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When India claimed her freedom at the stroke of midnight in 1947, she was only at the threshold of many more fights to be won: a fight for equal rights, for education, for identity. The State Reorganization Movement that ensued after independence was one of India’s biggest claims to identity.
Before independence, the country was built out of sprawling metropolitan cities, princely states, villages and a smattering of independent European colonies. However, the borders between these were never explicitly laid out. After independence, the government sought to draw clear boundaries on the map of India, establishing separate states based on what they considered the one binding factor in this country of diversities: language. So, India was divided to grant each language their own state, grant the people a sense of belonging to their state. However, what we know today as Maharashtra and Gujarat was recognized as one state – the state of Bombay. This means that whenever our history talks about ‘Bombay’ before 1960, it’s not actually talking about the present city of Mumbai, but the entire region of Maharashtra, Gujarat and even some areas of North Karnataka.
Across the erstwhile state of Bombay, Gujarati, Marathi, Kuchchi and Konkani languages were spoken. While these languages are similar in the etymology of their words, the intricacies of each are vastly different from the other. The state of Bombay seemed like a raw deal at the hands of a government that promised an identity to every language, and the people of the state were quick to realize this. After the State Reorganization Act was put into place in 1956, several groups in ‘Bombay’ protested for two separate states: Gujarat and Maharashtra.
In what is today Maharashtra, the Sanyukta Maharashtra Samiti was the flag bearer of the fight for a separate state, where was Samyukta Gujarat Samiti was its Gujarati counterpart. Spread across the state in the form of protests, public speeches and agitations, this movement was popularly known as the ‘Mahagujarat Movement’ in Gujarat. While both organizations shared the sentiment of being granted a separate state, they fought over which state will have Bombay – the city – as the financial capital. A booming metropolis of the late fifties, Bombay city was the hub of new businesses, foreign companies and upcoming technology – an obvious choice for a state capital.
At the end of a stream of agitations and breakouts across the state, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru - on the advice of Vice-President Dr. Saravapalli Radhakrishnan and President Rajendra Prasad – finally decided to divide the State of Bombay into Gujarat, for the Gujarati and Kuchhi speaking regions to the west, and Maharashtra for the Marathi and Konkan-speaking areas. Maharashtra and Gujarat were officially recognized as separate states on May 1, 1960.
1st May has now found a place on the calendar as the foundation day in both states, always a day of joyful celebration. This year marks the 59 years of Maharashtra and Gujarat as two strong, separate states. In Gujarat, there are ceremonies across cities, parades on the street and the announcement of new schemes by the government. People gather at the beautiful Sabarmati Waterfront at Ahmedabad for celebratory festivities. In Maharashtra, the Shivaji Park in Mumbai’s Dadar bears witness to a grand parade that includes the State Governer, the police force, firefighters and civil defence members. Flag Hoisting takes place early in the morning at the district headquarters. On this day, many eminent personalities in their own field of excellence are rewarded for their contributions.
Clearly, the people of the two states celebrate this day with their great pride and grandeur – and most rightfully so! In a country where language is often an important indicator of one’s identity, the history of how this identity was fought for – and won – deserves a happy celebration. Happy Maharashtra and Gujarat Day to everyone!
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