When is Mizoram State Day?
State Day is a public holiday in the Indian state of Mizoram on February 20th each year. On State Day, all educational institutions and government agencies will be closed.
This regional holiday commemorates the day in 1987 when Mizoram gained its statehood.
History of Mizoram State
Mizoram is a state in north-eastern India. It shares a border with Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The name is derived from "Mizo", the collective name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which means land.
When the British arrived in the region in the middle of the 19th century, their focus was on Assam and its famous resources such as tea and silk.
However, the British faced ongoing attacks from the tribes in the neighbouring Lushai Hills, that they decided to subjugate the tribal chiefs and made what is modern-day Mizoram, part of Assam.
Several of Mizoram's Public Holidays honour the resistance to the British by the local tribes at this time.
Even though Mizoram always had a separate identity and culture from that of Assam, it remained part of Assam following independence from Britain in 1947. The 1960s saw an increasing call for Mizoram to end its status as a part of Assam and seek its own statehood.
As a result of this pressure, Mizoram was carved out from Assam as a Union Territory in January 1972.
On February 20th 1987, Mizoram became the 23rd state of India, following the Fifty-Third Amendment of the Indian Constitution in 1986.
How is Mizoram State Day Celebrated?
The State Day is commemorated by raising the National Flag at government buildings, commercial establishments, and private residences. At Aizawl’s Assam Rifles Ground, state-level events are organised. A yearly Independence Football Tournament is held to commemorate the event. Students take part in various cultural activities in schools and colleges.
The Chief Minister hoists the national flag during the state-level ceremony, which is followed by an inspection of the guard of honour and a parade organised by the state’s police, paramilitary forces, cadets of NSS and NCC, Scouts, Guides, and Assam Rifles. Those who have survived as well as those who sacrificed their lives for the establishment of an independent state are honoured. Different categories of awards are given to excellent achievers in many disciplines.
