About Punjab Day
Punjab Day, or Punjab Diwas, marks 1 November 1966, when the Punjab Reorganisation Act created the present Punjabi-speaking state of Punjab, with Haryana formed the same day and the hill districts joined to Himachal Pradesh. It is marked by schools, colleges and the state's Languages Department rather than as a holiday, and in 2026 it falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Punjab Day is about a map and a language. The Punjab that India kept after Partition in 1947 was much bigger than today's state: it took in what is now Haryana and a large part of Himachal Pradesh. On 1 November 1966 it was divided so that the Punjabi-speaking areas became a state of their own, the Punjab of today.
Why is Punjab Day on 1 November?
Punjab Day falls on 1 November because the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 fixed that date as its "appointed day", the day the new boundaries took effect. On 1 November the Hindi-speaking south and east became Haryana, the hill districts went to Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, built as Punjab's new capital, became a union territory serving as the capital of both Punjab and Haryana.
| Area | Went to | What it included |
|---|---|---|
| Punjabi-speaking plains | Punjab | Majha, Doaba and most of Malwa; about 50,000 sq km today |
| Hindi-speaking south and east | Haryana | Hisar, Rohtak, Gurgaon, Karnal and Mahendragarh districts, with parts of Ambala and Sangrur |
| Hill areas | Himachal Pradesh | Kangra, Shimla, and Lahaul and Spiti districts, Nalagarh, and Una with nearby Hoshiarpur villages |
| Chandigarh and nearby villages | Union territory | The new capital city, shared by Punjab and Haryana |
The date already meant something in Punjab. Ten years earlier, on 1 November 1956, PEPSU, the Patiala and East Punjab States Union formed in 1948 from the region's princely states, was merged into Punjab. So 1 November marks two redrawings of the state.
What was the Punjabi Suba movement?
The Punjabi Suba movement was the campaign for a state in which Punjabi would be the language of government. "Suba" means province. It was led mainly by the Shiromani Akali Dal, first under Master Tara Singh and later under Sant Fateh Singh, and it ran for almost two decades.
When the States Reorganisation Commission redrew India along language lines in 1955, it turned the demand down. It doubted that Punjabi was distinct enough from Hindi and said the idea lacked support among Punjabi Hindus. Groups including the Arya Samaj and the Jan Sangh opposed a Punjabi state and urged Punjabi Hindus to record Hindi as their mother tongue in the 1951 and 1961 censuses. Akali leaders called the commission's reasoning a pretext.
People still read the movement in two ways. Its leaders argued from language, the principle that had already created Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Mysore (now Karnataka). Its critics saw a demand for a Sikh-majority state, and the Encyclopaedia of Sikhism, published by Punjabi University, Patiala, itself calls it a political agitation launched by the Sikhs. Both readings are held today.
- 1955Agitation and a refusal
The Akali Dal's slogan agitation brings mass arrests; in October the States Reorganisation Commission rejects a Punjabi-speaking state.
- 1 Nov 1956PEPSU merged
PEPSU joins Punjab, and a "Regional Formula" divides the state into Punjabi and Hindi regions.
- 1960–61Fasts and arrests
Thousands court arrest. Sant Fateh Singh fasts for 22 days, Master Tara Singh for 48.
- March 1966Committee backs it
A parliamentary committee chaired by Lok Sabha Speaker Hukam Singh supports a Punjabi-speaking state.
- Sept 1966Act passed
Parliament passes the Punjab Reorganisation Act.
- 1 Nov 1966Punjab and Haryana
The new states and the union territory of Chandigarh come into being.
Why do some Punjabis call 1966 unfinished?
Many Punjabis, Akali leaders among them, felt the settlement left out things the state should have had. The Encyclopaedia of Sikhism lists three that were never resolved: Chandigarh, some Punjabi-speaking areas left outside the state, and the sharing of river waters. Sant Fateh Singh, who had welcomed the new state, fasted at the Akal Takht in December 1966 over these questions. In 1969 the Akali leader Darshan Singh Pheruman died on the 74th day of a fast for Chandigarh.
Those questions still come up every 1 November. In 2004 The Tribune reported Chief Minister Amarinder Singh saying there was no reason to celebrate Punjab Day. In 2023 the Kendri Punjabi Lekhak Sabha, a writers' body, used the day to point out that Punjab still has no capital or High Court of its own.
Next door, the same date is Haryana Day, the birth of a state many Haryanvis had also asked for. Keep that in mind when writing to someone in Chandigarh, where both state governments sit. Kerala Piravi and Karnataka Rajyotsava fall on 1 November too.
How is Punjab Day marked?
Punjab Day is not a gazetted holiday in Punjab. The state's 2026 holiday list, for example, has no entry for 1 November, so offices, schools and banks stay open.
