Who Was Yasmin Shaikh? Veteran Marathi Grammarian & Language Scholar Dies At 101 In Pune

· Free Press Journal

Pune: Veteran Marathi author, professor, grammarian and language scholar Prof. Yasmin Shaikh died in Pune on Monday (24th August). She was 101. Shaikh died of age-related ailments, family sources said. She breathed her last at her home in Pune. Her last rites are expected to be held soon.

Her death marks the end of a remarkable career spanning more than seven decades. Shaikh was among the respected names in Marathi grammar, standard writing and linguistics. She taught generations of students and worked on Marathi textbooks, writing guides and reference material. Her life was also unusual. She was born into a Jewish family and later married a Muslim man. Yet she became one of the prominent authorities on Marathi grammar and standard Marathi writing.

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Who was Yasmin Shaikh?

Yasmin Shaikh was born Jerusha Reuben on 21st June 1925 in Pen in the Raigad district. She was born into a Jewish family. She later moved to Pune for her education and studied at Sir Parashurambhau College, popularly known as SP College. She completed her BA and later pursued postgraduate studies.

At SP College, she came under the influence of Marathi scholars such as SM Mate and KN Watve. Her interest in Marathi grammar and linguistics grew during this period. Marathi became the central focus of her life, the very essence of her global recognition.

How did Jerusha Reuben become Yasmin Shaikh?

In 1949, she married Aziz Ahmed Ibrahim Shaikh, a theatre manager from Nashik. It was an interfaith marriage between a Jewish woman and a Muslim man. After the marriage, she adopted the name Yasmin Shaikh. Reports on her life state that she did not convert her religion after marriage.

Her own approach to language was broader than religious identity. She believed that language belonged to everyone. This became one of the defining ideas associated with her life and work.

Her 34-year teaching career

According to reports, Shaikh spent about 34 years teaching. She taught Marathi at Milind College of Science in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and later joined South Indian Education Society College (SIES College) in Sion, Mumbai. At SIES College, she served as a Marathi professor and later headed the Marathi department.

Her students came from different backgrounds. Her name sometimes surprised students when she entered a Marathi classroom. But her command of the language soon made her reputation clear. Her work did not end with her college career.

After retirement, she continued teaching Marathi grammar and language to students preparing for competitive examinations. She was associated with the State Institute of Administrative Careers in Mumbai and taught civil service aspirants.

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Why was Yasmin Shaikh important to Marathi?

Shaikh’s main contribution was her work on Marathi grammar, spelling, standard language and writing practices. She strongly believed that spoken Marathi could vary from region to region. However, she maintained that formal writing should follow standard Marathi.

She worked on grammar, spelling, word usage and writing conventions. Her work was especially useful to teachers, students, writers, editors and people preparing for competitive examinations. She was also associated with efforts to promote standard Marathi usage after the formation of Maharashtra. One of her best-known works was Marathi Shabdlekhan Kosh, a reference work dealing with Marathi spelling and correct written forms.

The book became useful to people who wanted to know how Marathi words should be written. Her decades of teaching experience shaped the practical approach of the work. She also wrote Marathi Lekhan Margdarshika, a guide to Marathi writing. Her work extended beyond books. She was associated with Balbharati and helped edit Marathi textbooks. She also contributed to work on functional Marathi grammar. She later served as a grammar adviser to the Marathi literary magazine Antarnaad.

Shaikh continued to remain associated with Marathi language work well into old age. Even after turning 100 in 2025, she continued reading, writing and answering questions related to Marathi grammar and language. She remained interested in new books and publications. Her long career meant that she continued to be approached by writers, teachers and language enthusiasts for guidance. Her longevity was therefore matched by her continued intellectual involvement.

Fadnavis, Pawar & Thackeray pay tributes

Shaikh’s life often drew attention because of her Jewish birth, Muslim marriage and deep association with Marathi. She repeatedly stressed that language could not be restricted by religion. Her approach was also not limited to one form of Marathi. She respected regional dialects but maintained that standard Marathi should be used in formal writing. This made her a strong advocate of both linguistic diversity and linguistic discipline.

Following her death, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray paid tribute to Shaikh. Thackeray described her as a Marathi scholar who was born Jewish but became deeply associated with Marathi through her work. He said her dedication to preserving the language and its character was extraordinary. He also stressed that languages naturally change and adopt words from other languages. At the same time, he drew a distinction between language changing and people losing command over their language. Thackeray said Shaikh’s death was not merely the loss of a grammarian. He described it as the loss of another link in a generation that believed that loving a language also meant being careful with it.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar also expressed grief over Shaikh’s death. They highlighted her contribution to the Marathi language, grammar, education and linguistics. Shaikh’s association with Marathi textbook work and her contribution to language education were also remembered. Her death has been widely described in Marathi literary and academic circles as a major loss to the language community.

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A lifetime devoted to Marathi

Yasmin Shaikh’s story went far beyond that of a professor. She was born Jerusha Reuben in a Jewish family. She studied Marathi in Pune, married into a Muslim family and spent decades teaching and researching a language that she considered her own.

She worked with students, teachers, writers, textbook editors and competitive-examination candidates. She wrote reference books and guides. She advised literary publications and contributed to textbook development.

She continued working with Marathi even after reaching 100. For more than seven decades, her life was closely tied to one central idea: Marathi should be understood, taught and written with care.

Prof Yasmin Shaikh died in Pune on 24th August 2026, at the age of 101. Her passing brings to an end the life of a scholar who made Marathi grammar her life’s work and left her mark on generations of Marathi learners and writers.

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