Maharashtra Day ..

Maharashtra Day .., a photo by firoze shakir photographerno1 on Flickr.

Maharashtra Day, commonly known as Maharashtra Diwas in Marathi and Maharashtra Din in Hindi, is a state holiday in Maharashtra, India commemorating the formation of the state of Maharashtra from the division of the Bombay State on 1 May 1960. Maharashtra Day is commonly associated with parades and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history and traditions of Maharashtra.

Background

The States Reorganisation Act, 1956 defined boundaries for the states within India on the basis of languages.[1] The Bombay State that was formed as a consequence of this act, however, was composed of different areas where different languages were spoken; Marathi, Gujarati, Kutchi and Konkani. The Samyukta Maharashtra Samiti was at the forefront of the movement to divide the Bombay State into two states; one composed of areas where people primarily spoke Gujarati and Kutchhi and the other where people primarily spoke Marathi and Konkani.[2][3]
The state of Maharashtra and Gujarat were formed as a result of this movement according to the Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960 enacted by the Parliament of India on 25 April 1960. The act came into effect on 1 May 1960.[4]
[edit]Observance

Every year the Government of Maharashtra issues a notification declaring 1 May to be a public holiday to be celebrated as Maharashtra Day.[5]
[edit]Customs

Every year a parade is held at Shivaji Park where the Governor of Maharashtra makes a speech.
Liquor sales are prohibited on this day across Maharashtra.[6]
[edit]Unique or historical celebrations

The Golden Jubilee celebrations for Maharashtra Day were conducted on 11 May 2011 across Maharashtra.[7][