Punjab Day ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਿਵਸ

Calculated for Amritsar. SGPC and government announcements take precedence.

How the date is fixed

Punjab Day is a fixed date: 1 November every year, the day the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 came into force. Haryana Day falls on the same date, since both states were formed together.

What happened in 1966

After independence, the old East Punjab covered a much larger area, with Punjabi- and Hindi-speaking regions together. The Shiromani Akali Dal led the Punjabi Suba movement for a state based on the Punjabi language, with Master Tara Singh and later Sant Fateh Singh at its head. The States Reorganisation Commission had turned the demand down in 1955, and the movement continued through protests, arrests and morchas for over a decade.

In 1966 Parliament passed the Punjab Reorganisation Act. From 1 November 1966:

• the Punjabi-speaking areas formed the new state of Punjab
• the Hindi-speaking south became the new state of Haryana
• several hill districts, including Kangra, Kullu, Shimla and Lahaul and Spiti, went to Himachal Pradesh
• Chandigarh became a Union Territory and the shared capital of Punjab and Haryana

Questions left open in 1966, such as Chandigarh, the sharing of river waters and some Punjabi-speaking areas outside the state, are still debated today.

How it is marked

Government offices, schools and colleges are closed. The state government holds functions, and schools and universities often celebrate with Punjabi language and culture programmes in the days around it. November is also observed as Punjabi language month in the state.

Questions