There are some dates in history that become iconic as time passes. It was on 1st May 1960 – the two prosperous states of India were born – Maharashtra and Gujarat. What should have happened peacefully then unfortunately was marred by police firing on protestors demanding their right which led to the deaths of 106 protestors. Subsequently, the authorities agreed and thus were born the two states on a linguistic basis, much similar to Andhra agitation and formation of a separate state for Telugu speaking people carved out from the Madras Presidency.
Language is an integral part of our personality. It shapes our values, our culture, and our thought process through its vast array of literature, poetry, songs, and stories. Formed based on linguistic uniqueness, Marathi-speaking people got to have their own state of Maharashtra. It is a sandhi (combination) of two words Mahaan (great) and Rashtra (state) meaning a great state.
This day is celebrated with great camaraderie across the state including government and private enterprises along with schools and colleges displaying the pride of Maharashtra through its many facets such as singing patriotic songs, parades, and dances throughout the state. The same is observed with great enthusiasm outside India too by the diaspora living abroad.
History of Gujarat
The state took its name from the Gujara, the land of the Gujjars. After Gujjars, Islam Sultanate, Mughals, Marathas, Europeans, and Britishers took over the state. Finally, “Quit India Movement” started to get independence from the British people which was led by Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel.
To integrate the entire Gujarati-speaking population under one administrative body, a Mahagujarat conference took place and they finally decided to split the states of Gujarat and Maharashtra.
The then Bombay though had people speaking various languages like Marathi, Gujarati, Kutchi, and Konkani, which obviously did not work out. Several protests were carried out by various linguistic groups for the creation of states based on the language of the regions.
Gujarat finally received the status of a state in 1960, the same day Maharashtra was also formed. Thus, both the states on this day celebrate their statehood. The first capital of Gujarat was Ahmedabad; the capital was moved to Gandhinagar in 1970.
