Today marks as an important day for Karnataka as it is celebrates ‘Rajyotsava’ or Formation Day. The day is celebrated as a reminder of Karnataka formation from former Mysore on November 1, 1956. However, the name came into existence on November 1, 1973. On this day, the government announces the Rajyotsava Award winners, who have made significant contributions to Kannada culture and the welfare of the state.
A glance at the past
As soon as the Independence of India in 1947, the Kannad speaking community released the importance of the sovereignty of the culture and demanded the formation of linguistic and cultural identities. Earlier, the state was divided into various princely states such as Mysuru and regions like the Bombay and Madras Presidencies, before finally forming into ‘Karnataka’.
During the 1950s, there were protests, demonstrations, and literary groups calling for the unification of all Kannada-speaking regions into a single state. People wanted states to be formed or reformed to reflect the prevalent languages spoken in certain areas.
Finally in 1956, The States Reorganization Act was enacted. This act resulted in the formation of ‘Mysore State’ on November 1, 1956. It was then renamed Karnataka on November 1, 1973, to better reflect its linguistic and cultural uniqueness.
Present day
Karnataka is one of the most developed states of India, currently ruled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah of Indian Congress Party. The Karnataka Legislative Assembly has 224 seats, with the Congress holding 135 seats and the BJP and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (Secular) holding 66 and 19 seats, respectively.
Karnataka is home to some of the country’s most famous institutions, including the Indian Institute of Science (IISC) in Bangalore, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in the state’s capital, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Dharwad along with National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Bangalore, the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) in Bangalore, the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Surathkal.
Bangalore, the state capital, is known as the “Silicon Valley of India.” It is a major information technology and technology hub, with multiple IT parks, software firms, and startups. The presence of technology behemoths such as Infosys, Wipro, and others has fostered the growth of the IT sector. It also features industrial and manufacturing clusters in cities such as Belagavi, Hubballi, and Mangaluru, which help to drive economic growth.
The state is not left behind in sports as well and has given us prominent players of the world like KL Rahul, Rahul Dravid, Pankaj Advani, Prakash Padukone and Ashwini Ponnappa.