Ghulam Qadir /Nagpur

Centenarian Yasmin Sheikh continues to serve the Marathi language with the same zeal and energy with which she started her journey in her younger days.

Yasmin Sheikh, who recently turned 100, is not only a teacher but also a living legacy of the Marathi language, given her lifetime dedication to preserving the language of Marathas.

She was born as Jerusha Ruben in a Jewish family of Pune, Maharashtra.

She married Aziz Ahmed Ibrahim Sheikh, a theatre manager from Nasik in 1949. Their inter-religious marriage was a revolt against the social norms. Jerusha changed her name to Yasmin Sheikh but did not change her religion. She asserts, “I believe in only one religion—the religion of humanity.”  Yasmin Sheiklh and her book on Marathi grammer

In the early years of teaching Marathi at Mumbai's SIES College, students were often confused. They would ask, "Is this a Marathi class?" They would be surprised to see a teacher with a Muslim name teaching Marathi grammar. Once the class started, the students would become her biggest admirers. "Language has no religion," she says. "The language of the country where you grew up becomes your mother tongue."

Her Marathi Shabdlekhana Kosh, which standardizes Marathi spelling and usage of words,  was published in 2007. Its revised edition came out in 2015. Apart from this, she contributed to a book called Functional Grammar and wrote a 'Marathi Writing Guide' for the correct use of Marathi in government documents.

She says, "I cannot say that Marathi is as sweet as nectar, because I have never tasted nectar, but for m,e Marathi is beautiful, rich, and meaningful."

Yasmin Sheikh with a fan

Her family affectionately calls her "Laughing Jerusha."

Yasmin Sheikh

Last week, the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal honoured her on her birthday. President of the ABMSM, Milind Joshi, said, "Sheikh taught grammar like poetry. Her contribution in spreading linguistic consciousness and understanding of culture in the society is incomparable."

ALSO READ: Martyr Mohd Imteyaj gets Vir Chakra for Op Sindoor

Her 100-year journey reminds us that age is never a barrier to following a mission. She says,“Aaplya matribhashevar prem kara!”  (Love your mother tongue!)