Govind Tekale
First May is celebrated as a May Day or Labour Day all over the world. Labour is essential for success in every field of life.Both physical and mental work is required to complete any job. Significance of hard work was recognised from times immemorial. But it became prominent after the 1917 Russian revolution when Stalin & Lenin became rulers as representatives of workers with the Communist ideology of Karl Marks as their political philosophy. Their slogan was – workers of world unite, you have nothing to lose except your shackles.
Trade unions became powerful in every industry. The ILO (International Labour Organisation) , a specialised agency U N O with its H Q at Geneva gave impetus to highlight the role of workers in our life by observing International Workers Day on 1st May. It is a holiday in many countries including India. Parades are held and workers are honoured with awards & prizes.
May Day also reminds us of Maytime madness when spring dawns after winter. Hence the
poetic lines: If winter comes, can spring be far behind? Of course this is in reference to the
Western Hemisphere. In fact the May Day unites all of us as it emphasises the dignity of labour symbolised by Gandhiji.
First May is also celebrated as Maharashtra Day because Maharashtra in the present form was
created on this day in1960.Parades ,festivals and cultural events are organised to mark this
occasion. The Maharashtra Bhushan award is announced. During the last 62 years Maharashtra has made a lot of progress in all the walks of life. Women are in power in one third of Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, Zilla Parishads & Municipal Corporations.
Maharashtrians are at the top positions in the Armed Forces as Gen. Manoj Pande is the Chief of
Army Staff, Air Chief Marshal Vivek Ram Chaudhari is the Chief of Air Staff and Gen.Manoj
Mukund Naravane is the Chief Of Defence Staff. In this Amrit Kaal the sons of Maharashtra will be heading the judiciary too as Justice Uday Umesh Lalit is to succeed Justice N V Ramana in August and he will be followed by Justice Dhananjay Yashwant Chandrachud in November this year as Chief Justice of India.
For the first time a woman in the form of Lt Gen Madhuri Kanitkar has become a Vice
Chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, Nashik, while Ms. Santishree Dhulipudi
Pandit is the Vice Chancellor of J N U , New Delhi. Let us hope to get Marathi ,spoken by more than ten crores of people spread all over the globe, recognised as a Classical Language by Govt of India as requested by the 95th Session of Akhil Bharat Marathi Sahitya Sammelan held at Udgir in Latur Dist.under the Presidentship of a famous writer Bharat Sasne.
Gujrat too celebrates its formation Day on 1st May as Bombay State was bifurcated into
Maharashtra & Gujrat on that day in 1960. Thus workers of the world unite to celebrate the significance of hard work in our daily life.According to a Marathi saying an effort is to be considered as a symbol of God :Yatna to Deva Janava. While we greet the people of Maharashtra &Gujrat on their states’ formation Day & workers of the globe on this May Day, let us pray for millions of hungry, thirsty, sick and deprived persons spread all over the world.
