Vidarbha

Vidarbha विदर्भ
Map of India with Vidarbha highlighted in red
Coordinates
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
Largest city	Nagpur
Population • Density	20,630,987 (2001[update]) • 212 /km2 (549 /sq mi)[1]
Official languages	Marathi
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	97,321 km2 (37,576 sq mi)[1]

Vidarbha (Marathi/Varhadi: विदर्भ) is the eastern region of Maharashtra state made up of Nagpur Division and Amravati Division. It occupies 31.6% of total area and holds 21.3% of total population of Maharashtra^[1]. It borders the state of Madhya Pradesh to north, Chattisgarh to east, Andhra Pradesh to south and Marathwada and Khandesh regions of Maharashtra to west. Situated in central India Vidarbha has its own rich cultural and historical background distinct from rest of Maharashtra. The largest city in Vidarbha is Nagpur, second largest is Amravati followed by Akola, Gondia, Chandrapur and Yavatmal. A majority of Vidarbhians speak Varhadi a dialect of Marathi.

The region is famous for growing oranges and cotton. Vidarbha holds two-thirds of Maharashtra’s mineral resources, three quarters of its forest resources and is a net producer of power^[2]. Throughout its history Vidarbha has remained much calmer during the communal troubles than the rest of India but it is plagued very much by poverty^[3] and malnutrition^[4]. It is less economically prosperous compared to the rest of Maharashtra.^[5]

In recent times, there have been calls for a separate state of Vidarbha, due to the continuous negligence from the state govt of Maharashtra towards this region and the incompetent political leaderships in Vidarbha, except a few. The farmers in the state are living in the worst condition compared to the rest of India. There are more than 32,000 farmers suicides in Maharashtra in a decade, of which 70% being in the 11 districts of Vidarbha region ^[6]. Though rich in minerals, coal, forests and mountains, this region is always underdeveloped because of the continuous dominance of the political leaderships form the other parts of the state, especially Western Maharashtra. Though being culturally, politically and financially different than the rest of Maharashtra, the calls to a separate state come in picture only when the leaders from this region are sidelined by the other higher authorities in the govt. of Maharashtra ^[7]. It has largely become a myth as a separate Vidarbha state, mainly due to the opposition from the state political party Shiv Sena ^[8].

History

map of Central Provinces and Berar regions of British India. Nagpur is shown as capital of Central provinces

Nagpur was the capital of the Bhonsle dynasty of Marathas who in the mid eighteenth century created an independent Hindu princely state that covered much of east-central India. After their defeat in the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818, the Bhonsle dominions were reduced to the Nagpur division. In 1853 the last Maharaja of Nagpur died without a male heir and subsequently Nagpur division was incorporated into mainstream British India. Nagpur division became a part of the British Raj's Central Provinces in 1861.

Amravati division, formerly known as Berar, was administered by the Nizam of Hyderabad until 1853. In that year, citing misgovernance by the Nizam, the British colonial administration took direct control over the province. Berar was added to the Central Provinces in 1903.

During India's independence struggle Nagpur hosted the sessions of Indian National Congress several times. Sevagram was arguably the capital of nationalistic India during the Gandhian era.

After India's independence in 1947, Central Provinces and Berar became the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. In 1956 Vidarbha was transferred to Bombay state along with all Marathi-speaking areas. In 1960 Bombay state was split along linguistic lines into the states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Marathi-speaking Vidarbha became part of the state of Maharashtra. Ever since that time, people of vidarbha have a feeling that the region has become a "colony" of Maharashtra state.

Geography

Geographically Vidarbha lies on the northern part of Deccan Plateau. Unlike the Western Ghats, there are no major hilly areas . The Satpura Range lies to the north of Vidarbha region in Madhya Pradesh. The Melghat area of Amravati district is on southern offshoot of the Satpura Range^[9]. Large basaltic rock formations exists throughout Vidarbha caused by the Deccan lava trap. Gondia district is unique in Maharashtra in the sense that the entire area of the district is occupied by metamorphic rock and alluvium.^[10]. Buldhana has the Lonar crater created by impact of meteorite or comet. The eastern districts of Gondia, Bhandara, Gadchirolli and Nagpur fall in earthquake zone 1, which is considered safest in India, while other districts fall in zone 2.

