Satara: Kulkarni-Joshi demanded that a Patil be made the president of the 99th Marathi literary conference. Senior writer and president of the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, Vishwas Patil, said that “If the ruined village is to be improved, then ‘Patil’ and ‘Kulkarni’ have to form an alliance.” Vishwas Patil also praised Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on this occasion and narrated the glory story of Satara. He was speaking at the inaugural program of the 99th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan being held in Satara.
“A literary conference is not just a program; it is a program of ethics and thought, and giving direction to the country. The Marathi literary conference started even before the establishment of the Congress,” said Vishwas Patil, adding that it is a big thing to make the son of a farmer the president of the literary conference.
What did Vishwas Patil say?
Speaking at the inaugural program, Vishwas Patil said, "When I say Patil, I remember three things: the Wrestling thing, the Tamasha and Sugarcane. But I’m the Patil in the thick of the literature world. Joshi and Kulkarni demanded that a Patil be made the president of the 99th Sahitya Sammelan. If a ruined village is to be improved, Patil and Kulkarni have to ally. This is our old custom.”
‘The Story of Savarkar’
Vishwas Patil told an old story. He said, “When Savarkar was the president of the Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, he had said, 'Break the pens and take up guns in your hands,' that sentence was very famous. But he went ahead and said that education should be provided in the mother tongue. At that time, he ignited the love for Marathi. Whenever there is a crisis in the Marathi language, we fight literary battles.”
“When Nehru was the Prime Minister, Majrooh Sultanpuri had criticised him and had to serve two years in prison. At that time, Morarji Desai intervened and said to apologise. At that time, Sultanapuri, however, refused to bow down, refused to bow down,” recalled Vishwas Patil.
“Currently, there is a code of conduct for municipal elections. If you have an election code of conduct, then we have a code of thought. The period of your code of conduct is two-three weeks. But the code of thought of a writer lasts for many generations, added Vishwas Patil.
Patil further expressed the opinion that farmers committing suicide is not only a failure of the government but also a failure of society. He also went on to demand that Annabhau Sathe should be awarded the Bharat Ratna.
