|
|
|
1st May is celebrated as Maharashtra day.
On this day the state of Maharashtra attained statehood. Maharashtra is
one of the largest states in India, both in terms of population and area.
Its booming capital Mumbai
, makes it not only one of the most important states, economically, but
also a major gateway for overseas visitors.
The present state was formed in 1960 when the Marathi and Gujarati
linguistic areas of the former Bombay state were separated. Bombay then
became the capital of the new state. In independent India, Bombay, the
bilingual state, continued as one state consisting of Maharashtra and
Gujarat. But this equation of two linguistic units in one state did not
work and therefore on 1st May 1960, under the Bombay re-organization Act,
Maharashtra and Gujarat were divided into separate states. Maharashtra
retained the old capital Bombay. Shiv Sena Government has renamed the
capital city Bombay into Mumbai.
In Mumbai, the Maharashtra Day celebrations are held at the Shivaji Park
in central Mumbai. The governor of the state takes the salute at the
ceremonial parade, comprising members of the state reserve police force,
Brihanmumbai Commando Force, home guards, civil defence, fire brigade and
city police.
){kind=link}