To connect with roots, NRI couple admits son to ZP Marathi school

KOLHAPUR: A woman software engineer working in the US with her husband on Monday enrolled her son Vihan (7) in a zilla parishad school in Sangli Atpadi to learn Marathi, his mother tongue.

Vihan will live with his uncle and attend school with his cousins.Vihan's mother, Bharati Vijaykumar Shelke, told TOI that the boy was studying in a North Carolina-based school, where the neighbourhood chiefly of English-speaking residents. "At the start, he could speak a few words in Marathi. But we were shocked to see him forgetting his mother tongue as he grew older. We wanted him to learn Marathi and felt this was the right age for it.

We chose a ZP Marathi school for its focus on quality education and fewer distractions," she said.Bharati's husband, Vijaykumar, has been working in US as an engineer for 15 years. She moved to the US after marriage in 2016. The couple have two sons, with another just 2 years old. Vijaykumar holds an L1 visa, for working temporarily in the US, while Bharati holds an L2 visa, which allows the spouse and unmarried children (under 21 years old) of an L1 visa holder to stay in the US. "There is still a year and a half left for visa termination.

We may decide to come back to India," Bharati said. The ZP school has gained recognition after the success of its students in talent search exams.