State gets its song in ‘Jai jai Maharashtra majha’ celebrating its spirit

Mumbai The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday designated ‘Jai jai Maharashtra majha’ as the state song. The composition, which is traditionally sung by students at school cultural events on May 1, will now be played at official functions, enjoying a status second to the national anthem.

It will gain the formal position on February 19, the birth anniversary of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji.

Presently, 12 other states have an official state song -- Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Odisha, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand.

The song was written by poet Raja Badhe, who worked for All India Radio between 1956-’62, and was set to music by Shrinivas Khale. It was sung by Shahir Sable, a popular folk singer, in the presence of Yashwantrao Chavan, at a ceremony held at Shivaji Park, Dadar, on May 1, 1960, when the state came into being.

Raja Badhe’s cousin, Ashok, a retired engineer, who passed away in Pune two days ago, had first pushed for this to be considered the state song soon after Gujarat got its own in 2011.

Two other songs in the run for this status were ‘Priya amucha ek Maharashtra desh ha,’ written by Shripad Krushna Kolhatkar and ‘Mangal desha pavitra desha,’ penned by Ram Ganesh Gadkari – both renowned Marathi litterateurs.

‘Jai jai Maharashtra majha’ celebrates the state and its spirit of resilience. “This is not just a song but the voice of every Marathi manoos,” said Radha Sable, wife of Krishnarao Sable, also known as Shahir Sable. “It tells the history of Maharashtra. Credit for this must go to its writer Raja Badhe, music composer Shrinivas Khale, as well as with Shahir Sable.”

Beaming with pride, Raja Badhe’s younger brother Chandrakant (Baban) Badhe, said, “All Raja fans must celebrate this moment. I am happy that he has been remembered once again. It is however sad that his biography is still pending.” Khale’s daughter Shama said, “My father was a great musician as he was a human being. We are proud of this honour. He should have been here to hear the news.”

Sable’s grandson, Marathi director Kedar Shinde, grew up hearing stories of the song being played on the radio when the state was founded. “Baba (Sable) used to sing this song every time he performed the ‘Lokdhara’, a musical. I have also performed with him in the chorus several times,” he said, adding that a documentary on his grandfather is on the anvil.

Shibu Sable, another grandson and documentary filmmaker, said: “This song is the breath of our family. We have seen baba’s eyes tear up when he sang the song on stage. It encapsulates the warmth, emotion and spirit of every Maharashtrian.”

The state cabinet has laid down the guidelines for playing the song -- the national anthem will remain supreme and the state song will play in all public functions organised by the government. All schools will also play the song in addition to the daily prayer and national anthem. State board textbooks will carry the state anthem from next educational year.

The two stanzas of the song run over 1.41 minutes.