The main official programme is about the language. The Languages Department (Bhasha Vibhag) in Patiala opens its Punjabi Month, or Punjabi Maah, on 1 November, with programmes and literary awards through November. At the 2023 opening, a state minister presided, the poet Surjit Patar was chief guest, and awards were given for writing in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu.
Schools and colleges hold special assemblies. At DAV Public School in Amritsar in 2022, students learned the history of 1966, recited poems and sang folk songs. At a women's college in Sidhwan Khurd in 2025, teachers spoke about the 1966 Act and Master Tara Singh, students took a quiz, and everyone pledged to speak Punjabi as their mother tongue.
The pledge has a law behind it. The Punjab Official Language Act, 1967 made Punjabi in Gurmukhi the state's official language, and since a 2021 amendment an official who keeps ignoring it can be fined up to Rs 5,000.
What should you write on Punjab Day?
A good Punjab Day message is short and talks about something real: the language, a village, the harvest, a grandparent who remembers 1966. Punjabi works best for family, and English is fine for colleagues. In the 2011 census Punjab was about 58% Sikh and 38% Hindu, so write to the state and its language, not to one religion.
Punjab Diwas diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan, Mummy ji, Papa ji. Ghar di bahut yaad aundi hai. (Many, many congratulations on Punjab Day, Mummy and Papa. I miss home a lot.)
Happy Punjab Day, Bebe ji and Bapu ji. You were there when the new Punjab began. Tell me again what that November was like.
Punjab Diwas diyan vadhaiyan, ji. Tusi saanu Gurmukhi sikhayi, te maa boli naal pyaar vi. (Congratulations on Punjab Day. You taught us Gurmukhi, and a love for our mother tongue too.)
Happy Punjab Day to you and your family. Hope there's a call home today and a proper plate of makki di roti somewhere in your week.
Happy Punjab Day from back home. The paddy is in, the wheat is going in, and your mother still asks when you're visiting. Brampton can spare you for one winter.
Happy Punjab Day and Happy Haryana Day. Two states, one birthday, one shared capital, and the same love of a tall glass of lassi.
Do
- Mention the language. The state was formed on the basis of Punjabi, and most observances celebrate it.
- Wish Haryanvi friends and colleagues on the same day; it is their state's birthday too.
Avoid
- Don't use the greeting to make a point about Chandigarh, river waters or the SYL canal.
- Don't assume every Punjabi is Sikh, or that every Sikh you know is from Punjab.
- Don't mix it up with Vaisakhi, Punjab's harvest new year in April.
- Punjab Diwas
- Punjab Day in Punjabi.
- Lakh lakh vadhaiyan
- Literally "a hundred thousand congratulations", the warmest everyday Punjabi wish.
- Maa boli
- Mother tongue; the phrase used for Punjabi in language campaigns.
- Chardi kala
- Rising spirits; a Sikh and Punjabi ideal of staying hopeful in any situation.
How to wish someone on Punjab Day
A Punjab Day wish is about Punjabi: the language and its Gurmukhi script, the fields, and the people who carry both from Amritsar to Brampton. "Punjab Diwas diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan" is a natural greeting, and a line in Gurmukhi means a lot to older relatives. Keep it warm and simple. Many Punjabis also see the day as a reminder of what 1966 left unsettled, so leave Chandigarh, river waters and party politics out of a greeting.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Punjabi.
When is Punjab Day in each year?
Punjab Day is on 1 Nov every year. Only the weekday changes.
- 2026
- 2027
- 2028
Frequently asked questions
When is Punjab Day in 2026?
Punjab Day 2026 falls on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Why is Punjab Day celebrated on 1 November?
Punjab Day is celebrated on 1 November because the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966 took effect that day. It split the old state of Punjab so that the Punjabi-speaking areas formed present-day Punjab, the Hindi-speaking areas became Haryana, and the hill areas joined Himachal Pradesh.
What was the Punjabi Suba movement?
The Punjabi Suba movement was a campaign from the late 1940s to 1966, led mainly by the Shiromani Akali Dal under Master Tara Singh and Sant Fateh Singh, for a state where Punjabi would be the language of government. It won its demand when the Punjab Reorganisation Act created the present state of Punjab on 1 November 1966.
Is Punjab Day a holiday in Punjab?
No. Punjab Day is not on the Punjab government's list of gazetted holidays, so offices and schools stay open. Schools, colleges and the state's Languages Department mark it with assemblies, talks and the start of Punjabi Month.
How do you say Happy Punjab Day in Punjabi?
It means "many, many congratulations on Punjab Day".
Who was the first Chief Minister of Punjab after 1966?
Giani Gurmukh Singh Musafir was the first Chief Minister of Punjab after the 1966 reorganisation. He was a Congress leader, a former jathedar of the Akal Takht, and a Punjabi writer who later won the Sahitya Akademi Award.
Why do Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh?
When Punjab was divided in 1966, Chandigarh, built as Punjab's capital, was made a union territory and became the capital of both Punjab and Haryana. Its final status has been argued over between the two states ever since.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .