Maharashtra Day 2019: From history to celebrations, all you need to know about the state holiday

Maharashtra Day is observed as a public holiday for government offices, banks, stock markets and educational institutes in Maharashtra. It is also a dry day in the state.

FP Staff May 01, 2019 08:16:14 IST
Maharashtra Day 2019: From history to celebrations, all you need to know about the state holiday
  • First day in the month of May holds special significance for the state of Maharashtra as the existing state was formed on this day about 59 years ago when it was divided from Bombay in 1960

  • To commemorate this day, people of Maharashtra celebrate 1 May as the Maharashtra Day or Maharashtra Diwas, which also coincides with the International Labours’ Day

  • The state of Bombay formerly comprised of speakers of different languages such as Marathi, Gujarati, Konkani and Kutchi.

What is Maharashtra Day?

First day in the month of May holds special significance for the state of Maharashtra as the existing state was formed on this day about 59 years ago when it was divided from Bombay in 1960. To commemorate this day, people of Maharashtra celebrate 1 May as the Maharashtra Day or Maharashtra Diwas, which also coincides with the International Labours’ Day.

Maharashtra Day: History and significance

The state of Bombay formerly comprised of speakers of different languages such as Marathi, Gujarati, Konkani and Kutchi.

During the mid-1950s, a movement known as the Samyukta Maharashtra Andolan started demanding a separate Marathi-speaking state while Mahagujarat Movement aimed at the formation of a state for Gujarati-speaking people. The protests and clashes came to an end in 1960 with the Bombay Reorganization Act. The act passed by India’s Parliament led to the official division of the multilingual state of Bombay into modern day states of Gujarat and Maharashtra, with Gandhinagar and Mumbai serving as their respective capitals.

The legislation came into effect on 1 May, 1960. As the division took place on linguistic lines, following it, Maharashtra comprised of areas where speakers of Marathi and Konkani language resided while Gujarat dominated the Gujarati and Kutchi speaking people.

Maharashtra Day 2019 From history to celebrations all you need to know about the state holiday

Source: Instagram @girlonenfield

How is the day celebrated in Maharashtra?

Since then, every year on 1 May, Maharashtra Day is celebrated in the state. This day is observed as a public holiday for government offices, banks, stock markets and educational institutes. It is also a dry day in the state.

The governor of Maharashtra addresses a large gathering at Shivaji Park in Dadar to commemorate the formation of the day. With it, the state government and private sector also launches new projects and schemes. Private celebrations including traditional lavani performances and Marathi poem recitations also take place.

Updated Date:

also read

350 years of Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation: How will Maharashtra mark it?
Explainers

350 years of Shivaji Maharaj’s coronation: How will Maharashtra mark it?

The Maharashtra government will hold large-scale celebrations to mark the 350th coronation anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on 2 and 6 June. The inaugural event will be held at Raigad Fort from where the Maratha warrior was enthroned in 1674

Ahmednagar to be renamed in honour of Ahilyabai Holkar: Who was the Maratha queen?
India

Ahmednagar to be renamed in honour of Ahilyabai Holkar: Who was the Maratha queen?

Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde has announced that the city of Ahmednagar will now be renamed Ahilyanagar after the Maratha warrior Ahilyabai Holkar. The Malwa queen was known to be a great ruler and a learned politician. Her contributions to women's empowerment and education are unforgettable

Trimbakeshwar Temple Row in Maharashtra: The communal tension over a ritual explained
Explainers

Trimbakeshwar Temple Row in Maharashtra: The communal tension over a ritual explained

A religious procession taken out by a group of Muslims stopped outside the famous Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik to spread incense in the direction of the deity, as per tradition. However, security guards refused to let them climb the steps. Here’s how it snowballed into a controversy