Wainganga is the largest of all the Vidarbha rivers. Other major rivers that drain Vidarbha region are the Wardha, and Kanhan rivers which are all tributaries of Godavari river. In north, five small rivers Khandu, Khapra, Sipna, Gadga and Dolar along with Purna, are the tributaries of Tapti river.

Administration & Politics

Vidhan Bhavan at Nagpur hosts winter session of Maharashtra Assembly

Vidarbha comprises two divisions (Amravati and Nagpur). It has 11 districts namely, Amravati, Akola, Bhandara, Buldana, Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, Gondia, Nagpur, Wardha, Washim, Yavatmal.

District Administration

Each district has a collector's office which is responsible for day-to-day administration. The District Collector is a Central Indian Government appointee who is in charge of the governance of a district in a state.^[11] Nagpur city, the largest city in Vidarbha, has a special civic body, the Nagpur Improvement Trust, which along with Nagpur Municipal Corporation is responsible for overall development and planning activity. Other significant cities like Amravati and Akola too have their own municipal corporation. The corporators (representatives) in these civic bodies are elected via elections. Urban areas are split in different wards and each ward elects a representative. Rural areas have a panchayat raj system.

Representation in Lok Sabha

Vidarbha is represented at national level by 10 Lok sabha seats. Nagpur district which has the highest population density is split into 2 lok sabha seats of Nagpur and Ramtek while districts with lower population density like Chimur and Gadchiroli are clubbed together. Gondia-Bhandara seats has very important as Mr. Praful Patel basically from Gondia is MP from this lok sabha seat. Ramtek and Amaravati seats are reserved for Scheduled caste candidates only while Gadchiroli-Chimur is reserved for Scheduled Tribes.^[12]

Representation in Vidhan Sabha

Vidarbha is represented at state level by 62 assembly seats. Nagpur boasts the densest concentration of assembly seats with the city divided into 6 areas. Certain seats are reserved for Scheduled Tribe candidates only, while others are open to all to contest.^[13] As part of the Nagpur pact the winter session of Maharashtra assembly is held as Nagpur Vidhan Bhavan.

Demographics

Vidarbha has total population of 20,630,987 according to the 2001 census of the government of India ^[14]. Hinduism is the predominant religion in this region. Buddhism is second most followed religion. This is unusual compared to the rest of Maharashtra and even most north Indian states where usually Islam is second most followed religion. The significant following of Buddhism is due to Dalit Buddhist movement started by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.

Separate Statehood Movement

In recent years there have been sporadic calls by its population for Vidarbha to secede from Maharashtra. This is based in part on the feeling of being neglected by the Maharashtra state government and in part on assertion of a distinct cultural identity. The people have complained that the region has fallen behind others in Maharashtra in attracting investment and development funds. The region is comparatively poorly served by roads, irrigation facilities and educational institutions. However political movements for attaining statehood have failed to hold sway as their leaders have been considered opportunistic. Vidarbha Rajya Party and Vidarbha Rajya Nirman Congress are very small political parties created by leaders that have split from national level parties like INC and BJP.

Vidarbha has total population of 20,630,987 according to the 2001 census of the government of India ^[15]. It has now crossed 26 million mark due to the existance of the International Cargo Hub (MIHAN) at Nagpur. This is the only major development in Vidarbha on such large scale since its inclusion in the state of Maharashtra in 1960. Though rich in minerals, coal, forests and mountains, this region is always underdeveloped because of the continuous dominance of the political leaderships form the other parts of the state, especially Western Maharashtra. Though being culturally, politically and financially different than the rest of Maharashtra, the calls to a separate state come in picture only when the leaders from this region are sidelined by the other higher authorities in the govt. of Maharashtra ^[16]. It has largely become a myth as a separate Vidarbha state, mainly due to the opposition from the state political party Shiv Sena ^[17].

