November 1, 1956, the night of Kartik Amavasya. On that very night, the state of Madhya Pradesh was formed. As the first Chief Minister of the state, Pandit Ravi Shankar Shukla took his oath during the night. It was at that moment someone reminded him, “Today is the night of the new moon.”
On November 1, the day Madhya Pradesh was born, 80-year-old Ravi Shankar Shukla, who had come to Bhopal by G.T. Express from the old Madhya Pradesh’s capital Nagpur, arrived. Along the way, he was celebrated at various places. There was a grand reception at Itarsi railway station. Upon reaching Bhopal railway station, a procession was organized to escort him.
