Now Reading: Marathi grammarian Yasmin Shaikh dies at 101 in Pune
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Marathi grammarian Yasmin Shaikh dies at 101 in Pune
Professor Yasmin Shaikh, the renowned Marathi grammarian and linguist, died due to age-related ailments in Pune on Monday. She was 101. Born Jerusha Ruben into a Jewish family in Pune, she married…
Professor Yasmin Shaikh, the renowned Marathi grammarian and linguist, died due to age-related ailments in Pune on Monday. She was 101. Born Jerusha Ruben into a Jewish family in Pune, she married Aziz Ahmed Ibrahim Sheikh in 1949 and adopted the name Yasmin. She is survived by two daughters, Shama and Professor Rukhsana.
Shaikh taught Marathi for 34 years and headed the Marathi department at SIES College in Mumbai. She later taught grammar to civil-service aspirants. Her Marathi 'Shabdalekhankosh', first published in 2007 and revised in 2015, became a key reference for standard spelling and usage. Even in her late nineties, she wrote the Bhashasutra column for Loksatta, answering grammar questions from readers. She was honoured with several awards, including the first 'Marathi Bhasha Jeevangaurav' award in 2025.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Yasmin Shaikh's authority over standard Marathi spelling and grammar filled a gap that no official body formally occupies: unlike Hindi, Marathi has no single statutory academy that sets binding orthographic rules. Her 'Shabdalekhankosh' and textbooks became de facto standards for schools, civil-service exams, and government publications. The State Marathi Development Institute publishing her writing guide gave that work quasi-official weight. With her gone, no other living scholar commands comparable institutional trust to settle usage disputes. The Balbharati textbooks she helped write are still in use across Maharashtra, meaning her rulings will silently guide classrooms for years. Maharashtra's cultural affairs department may now need to formalise a reference authority to avoid fragmentation.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
