Another holiday silently approaches us. In this blast furnace from hell kind of summer, we actually thank our stars for this one holiday we get to sit back and relax indoors. This year, there might be people even planning a four day getaway. And of course, there are small pandals on the street put up by staunch lovers of the state and political party workers who won’t let go of the advantage the day offers. In some of these pandals or elsewhere, at least once in the day you might hear ‘Jai Jai Maharashtra Mazha, Garza Maharashtra Mazha’. This Maharastra Day, we have some fun trivia about your beloved state, which will bring you closer to it.
- Mi Marathi – As you all know, the official language of Maharashtra is Marathi. However, it has five alternative names – Maharashtra, Maharathi, Malhatee, Marthi and Muruthu. It also has 42 dialects.
- States – We actually share a railway station with another state. Navapur station is half in Maharashtra and half in Gujarat. The boundary between the states is marked next to the tracks within the station.
- Ye toh heights hai – Kalsubai peak, of the Sahyadri range, in Akole Taluka of Ahmednagar district, is the highest point in Maharashtra. It is 1646 meters in height. Kalsubai temple is located atop the peak.
- Center of attention – The wooden pole in the center of the Banganga tank in Mumbai is said to signify the center of the Earth. Legend has it that Lord Ram created this tank by piercing the Earth with his arrow.
- Give us this day our daily bread – The ultimate food of Maharashtra and the staple diet of millions of inhabitants here – the vada pav, is a fusion of the vada from the west and the pav from the east (Portugese). This delectable combination, complete with its tangy chutneys and chillies, was supposedly invented by a vendor outside Dadar station. The Sena staked a claim on vada pav as their own and started a chain of Shiv Vada Pav stalls in Mumbai. It also got McDonald’s to sponsor a vada pav sammelan in Mumbai!
This Maharashtra Day, explore your lovely state and get to know it more closely. Help us get to know it better as well by sharing any trivia you might have about it. Make this state your own! Sing along with the anthem and take pride in calling it ‘Maharashtra Mazha!’