Vidarbha generates around 3600 MW power through the thermal and hydro-power plants at several places, with Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS), Chandrapur being one of the biggest in Asia. Still, there are the daily power cuts in the region for 5-8 hrs in towns and 10-12 hrs in the rural areas of Vidarbha.

The other complex point is the inclusion of Berar or the Amravati division comprising the districts of Amravati, Buldhana, Akola, Washim and Yawatmal districts in the proposed Vidharbha state. Primary reason being the people in this western part of Vidharbha or the old Berar province are more inclined to be with Maharashtra, as they are culturally, socially and politically more similar to Khandesh and Marathwada regions in Maharashtra. Hence the demand for new state of Vidharbha has few takers in the Amravati division or the old Berar province, as the majority wants to be with the current state of Maharashtra.

Economy

Vidarbha's economy is primarily agricultural and also the region is rich in forest and mineral wealth. As per business point of view Gondia and Nagpur is very important city of Vidarbha. Gondia is a central hub for business.

A International cargo hub, (MIHAN), is being developed at Nagpur ^[18][19]. MIHAN will be used for handling heavy cargo coming from South-East Asia and Middle-East Asia. Project will also include Rs 10,000 crore (US$ 2.06 billion) Special Economic Zone (SEZ)^[20] for Information Technology (IT) companies. This will be the biggest development project in India so far ^[21].

Agriculture

The main cash crops of the region are cotton, oranges and soya beans. Amravati is the largest Orange growing district. Traditional crops are sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra) and rice. Gondia is the largest rice growing district.Gondia is a Rice city. Recently Vidarbha region has become infamous for a large number of farmer suicides occurring.
On 1 July 2006 the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh announced a Rs. 3,750-crore (Rupees 37.5 billion) relief package for Vidharbha. The package should help farmers in six districts of the region. However the package was not welcomed by most financial pundits and the journalist P Sainath wrote the following^[22] in the Hindu newspaper criticising the package and saying that it was destined to fail.

Mineral wealth

The Chandrapur, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Bhandara and Nagpur Districts form the main mineral belt, with coal and manganese as the major minerals. Chandrapur district alone contributes 29% of all mineral output of Maharashtra^[23]. Iron ore and limestone are identified as potential mining resources.^[24].

Industry

Traditionally Vidarbha has lagged behind western Maharashtra in industrial growth. Various incentives were granted to attract industries but have failed. Butibori Industrial Area MIDC outside Nagpur is one of the largest industrial areas in country but few industries have actually opened there. MIHAN an international cargo hub project is currently underway at Nagpur. The project aims to exploit the central location of Nagpur and convert the present airport into a major freight hub with integrated road and rail connectivity along with a Special Economic Zone. Ballarpur Industries, India's largest manufacturer and exporter of paper is located in Chandrapur district^[25].

Farmers' Suicides

There have been more than 30,000 farmers who committed suicides in Maharashtra in the last decade, out of which more than 70% farmers belong to the 11 districts of Vidarbha region. This is mainly because of the infertility of the land, lack of ample amount of water resources, lack of new technologies and due to the negligence of the state govt. towards the farmers needs. The main crop in Vidarbha being Cotton, but the farmers growing it don't get their share from the govt., which lead to the high distress among them, leading to the massive suicides. Due to the absence of any responsible counseling either from the government or society there were many farmers who did not know how to survive in the changing economy. Such stresses pushed many into a corner where suicide became an option for them ^[26]. This also lead the farmers and others in this region to make a call for a separate Vidarbha state.

