Tamil Nadu Day

Tamil Nadu Day
Official name	Tamil Nadu Foundation Day
Observed by	Tamil Nadu, India
Type	Foundation Day
Significance	Statehood day of the State of Tamil Nadu, formed by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
Begins	18 July 2022
Date	18 July
Next time	18 July 2026 (2026-07-18)
Frequency	Annual

Tamil Nadu Day, also referred to as Tamil Nadu Naal, is a holiday celebrated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu to commemorate the formation of the state. Tamil Nadu was created on 1 November 1956 with the name Madras State. On 14 January 1969, Madras State was officially renamed to Tamil Nadu. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

History

After Indian Independence on 15 August 1947, the Madras Presidency became the Madras Province. On 26 January 1950,India became republic it was formed as Madras State by the Government of India.

At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North Kerala and Bellary, South Canara, Kollegal of Karnataka. Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema were separated to form Andhra State in 1953, while South Canara and Bellary districts were merged with Mysore State, and Malabar District with the State of Travancore-Cochin to form Kerala in 1956.

As a result of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the state's boundaries were re-organized following linguistic lines. The Tamil speaking region Kanyakumari was merged to Madras state which was earlier a part of Travancore-Cochin.

In 1967, all the political parties of Madras State spoke in one voice, following a fasting protest by Sankaralinganar (resulting in his death), on their demand to rename the state as Tamil Nadu. A resolution was passed unanimously in the Madras State Legislative Assembly by the government led by the then chief minister C. N. Annadurai seeking to rename the state as Tamil Nadu.

On 18 July 1967, a resolution to change the name of Madras State to Tamil Nadu in English and Tamil languages was introduced by Chief Minister Annadurai, and the resolution was passed unanimously. ^[4]

In 2019, five decades after the state was renamed, the Government of Tamil Nadu led by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami, announced that 1 November of every year will be celebrated as Tamil Nadu Day from 2019 to mark the formation of the state. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

In July 2022, Government of Tamil Nadu led by the then chief minister of Tamil Nadu M.K.Stalin, announced that 18 July of every year will be celebrated as Tamil Nadu Day from 2022 to mark the renaming of the state. ^{[8] [9] [10] [11]}

References

1. Correspondent, Special (31 October 2021). "Leaders criticise govt. over Tamil Nadu Day". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 1 November 2025.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
2. "THE MADRAS STATE (ALTERATION OF NAME) ACT, 1968" (PDF). www.indiacode.nic.in. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
3. The states of India since 1947
4. "From Madras to Tamil Nadu: a forgotten re-naming". Madras Musings. 22 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
5. Desk, The Hindu Net (1 November 2019). "The history behind Tamil Nadu Day". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 1 November 2025.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
6. Jesudasan, Dennis S. (30 October 2019). "Tamil Nadu Day to be observed tomorrow". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 1 November 2025.
7. archive, From our online (1 November 2019). "Tamil Nadu to celebrate state formation day for first time on November 1". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 1 November 2025.
8. Correspondent, Special (30 October 2021). "July 18 to be observed as Tamil Nadu Day". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 1 November 2025.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
9. கவிதா, ஷாஜன் (18 July 2023). "தமிழ்நாடு நாள்: ஜூலை -18 ம் தேதி கொண்டாடப்பட வரலாற்றுக் காரணம் இதுதான்!". www.vikatan.com/ (in Tamil). Retrieved 1 November 2025.
10. Bureau, The Hindu (18 July 2025). "'Tamil Nadu Day': Stalin, Udhayanidhi hail the State CM Stalin and deputy Udhayanidhi sing praises for the State". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 1 November 2025.{{cite news}}: |last= has generic name (help)
11. Krishnan, Revathi (1 November 2021). "Why Stalin govt's decision to move 'Tamil Nadu Day' to 18 July from 1 November sparked a row". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 November 2025.