samaj was sanctioned its own land opposite the Paharganj police station. A guest house, ‘Maharashtra Bhawan’, stands tall facing the traffic intersection today. The samaj’s activities are also carried out from the same building. The new building is among the famous designs of first Indian chief architects of the Central Public Works Department Ganesh Devlalikar.
Another new wing was added later, where a temple of the Dattaguru, who the Marathis worship, was also built.
“Anyone who lands in Delhi from Maharashtra does not have to think about where to live. They can come to us, take a room at very nominal charges and get Marathi food for lunch and dinner,” Wamorkar said.
WOMEN’S WING AND ITS CELEBRATIONS
Veena says that for several years the Maharastrian samaj was a patriarchal set-up, where though families were a part, members were essentially the men of the house. It was only several years later that a sub-wing of the samaj, ‘Sharda Sangh’, gave the women of the community a chance to come together.
“The women’s wing had become defunct for some time in between, but we have started getting members together again. At present there are 17 members in the Sharda Sangh,” Veena says.
She added that there was a time when the women’s wing of the samaj had started an innovative initiative called the ‘Udyog Mandir project’. Members used to make ‘faral’ (snacks) such as papad, pickles and other Marathi delicacies and sell the, from doorto-door. “In fact, those days for all the Maharashtra government functions and meetings in Delhi, food order used to be placed with the Sharda Sangh,” Vilas said.
Now, however, the functions of the wing has been limited to organising festivities such as the Chaitra month, Chaitra Gowri, Sankrant, Gudi Padwa, Ganesh Utsav, Sharad Purnima and Bhunda during the Ashvin month.
EDUCATION AND CULTURAL ACTIVITIES
Just a few metres away from the new samaj building, the Maharashtriya Shikshan Sanstha, a sub-organisation under the Marathi samaj, is running the Nutan Marathi Shala at Aaram Bagh. tthe educational institution was set up in 1952 and at present has around 1,500 students enrolled in it.
“Most of the members from my generation have graduated from Nutan Marathi Shala. In fact, senior politician Prithviraj Chavan is also from this school,” Vilas said, pointing at Chavan’s name on the toppers list displayed on the school’s walls.
Walking a few steps away from the school’s playgrounds, a theatre hub, ‘Maharashtra Rangayan’ greets visitors with pictures of artists and patrons over the years framed in a line.
“This auditorium has the largest seating capacity (748 seats) in India after Siri Fort. There was a time when pan India theatre festivals used to be organised here. The stage had the provisions of setting up revolving platforms and underground doors for artists to disappear. Maintenance of the iconic building has been a problem in the recent years,” said Girish Wamorker, the vice-president of the samaj.
Warmorker said the community is doing its best to hold on to its love for puran poli and bharud (traditional Marathi music), while also enjoying the occasional Dilli ki chaat and chhole bhature.