Haryana

Irrespective of place and place there is a history. The state Haryana means ‘abode of God’ too has a cherishing history. It is a part and parcel of the rich cultural heritage of Indian civilization and the history of invasions. Haryana is a North West State of India carved out from Punjab and came in to existence on 1^st November 1966 on the basis of language. Considering the purpose of planning and development a large portion of Haryana included in the National Capital region. Now it is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south. The river Yamuna defines its eastern border with Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

As mentioned earlier various sites in Haryana were part of Vedic and Indus Valley civilization. Also the epic battles like Mahabaratha at Kurukshetra (in the Hindu Mythology and Bhagavathgita), Tharain, and the three battles of Panipat were fought in the soil of Haryana. The first battle of Panipat between Babur and Ibrahim Lodhi took place in 1526, where Babur emerged as a successful leader. In 5 November 1556 Akbar defeated Hemu in the Second Battle that made Delhi throne and the establishment of 'Hindu Raj' in North India. the Third Battle of Panipat was fought in 1761 between the Maratha Empire and the Afghan warlord Ahmad Shah Abdali, Marathas lost to Ahmad Shah Durrani. Subsequently these regions were came under the control of British. Rao Tula Ram Yadav,  Rani Lakshmibai, Tantya Tope and Nana Sahib are the heroes from Haryana in the First War of Independence 1857.

Yamuna, Ghaggar, Sutlej, Markanda, and Sahibi River make the land fertile and the irrigation system so strong in Haryana. By producing abundance of milk and food grains, Haryana contributed heavily to the Green Revolution and White Revolution that made India self-sufficient in food production in the 1960s. While coming to the economic growth, Haryana is also one of the wealthier states of India and had the third highest per capita income in the country with largest number of rural crorepatis in India. Haryana is India's largest manufacturer of passenger cars, two-wheelers, and tractors. The industrial clusters of Gurgaon, Sonipat, Yamuna Nagar, Panipat, Panchkla and Faridabad are the areas attracting a large chunk of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in South Asia since 2000. Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp, Panipat Refinery and other big giants in steel, plywood, paper and textile sector make boom in economic growth of Haryana.

Some of the prominent personalities like Sushama Swaraj, Baba Ramdev, V.K. Singh, Olympians Vijender Singh and Sushil Kumar and Jindal (Hissar) are from Haryana. Considering the position of Haryana among Indian states, it’s a model for balanced growth which treats human development and industrial development in same line. Even though the sex ratio is very low in Haryana, it overcomes many social evils by planning properly. Culture, heritage, development and agriculture growth make Haryana a prosperous state in India.

Paul V Mathew