CHENNAI: For the first time in six decades since the Linguistic Reorganisation of States in 1956, Tamil Nadu state formation day will be celebrated on November 1.
In the evening, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami will be chairing the celebrations at Kalaivanar Arangam which where cultural programmes will be staged.
November 1, 1956, is the day on which the present landscape known as Tamil Nadu was carved out from erstwhile Madras Province after States Reorganisation Act, 1956 came into force, redrawing boundaries along linguistic lines.
The state government, on October 25, sanctioned Rs 10 lakh for celebrating Tamil Nadu Formation Day.
People in neighbouring States - Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka - have been celebrating their respective formation days in a grand manner every year and there have been similar demands to celebrate the same in Tamil Nadu.
Orissa (now Odisha) was the first state to be formed on linguistic basis. Later, in 1953, Andhra Pradesh was formed on linguistic basis.
On November 1, 1956, Madras State was formed. There were many agitations to rename this landscape as Tamil Nadu. Late CM Arignar Anna, as MP, had raised his voice in the Parliament for this demand and many Tamil scholars too strove for this cause. In 1967, when Arignar Anna was the Chief Minister, the name of the state was officially renamed as Tamil Nadu.