Haryana : Cultural heartland of the country

Haryana has been a cultural heartland of the country for over centuries. It is a place of diversified races, beliefs and faiths. The people ofHaryana are tradition bound and have preserved their rich culture in the form of dance, drama, music, arts, and celebration of various fairs and festivals throughout the year.Haryana’s folk culture is

Fairs & Festivals Others

based on old customs of meditation, Yoga and chanting of Vedic Mantras. The seasonal and religious festivals bring affability among the people. They take great delight in saang (a folk dance), dramas, ballads and songs during these occasions.
 The residents of Haryana are vibrant-earthy people for whom life itself is a celebration. The main languages of Haryana are Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu but Haryanvi and Jatu are spoken in villages. The foods of the state have distinguishing flavours and are prepared especially during festive occasions.

Haryana has been successful in preserving its rich cultural heritage despite turbulent political upheavals. With rapid urbanization and close proximity to Delhi the cultural aspects are now taking a more modern hue.

Economy & Industry

Haryana’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture. About 70% people of the total population are engaged in farming. Wheat and rice are the major crops grown in the state. Haryana is self-sufficient in food production and the second largest contributor to India's central pool of food grains. Haryana greatly contributed to the Green Revolution in India in the 1970s as a result of which the country has become self-sufficient in food production. Dairy farming is also an essential part of the rural economy. Milk and milk products form an essential part of the local diet.

In 2001-02, per capita income of the state was Rs.23,742, net state domestic product was Rs.47,474 crore, with Rs.7,050 crore worth of exports. The plan outlay for 2005-06 increased from Rs.2108 crore to Rs.3034.73 crore which is an increase of 44 per cent. Considerable increase in plan allocation by the Government in 2005-06 for different sectors is: 

Agriculture (62%)
Health (66%)
Rural Development (92%)
Social Services (46%)
Technical Education (200%)
Education (50%)

Rs.3,300 crore plan outlay for 2006-07 approved by the Planning Commission which is an increase of Rs.300 crore over the previous year.

Rapid industrialization has been recorded in the state over the last two decades. More than a thousand medium and large industries with a capital investment of Rs.200 billion have been established in the state. These include Maruti Udyog Limited, Escorts, Hero Honda, Alcatel, Sony India, Whirlpool India and Bharti Telecom. Gurgaon and Faridabad have seen emergence of an active information technology industry in the recent years. In addition there are more than 80,000 small-scale industries in the state which cumulatively bring in a substantial income for the state and its people. Haryana is among the top rankers in the nation in the production of cars, motorcycles, tractors, sanitary ware, gas stoves and scientific instruments.

Geography

Haryana is a state in northern India located between 27° 37' to 30° 35' latitude and between 74° 28' to 77° 36' longitude. It is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh (UP) on the east, Punjab on the west, Uttaranchal, Himachal Pradesh & Shivalik Hills on the north and Delhi, Rajasthan and Aravalli Hills on the south. The altitude of Haryana varies between 700 ft to 900 ft above the sea level. An area of 1,553 sq km is covered by forests.

The four main geographical features of the state are: Shivalik Hills, Ghaggar Yamuna Plain, Semi-desert sandy plain and Aravalli hills. Rivers like Saraswati, Ghaggar, Tangri and Markanda originate from the Shivalik Hills. GhaggarYamuna Plain is made up of sand, clay, silt and hard calcareous balls like gravel known locally as “kankar”. This plain forms the largest part of the state. The other two regions are dry hilly areas and share its borders withRajasthan . The state has a total of 81 cities & towns and 6,759 villages. For administrative purpose, the state has been divided into four divisions (Ambala, Rohtak, Gurgaon and Hissar) and 20 districts.

Most of the land of Haryana is flat, covered with loamy soil which is very suitable for agriculture. Haryana significantly contributed to the Green Revolution which started in 1960. Haryana falls in the Seismic Zones II, III & IV creating low to moderate damage risk from Earthquakes. But the state comes under the “Cyclonic Zone” creating very high damage risk.

Haryana Profile

Haryana is a landlocked state in northern India, surrounded by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north and Rajasthan to the west and south. Its eastern border touches Uttaranchal & Uttar Pradesh which is defined by river Yamuna. The state also surrounds Delhi on three sides, forming the northern, western and southern borders of Delhi. A large area of the state is included in the National Capital Region (NCR). Two emerging cities - Gurgaon and Faridabad are close to Delhi and major hubs for IT and software industry.Haryana – the Madhyama Dis (middle region) of the Later Vedic Period was the birthplace of the Hindu religion. The land was the home of the legendary Bharata dynasty, which gave India its Hindi name, Bharat. The epic battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas, recorded in the Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata, took place at Kurukshetra (a place inHaryana).

It is one of the most agrarian states in India covered with greenery all around. The state is famous for wheat and milk production. The vast plains that stretch between river Indus and Gangetic belt have fertile soil and hence have improved the crop productivity of the country. The industrial revolution in the state can not be overlooked. It is also home to Maruti Udyog Limited, India's largest automobile manufacturer, and Hero Honda Limited, the world's largest manufacturer of two-wheelers.

Haryanvis (people of Haryana) are simple, straight-forward, enterprising and hard-working. Preserving their old religious and social traditions; they celebrate festivals in traditional fervor. Above all, it is the hospitality of the people which attracts people from across the globe to explore the state with nosiness.

History

Haryana, also called “the Madhyama Dis” (middle region) of the Later Vedic Period (c. 800-500 BC) was the birthplace of the Hindu religion. The first hymns of the Aryans were sung and the most ancient manuscripts were written here. Urban settlements in Ghaggar Valley date back to 3000 BC. From about 1500 BC, Aryan tribes were the first (of many groups) to invade the region. The area was the home to the legendary Bharata dynasty, which gave India its Hindi name, Bharat.

 

The epic battle between the Kauravas and Pandavas, recorded in the Indian epic poem, the Mahabharata, took place at Kurukshetra. In the 3rd century BC, the area was incorporated into the Mauryan Empire. It later became an important power base for the Mughals; the battle of Panipat in 1526 established Mughal rule in India. The area was ceded to British in 1803. In 1832 it was transferred to the then North-Western Provinces and in 1858Haryana became a part of Punjab, remaining as such after the partition of India in 1947.

The demand for Haryana as a separate state, however, was raised even before India's independence in 1947. Lala Lajpat Rai and Asaf Ali, prominent figures in the national movement, advocated a separate state ofHaryana. Sri Ram Sharma, a veteran freedom fighter, headed a Haryana Development Committee to focus attention on the concept of an autonomous state. The demand for unilingual states by Sikhs and Hindus gained momentum in the early 1960s. With the passage of the Punjab Reorganization Act (and in accordance with the earlier recommendations of the States Reorganization Commission), Haryana became India's 17th state on 1st November 1966.

Haryana was carved out of the mostly Hindi-speaking eastern portion of Punjab, while the mostly Punjabi-speaking western portion remained as current day Punjab. The city of Chandigarh, on the linguistic and physical border, was made a union territory to serve as capital of both these states. Chandigarh was due to transfer to state of Punjab in 1986, according to the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, but the transfer has been delayed pending an agreement on which parts of the Hindi speaking areas of Abohar and Fazilka, currently part of Firozpur District of Punjab, that should be transferred to Haryana in exchange.