The Marwaris by Thomas A Timberg

Author:Thomas A Timberg
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789351187134
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Published: 2014-04-07T04:00:00+00:00

The Marwaris and Literature: Revival of the Hindi Language

The second or third item which pops up while surfing the Web for Marwaris and Hindi literature is the site of the Marwari Library in Delhi which, we are informed, has been striving for the last century, ‘towards the cause of promoting Hindi . . . worldwide’. Not surprisingly, there are similar libraries in other major cities, including the Rajasthan Club in Calcutta which is a centre for Hindi and Sanskrit activity. In general, throughout the last 150 years, Marwari patrons and writers have been key figures in Hindi literature. Anne Hardgrove in an article focused on younger women Hindi-language writers in Calcutta who document the social transition experienced by their generation.4 But the role of the Marwaris in Hindi literature has been noticeable throughout its modern history.

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Generally speaking, there is a change among young Marwaris who have been educated at leading international institutions and manage enterprises based on new-age technology. Often, marriages today defy the traditional caste strictures; quite a few prominent Marwari heirs in recent times have married non-Marwaris. Young people are marrying those they work or study with, things that their elders considered unorthodox and avoided. Also, divorces have become common as the youth is more frequently taking its own decisions regarding marriage and is not tied down by social restrictions. At the same time, many young Marwaris are effecting social and intellectual changes in their traditions and traditional approaches to business. Anne Hardgrave has documented at some length the transformations and challenges faced by the younger Marwari women of Calcutta.5 An interesting book, Stages of Capitalism: Law, Culture, and Market Governance in Late Colonial India, by Ritu Birla, a professor of anthropology in Canada, focuses on issues that the Marwari community has been confronted with. The cover of the paperback edition of her book depicts the G.D. Birla family tree, though this fact may not be apparent to most readers. Obviously, Dr Birla herself is an example of the variety of paths pursued by the present generation of Marwaris.

One aspect of this change is young Marwaris deserting business. It is noted with interest that the ex–railway minister Lalu Prasad’s key IAS adviser in his reorganization of the Indian Railways was a Marwari, who chose a career in the Indian civil service rather than entering one in business. Two of the leading politicians of independent India, Ram Manohar Lohia and Kamal Nath, are both Marwaris. No one could say that the rabble-rousing Lohia conformed to any particular Marwari stereotype. Today, there are Marwari doctors, lawyers and professors in large numbers. Not surprisingly, in traditional circles they tend to marry into Marwari business families; in less traditional families, these professional Marwaris often marry people from other communities.

More recently, the process of modernization in the Marwari community has clearly accelerated. It is perhaps notable in the work of Gita Piramal, very much a Marwari lady of the educated generation (a PhD and scion of a leading Marwari family, and on whom

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