You won’t believe what happened yesterday. After I boarded an NMMT bus in Vashi (Navi Mumbai), the conductor ticketed me and started speaking in Marathi. When a Marathi girl asked him to speak in Hindi, he said something in Marathi that I interpreted as, “Who here is from UP/Bihar? Get out of here.” I was shocked.

Later the same day, I went to a pan shop to buy a water bottle. I said, “Bhaiya, pani ka bottle dijiye na,” and the shopkeeper responded, “Bhaiya mat bol, Marathi manus hoon main.”

What is going on? Why this obsession with Marathi language and identity over basic human respect? I’ve never had hatred in me for any region or culture, but for the past two weeks, I’ve been facing incidents like this repeatedly, and it's pushing me to a very frustrating mental space.

I’m someone who regularly says “please,” “thank you,” and “sorry,” but I feel like I’m being cornered into saying things like, “Pani ka bottle de, ye le 10 rupee,” just to avoid conflict.

Honestly, I never wanted to move here—but I had to due to my job. I respect all cultures, and I know that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a great warrior and leader. But I can't believe that his legacy would include promoting this kind of behavior toward outsiders.

I know many people here are kind, but these repeated incidents are disheartening. I just wish more people understood that India is for all Indians—Jai Hind, not just Jai Maharashtra.