Mumbai: Language wars again erupted in Mumbai, this time over the playing of devotional Bhojpuri songs at several stations across Central Railway and Western Railway networks ahead of Chhath Puja. Following warnings of agitation from local outfits, which alleged a threat to the state’s Marathi identity, the songs were stopped at some stations.While some passenger associations urged the authorities to prioritise suburban train punctuality and commuter amenities instead, other commuter outfits said creating such a controversy would only harm Mumbai’s cosmopolitan identity.This is the first time that Bhojpuri songs are being played at railway stations in Mumbai as part of Chhath Puja celebrations.Jitu Patil of Maharashtra Navnirman Railway Sena said, “We objected to the arrangements and warned the railway administration that if the songs were not stopped in an hour, we would launch an agitation and prevent the officials responsible for implementing the order from carrying out their duties.”Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Mandhuri Vishwasrao Manjrekar said she was alerted to the issue by passengers from her constituency. “I am not against any language, but regular announcements were compromised because of the songs being played at Wadala station. I was told that the songs would continue till Sunday. I visited the station on Wednesday, after which the songs were stopped. On Thursday, I visited Dadar station and raised an objection.”Marathi Ekikaran Samiti also objected to the arrangements, arguing that the railway administration should be mindful of Maharashtra’s linguistic and cultural identity.Central Railway chief public relations officer Swapnil Nila rebutted the charge that the songs are being played at the cost of regular train announcements. He said the railways plays theme-based jingles and public awareness messages during various festivals and special occasions. “Songs associated with Chhath Puja are being played at select stations, such as CSMT and LTT, where special trains are being operated for the festival. These songs are played only during the time available after essential passenger announcements and information have been broadcast.”Former MP Sanjay Nirupam from Shiv Sena slammed “the narrow-minded mentality” and said such initiatives were earlier carried out at stations across the country, including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Kolkata. He said it was petty to view the playing of devotional songs as a show of strength.Subhash Gupta of commuter outfit Rail Parishad said, “Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city, and people from across the country, representing different cultures and traditions, travel by Indian Railways. If the railways is making an effort to respect and acknowledge different cultures by playing devotional songs, nobody should try to create a controversy over it for political purposes.”
