Chandigarh, November 1: On November 1, Punjab celebrates its Formation Day. Going back to history, the Punjabi Suba movement, started in 1950's was one of the key events in the formation of the modern-day Indian state of Punjab. The Akali Dal led the movement. The state shares border with Jammu and Kashmir in the north, Himachal Pradesh in the east, Haryana in the south and southeast, Rajasthan in the southwest, and the Pakistani province of Punjab in the west. November 1 is State Formation Day for Seven Indian States: Know Why and How Karnataka, Kerala, MP, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Formed

In 1966 the then central government agreed to the demands of the Akalis and Punjab was divided into Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana according to the Punjab Reorganization Act 1966. Hindu majority areas speaking Pahari dialect of Punjabi became Himachal Pradesh, and Haryanvi dialect of Hindi speaking population became Haryana, and the remaining Sikh-majority areas formed present-day Punjab. The state is 20th largest state of India with 1.53 percent of its total geographical area, while it is 16th largest state by population. Punjabi is the widely spoken language in the state.

President Ram Nath Kovind extended wishes to the people of the state. The President tweeted, “Warm greetings and best wishes to the people of Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Kerala, and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, on formation day. May these regions and our country scale newer heights in the years to come.”

Chandigarh was built in 1960 to serve as the capital of Punjab as the earlier capital of undivided Punjab, Lahore, became part of Pakistan. As Chandigarh lies on the border of Punjab and newly formed Haryana, both the states wanted to include Chandigarh in their respective state. Central Government made Chandigarh, the Union Territory the serving capital for both the states.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 01, 2018 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).