While north Indians in Maharashtra are being targeted by Raj Thackeray’s MNS, for Thakur and other employees of the Niwas who are from Bihar and other north Indian states it is as good as being at home. Out of around 60 employees, a majority are from Bihar. And they say they have never felt any animosity at the Maharashtra Niwas, which was established in 1927 and is run by a trust. “The atmosphere is homely here. Most employees are related to each other. I believe what is happening in Maharashtra is wrong. Is it possible for the people of any state to remain confined to that state alone,” said S R Shinde, manager of the Niwas.
Estimates suggest that around 25,000 Maharashtrians, some of them reputed industrialists, live in and around Kolkata. “Some have been living here for generations and cannot even speak Marathi,” said Shinde, adding that the community has the support of Bengalis and doesn’t fear any repercussions.
As far as the employees from Bihar are concerned, it was just another day, though they are concerned about their relatives in Mumbai and adjoining regions. “I am worried about them (relatives in Maharashtra). I have never been to Mumbai, but I have spent my life working for Maharashtrians here at the Niwas. Life is normal for us,” said Thakur.
“It is difficult to contact our relatives there. Whenever we are contacting them, they say they want to take the first train home but are not able to do so. The scared lot is not even venturing out,” said Hareram Rai, an employee from the Darbhanga district of Bihar. “My brother Radheshyam is a barber and has a shop in Mumbai. He is under stress and has not been able to work for days,” said Jibach Thakur, another employee.
Members of the students’ wing of the Forward Bloc, meanwhile, staged a demonstration in front of the Niwas against the forced exodus of the migrant population from Maharashtra. The demonstration, however, failed to affect the calm atmosphere inside.