30th March! A remarkable day for the whole nation as Rajasthan celebrated it’s 72nd Foundation Day. Rajasthan Divas (Rajasthan day) is also known as Rajasthan Sthapana Divas (Rajasthan Foundation day).

CM Ashok Gehlot justifies this statement in his address to the people of Rajasthan – the state and its foundation belongs to Ranbankuras and Veeranganas (female warriors). He further adds to his greetings by saying Rajasthan and it’s people are synonymous with bravery and courage. He appealed to all the people of the state that on the occasion of Rajasthan Day, take a pledge to play their part in taking the state to the pinnacles of progress.

Rajasthan has set an example in the fight against COVID-19, not only in India, but globally. Managing the growing menace of COVID-19, penetrating the rural areas even when it comes to the ongoing vaccination, Rajasthan leads the way thanks to its administration and its people. Industrial growth across Rajasthan is visible for the world to see. 

72 years ago on this date, Rajasthan was established in the year 1949 by merging 22 princely states. Before independence, Rajasthan was known as Rajputana. There were 19 princely states and 3 estates (known as Thikana) in the entire Rajputana. The integration of Rajputana was done in 7 phases. It took 8 years, 7 months and 14 days to integration. Different princely states were added at different stages. In the last phase, on 30 March 1949, the then princely states of Jodhpur, Jaipur, Jaisalmer and Bikaner merged. Hence, this is considered to be the day of establishment of Rajasthan. On this day, the valour, strong will and sacrifice of the people of Rajasthan are saluted.

Major problems still faced by Rajasthan are of drinking water and child marriage.

Drinking water: Despite Rajasthan being the largest state of India by area it is also the driest state. So eventually when there is scarcity of water there is less progress. You can also see it as water is directly proportional to economical progress or growth. Without water there is no agriculture and without agriculture the lands are becoming barren. Hence scarcity of water is one of the most common problems faced by Rajasthan.

Child Marriage: Prevalence of girl child marriage is found more common in rural areas than urban areas. Education and wealth index of the households are significantly related to child marriage amongst girls in India. Poorer the households, higher the chance of girls getting married early, the report analyses. In Rajasthan child marriage in rural areas is 89.4% while in urban areas it is 10.6%.

When people go for work outside Rajasthan and students go to other states for studies the first question faced by them is “Are you married?” or “Do you get proper drinking water in Rajasthan?” and then eventually people talk about the positives of Rajasthan but the major question here is why the first image of Rajasthan is created as backward? The answer to this question lies in the very problems stated above.

Media (television and movies) played a major part in this. One major example is of the serial “Balika Vadhu”, which depicted the social problem of Rajasthan - child marriage. The serial was a huge success, people all over India used to watch it and it contributed a lot to the negative image creation of Rajasthan.  Any developing state cannot afford to have these issues still prevailing. Both the problems are interconnected. If we can try to solve one problem the other automatically gets solved to a great extent.

Bollywood blockbusters have contributed to creating an image of Rajasthan – all desert, uneducated folk, battle grounds, dacoits, etc. Be it Border, Rudali, Ghulami, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Bhavandar, Reshma Aur Shera, Paheli, etc. Prosperity of the state was depicted in movies like Mera Saya, Khudagawah, Lamhe, Dhadak, Angrezi Medium, etc.

Geography

Rajasthan is the largest state in India in terms of area. This state is still alive with its ancient culture, delicious cuisines, beautiful folk dances and music. Places like Udaipur, Nagaur, Mount Abu, Kota, Jodhpur, Jhalawar, Jaisalmer, Jaipur, Bikaner and Ajmer are some of the famous tourist places known for popular temples and dargahs.

Rajasthan is a land of sand dunes and deserts. Widely it is famous for its deserts, especially The Thar Desert also known as the Great Indian Desert. Jaipur is the capital of the state which is also the largest city in Rajasthan. The beautiful state is famous for grand palaces, forts, colours and festivities. Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur, known for its birdlife is a world heritage site situated in Rajasthan. The state has two national tiger reserves- Ranthambore National Park at Sawai Madhopur and Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar.

 Almost all the major cities of Rajasthan are related to some specific colour. Such as the pink colour of Jaipur, the white colour of Udaipur, the blue colour of Jodhpur and the purple colour of Jhalawar. Almost all the special monuments and places at these places have been painted with special colours.

History of Rajasthan

The word Rajasthan is made up of two words ‘Raj’ (rule/ruler) and ‘sthan’ (place) which means the “king of places”, “land of Kings” or “Land of Kingdoms”. It is also known as “country of Rajputs”.

The history of the Rajasthan dates back to 5000 years ago. Rajasthan consisted of formerly independent kingdoms with a rich architectural and cultural heritage. Rajput clans ruled over different parts of Rajasthan from around 700 AD. Rajasthan was a part of the Mauryan Empire before that. Other major republics such as Malavas, Arjunyas, Yaudhyas, Kushans, Saka Satraps, Guptas and Hunas also dominated this region. The Pratihars ruled over Rajasthan and most of the areas of northern India during 750-1000 AD. Between the period from 1000-1200 AD, the struggle for supremacy among Chalukyas, Parmars and Chauhans was witnessed in Rajasthan.

At the beginning of the 13th century AD, Mewar was seen as the most powerful state of Rajasthan. Rajasthan was politically united by Mughal Emperor Akbar for the first time. But, the Mughals saw a decline after 1707. The beginning of the 19th century was marked by the onslaught of the Pindaris. The early history of Rajasthan includes some of the great leaders- Prithiviraj Chouhan, Samrat Hem Chandra Vikramaditya (also known as Hemu), Mughal Emperor Akbar, Maharana Udai Singh, Maharana Pratap, Raja Maan Singh and more.

Beginning this auspicious day if the residents along with the administration come forward, take necessary steps and spread awareness, each one of us can contribute towards creating an image which depicts the true beauty of Rajasthan’s people and their culture.