Mud and laser show on May 1

Soil from historical places will be brought to Hutatma Chowk, and a laser show will be held off Marine Drive, to mark Maharashtra Day

Soil from historical places will be brought to Hutatma Chowk, and a laser show will be held off Marine Drive, to mark Maharashtra Day

Get set for the golden jubilee of Maharashtra Day this year. For the first time, samples of mud from historical places across the districts and water from all the major rivers flowing across the state will be brought to Hutatma Chowk and an 'abhishek' ceremony would be carried out at 'Hutatma smarak' on May 1. According to a cabinet minister, a decision to celebrate the Maharashtra Day in a grand manner was taken at a meeting attended by officials of the cultural department after the cabinet met yesterday.

GRAND CELEBRATION: Water from all the major rivers flowing across the state will be brought to Hutatma Chowk and an 'abhishek' ceremony would be carried out at 'Hutatma smarak' on May 1. FILE PIC

	Lata to singu00a0for Sena
	Melody queen Lata Mangeshkar will sing a specially-composed patriotic song at a celebration organised by the Shiv Sena to mark the golden jubilee of Maharashtra's formation at Bandra-Kurla Complex on May 1. u00a0 The song would be composed and set to music by music director Anil Mohile.

The government also has other grand plans for the day, including a multimedia laser and fireworks show in the sea off Marine Drive. The tourism department has even invited expressions of interest from global players for the laser show. Imported equipment will have to be used for the laser show, as local players do not have the expertise for this kind of a show.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) had written to the Chief Minister requesting him to grant permission for the conduct of a special function celebrating Maharashtra Day from the night of April 30 extending to the morning on May 1 as a special case.

The MRCC has already lined up a host of programmes for the day.

Besides, almost every party worth its salt is organising Maharashtra Day celebrations in the city and state.

May 1, 1960
The day Bombay state was divided into two states, Maharashtra and Gujarat