Sharique N Siddiquie
Madhya Pradesh, one of the biggest states of India, both in terms of area as well as population, is also very active politically. Surrounded by Gujarat in west, Rajasthan in northwest, Uttar Pradesh in northeast, Chhattisgarh in east and Maharashtra in south, this state got its name because of its location in central India.
Representing true spirit of India, this state also comprises several culturally and linguistically distinct regions.
The plateau region in the northwest of the state, Malwa, has its distinct language and culture. Bhopal, the capital of the state, Indore and Ujjain are the important cities in this region. Another important region of the state is Nimar or Nemar that lies in the southwestern region. Bundelkhand, one of the most fertile regions, lies in the northern part of the state toward the Indo-Gangetic plain. Chambal region, notoriously infamous for its harsh climate and murderous pirates like Phoolan Devi, lies in the northwest of the state. Other important regions of the state include Baghelkhand in northeast, Mahakaushal in southeast, and Satpura in the center.
The southeastern part of the state was split in the year 2000 by Madhya Pradesh Reorganization Act, and Chhattisgarh state was formed.
As Madhya Pradesh has various regions with their own distinct culture and linguistics, the tribes, castes and communities residing in the state are also of varied nature. The variation can be easily made out by saying that the state houses people from primitive aborigines to Aryans.
History
The state has a glorifying history. As early as in 6th century BC, Ujjain, which was then known as Avanti, was a major city. During the reign of Chandragupta Maurya, Madhya Pradesh was a part of Maurya Empire. It is also said that the wife of King Ashoka was also from Vidisha, a town in the north of today’s Bhopal.
After the decline of Maurya Empire, Madhya Pradesh was ruled by Sakas, Kushanas and other local dynasties. These dynasties fought among themselves to take full control of the area till 3rd century.
In 4th and 5th century, Gupta Empire emerged as the most powerful in the whole country. They gained total control of the state. This was the most glorious phase in the history of Madhya Pradesh. This period is also called India’s “classical age”.
The Gupta Empire declined with the advent of Huns in India in late 5th century. During this period, Rajput clan rose with Parmaras ruling the Malwa region and Chandelas taking hold of the Bundelkhand region. It is during the reigns of Chandelas, the world famous temple city of Khajuraho was built.
Later, most of Madhya Pradesh came under the Mughal rule during the reign of Emperor Akbar. After the decline of Mughal empire, most of the Madhya Pradesh came under the direct control of the Marathas. Apart from them, The Holkars of Indore ruled the Malwa region whereas Bhonsles of Nagpur ruled Mahakaushal and Gondwana regions.
By 1853, almost whole Madhya Pradesh came under British supremacy. Madhya Pradesh together with Saugor and Nerbudda territories was turned into Central Provinces in 1861.
Culture
Because of its rich history, Madhya Pradesh has very distinct culture and heritage. There are three places in the state that have been declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The most important of them is Khajuraho Group of Monuments which was declared heritage in 1986.
The second site is the Buddhist Monument at Sanchi which was declared a world heritage in 1989 and the newest one is rock shelters of Bhimbetka declared world heritage in 2003.
Madhya Pradesh also has a rich heritage of music. The state is famous for its taste of Hindustani classical music, its fan following and the great musicians that it has produced.
Talking about classical music, one can never forget the contributions of Gwalior Gharana. Known for its aesthetics and pure nature of classical music, this cult or Gharana has contributed immensely to the genre.
Apart from classical music, Madhya Pradesh is also famous for its traditional performing arts and folk music. Here we have to mention legendry singer Teejan Bai, who also hails from the state. She is an exponent of Pandavani which is a traditional performing art where the singer enacts tales from Mahabharata in a musical way.
Apart from this, several folk music genres are also very popular in this part of India. The major ones are Relo, Dhankul, Leha, MohariaGaur, Phag and Lota which are being performed by the various tribes of the state.
Another aspect of cultural heritage of Madhya Pradesh is that it is the birth place of renowned painter Syed Haider Raza. Famous for his works which are mainly abstract paintings in oil or acrylic, this prolific painter was born here and had spent his childhood in the state. It is also a strange coincidence that one of the most celebrated literary genius of the state, Ashok Vajpeyi has written the biography of Syed Haider Raza.
Demography
The ethnic groups residing in the state include Bhils, Korku, Gondi and Malto. These tribes include a significant 20.63 percent population of the state and a lot depend on their votes, politically. The scheduled castes are another major chunk and include 13.14 percent of the total population.
If we talk in terms of religion, then according to the census of year 2000, 91.1 percent of the total population is Hindu. Muslims include 6.4 percent of the total population and predominantly exists around Bhopal.
Jains are 0.9 percent of the total population whereas Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs include 0.3 percent, 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent respectively.
Languages
Madhya Pradesh is Hindi heartland, and the national language is predominantly spoken in this part of India. Urdu is also spoken in the state, especially in Muslim dominated areas. A very unique style of Urdu is spoken in Bhopal region, which is famous for its aesthetics and politeness. The language is so unique that it creates a distinct image of the area.
Apart from the standard Hindi, various dialects of the language are also spoken in different regions of the state and each has a distinction of its own. The various ethnic groups also have their own languages and that includes Bhilodi, Gondi, Korku and Kalto.
Economy
The economy of Madhya Pradesh is largely based on agriculture. The Bundelkhand region, which is stretches from rolling hills and fertile valley in the north to Indo- Gangetic plains, is the most fertile part of Madhya Pradesh.
Apart from this, the Satpura region has dense forests which are very rich in natural resources.
Recently, in July 2007, ruby ore was discovered in the region. This gave surge to the overwhelming mining industry. Though, on the flip side of this discovery, the population increased rapidly, with more and more mining companies and individuals seeking employment entering the state.
Polity
Moving on to the political profiling of Madhya Pradesh, this state has 231 seats Legislative Assembly where one member is being nominated directly. The number of Lok Sabha constituencies in the state is 29.
The most dominant political parties in the state are Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress (I). Other regional parties in the state have not shown any significant success in the past elections but Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) could gain some seats in the upcoming elections.
The most significant presence in this election could be of Bharatiya Janashakti Party which is headed by former BJP firebrand Uma Bharati who left the party in 2005 after a tiff with the central leadership. Bharti has a big support base in the state because of her fiery image and also because she belongs to the OBC category which has a significant number of voters.
In the last 2003 Assembly elections, BSP was considered a strong factor especially among the Dalit voters, but Uma Bharati led BJP swept the elections and won 173 seats while the main opposition Congress had to contain with just 38 seats. The Dalit factor that works in favour of BSP was nullified by Uma Bharati’s charisma.
This time around, as Uma’s party is contesting a full fledged election for the first time, the fight is expected to be interesting.
Uma Bharati was succeeded by Babulal Gaur. The reins were then handed over to the current Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan.
If one is talking about Madhya Pradesh, then Congress stalwart Digvijay Singh or Diggi Raja as he is fondly called can not be ignored. He was the state Chief Minister for more than a decade and was defeated by BJP in the last Assembly elections.
With so many political stalwarts in arena, the Madhya Pradesh Assembly election is going to be a grand affair. This will be one state to watch out for, especially since this Assembly election is in a way a dress rehearsal for the upcoming General Election in 2009.
