Maharashtra Day 2018 : Tell Your Child The History Behind This Day

7 to 11 years

Akshita Iyer

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7 years ago

Maharashtra Day 2018 : Tell Your Child The History Behind This Day

India is a land of festivities and celebrations and almost every day here has its own significance. One such important day is 1st of May which is celebrated every year as Maharashtra Day commonly known as Maharashtra Diwas in the state of Maharashtra. Whether you are from Maharashtra or not, you should tell your child about the history behind this day because a little knowledge never hurt anyone.

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History And Significance Of Maharashtra Day

In 1951 there was no state called Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu or Kerala. The states were later created on linguistic basis and with the help of States Re-organisation act on the recommendation of States Re-organisation commission.

Earlier, the state of Bombay consisted of people speaking languages like Marathi, Gujarati, Kutchi and Konkani. Then the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti was formed and demanded to divide the states on the basis of languages the people spoke. So it was on 1st may 1960 that the state of Maharashtra was formed which now consisted of people who spoke Marathi and Konkani. Another state namely Gujarat was also formed which had people speaking Gujarati and Kutchi. Hence May 1 is celebrated as Maharashtra Diwas to commemorate the formation of the state of Maharashtra after its separation from Bombay state.

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Observance:

Every year the Government of Maharashtra issues a notification declaring the 1st of May to be a public holiday to be celebrated as Maharashtra Day. This holiday applies to all the schools, offices and companies under the jurisdiction of the State and central Government. Sale of alcohol is prohibited on this day.

Customs:

Each year on this day the Governor of Maharashtra gives a speech at Shivaji Park in Dadar, followed by a parade by the State Reserve Police Force, Mumbai Police and Home Guards. Various cultural events are also organised that include folk songs, traditional lavani performances and narration of poetries. Flag hoisting is also held at the district headquarters in the presence of guardian ministers as a tribute to martyrs.

While we are talking about the formation of this beautiful state let’s take a look at some of the interesting facts about it:

The first train in India ran between Mumbai to Thane on 16 April, 1853
Lonar lake in Buldhana district, Maharashtra was formed because of Meteorite hit
Maharashtra has the largest road network in India with a total road length of over 2, 67,500 kilometres. There are 18 national highways and many state highways with total length of 33,705 km
Located in Navi Mumbai on the Konkan mainland, Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) is the largest container port in India
Shani Shingnapur is a village where there are no door frames and locks in homes. Natives believe that Shani Dev protects them and their houses from any kind of theft or crime

This Maharashtra Diwas (2018) marks 58 glorious years of the formation of the state of Maharashtra. Make sure you celebrate it with your child by telling them the importance of this day and educating them a little about how beautiful the state and its culture is. You can even read out a few folk tales to them to keep it enticing.

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