Tourism

All tiger reserves of Maharashtra are in Vidarbha: Kanha Tiger Reserve (outside province)

Vidarbha has lush green deciduous forests which are home to a variety of flora and fauna. These attract a large number of visitors each year. All Maharashtra's tiger reserves are located in Vidarbha. They are Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati district, Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district and Pench Tiger Reserve in Nagpur district.Nagzira wild life sentury and navegoan bandh National Park(bird sentury)of Gondia District is also very popular, Although the eastern region of the Vidarbha is poorer in natural resources in comparison with the west, it contains Maharashtra's oldest National Park created in 1955, the Tadoba Tiger Reserve spanning 575.78 km^2[27], one of India's 25 Project Tiger Reserves.^[28]

The National Park consists of two forested rectangles of the Tadoba and Andhari range. Aside from around 50 tigers, Tadoba Tiger Reserve is home to rare Indian wildlife like leopards, sloth bears, gaur, wild dogs, hyenas, civet and jungle cats, and many species of Indian deer like sambar, cheetal, nilgai, and barking deer. The Tadoba lake sustains the Marsh Crocodile, which were once common all over Maharashtra. Tadoba is also an ornithologist's paradise with a varied diversity of aquatic birdlife.

Thickly clad hills form the northern and western boundary of the Tiger Reserve. To the southwest is a huge lake which acts as a buffer between the park's forest and the extensive farmland which extends up to Irai Lake.

Adjacent to the core forested hills is the Chichghat valley which hosts the forest lodge^[29]. The Tadoba Tiger Reserve is an undisturbed forest not crowded by too many tourists. Tadoba Tiger Reserve is open throughout the year and is at three-hour road journey from the city of Nagpur.

Scriptural Importance

Aside from cultural distinctness from the rest of Maharashtra, Vidarbha has evolved historically in a different fashion. Many Scriptures mention Vidarbha as the location of:

• The marriage of Agastya and Lopamudra.
• Rukmini-haran (kidnapping of Rukmini) by god Krishna. Rukmini is described as the princess of the Vidarbha kingdom. Later Rukmini became one of the chief queens of Krishna.
• Kundinpur/Kaundinyapur/Kundinapuri, the mythological capital of Vidarbha has been mentioned in Mahabharata
• The story of king Nala and Damayanti, also in the Mahabharata.

Ramayana has the reference of Vidarbha as one on the Janapadas at that time.

Kalidasa's epic poem "Meghaduta" also mentions Vidarbha as the place of banishment of the Yaksha Gandharva.

Culture & People

Situated in central India, Vidarbha has a rich cultural and historical background distinct from rest of Maharashtra. Even though Marathi culture is most dominant, Vidarbha has been a melting pot of Telugu speaking people from south, Hindi speaking central India and tribal people of Chattisgarh. Vidarbha is famous for the Varhādi dialect of Marathi language spoken in the rest of Maharashtra. The Gadchiroli district of Vidarbha has large population of tribal people. Hindu festivals like holi, diwali and Dasara are celebrated throughout the region.^[30] . There are many prominent cultural and literary societies working in Vidarbha. Vidarbha Sahitya Sangh (for development of Marathi), Vidarbha Rashtrabhasha Prachar Samiti (promotion and spreading Hindi) and Vidarbha Hindi Sahitya Sammelan (for promoting Hindi). The Nagpur central museum (estb 1863) maintains collections that are mainly from Vidarbha.^[31] Cricket is the favorite sports as in rest of India and Nagpur's Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground (VCA) hosts international cricket matches.^[32]

Notable Indian figures from Vidarbha include Jamnalal Bajaj, K. B. Hedgewar, Madhav Sadashiv Golwalkar, Vinoba Bhave, Baba Amte, Ram Ganesh Gadkari, Pratibha Patil, S. K. Wankhede and C. K. Nayudu. Many other notable people like Vikram Pandit and Subramaniam Ramadorai were born in Nagpur. A BJP leader from Nagpur, Nitin Gadkari has become `national president` of the party Bharatiya Janata Party.

See also

• List of regions in India
• Nagpur
• Amravati
• Akola
• Malkapur, Buldana (Entrance of Vidarbha)
• Gondia (Gateway of Maharashtra)

References

External links

• http://www.tigertrails.in

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