Mumbai: The Marathi Language Day also known as Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Divas is being celebrated across Maharashtra and India.
Spoken by over 83 million speakers across India, Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Divas celebrates Marathi literature and the language's history.
Why is Marathi Bhasha Gaurav Divas celebrated?
The Marathi Language Day is celebrated in honour of the veteran poet and writer Padma Bhushan V.V.Shirwadkar. Today also marks the prolific writer's 100th birth anniversary.
Shirwadkar, who was awarded the Jnanpith award in 1987, received the Sahitya Akademi Award in Marathi for Natsamrat, and Padma Bhushan in 1991.
Marathi Basha Divas: Major points you need to know
Marathi is the third most popular native language in India, after Hindi and Bengali, with around 90 million speakers worldwide.
Marathi has 42 different dialects, which include Ahirani, Konkani, Vaidarbhi, Konkani, etc.
Marathi is heavily influenced by the Sanskrit language. According to research done by the Maharashtra state government, Marathi existed alongside Sanskrit as a sister language 1,500-2000 years ago.
The syntax and grammar in Marathi are inspired by Prakrit and Pali.
During the Maratha rule, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj replaced the Persian language with Marathi as the common courtly language.
