SANJEEV UNHALE

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2004 02:51:18 AM ]

AURANGABAD : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on
Saturday told research scholars not to tarnish the image of
inspiring personalities like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.




The statement assumes significance in the wake of the attack on the
Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute (Bori) in Pune, although
Pawar did not make a direct reference to the institute.



He was delivering the inaugural speech of the 77th all-India Marathi
literary meet here.



Pawar said if researchers started doing their job insensibly, they
would end up tarnishing the image of great personalities, and "this
will not be tolerated".



Citing the mania about Harry Potter books, Pawar, in his 45-minute
speech, said, "Why can't Marathi writers produce literature of such
high quality?" Writers should be bold and realistic in their
expression and should avoid preaching, he said.



Pawar also stressed the need to translate popular Marathi books into
other regional and international languages.



Marathi literature has not made a mark on the global firmament only
because it has not reached the global community, Pawar said, calling
upon Marathi writers to avail of e-conferencing to reach out to the
world.



President of the meet, R.G. Jadhav, and former president Subhash
Bhende condemned the attack on Bori.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/416183.cms