Linguistic Pluralism in Maratha Princely State

A Maratha dynasty that ruled a Hindi-speaking kingdom, fostered multilingual education, nurtured Hindustani music, and embraced constitutional reform long before independence.

- SUMIT KAUSHIK, ARUNANSH B GOSWAMI

In an era where hate-driven rhetoric based on linguistic identity has surged across various regions of India, it would be beneficial for readers to explore the history of a former princely state in India, larger in size than many contemporary nations, where Marathi rulers, rather than enforcing their native language upon predominantly Hindi and Urdu-speaking communities, embraced a multitude of languages and provided avenues for minorities to maintain their linguistic heritage.

The authors are referring to the Scindias of Gwalior, who began their legacy as warriors in the service of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in present-day Maharashtra.

Under the leadership of Sabaji Scindia, they extended their reach to Peshawar, even approaching the gates of Afghanistan. Mahadji and Daulatrao Scindia effectively governed Delhi for several years until the British seized control from the Scindia forces in 1803 following the battle of Patparganj.

The esteemed Maratha Mahadji Scindia was proficient in several languages, including Sanskrit, Urdu, Braj Bhasha (Hindi), Marathi, and Persian, and he has left behind numerous devotional works in Braj Bhasha and Marathi.

While numerous rulers in India and globally leveraged their political authority to enforce their language upon their subjects, the Maratha Scindias chose a different path by advocating for linguistic diversity.

The primary languages utilized for educational purposes in Scindia State included Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, and English. Judicial records were maintained in Hindi, which shared the distinction of being an official language alongside English and Marathi.

A variety of other languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Portuguese, German, Arabic, and Persian were also spoken within Scindia State.