May Day: India observes Labour Day, know its history and significance!

May 1 in India is observed as Labour Day or May Day (International Worker's Day) to honour the working class across the country. It is celebrated with a public holiday declared in all states and Union Territories.

It is celebrated because India has a massive working population that has played a major role in boosting the Indian economy.It may have different names such as Labour Day, May Day, ‘Antarrashtriya Shramik Diwas’, ‘Uzhaipalar Dinam’ (Tamil) and ‘Kamgar Din’ but the notion remains the same, honour the working class.

Last year's Labour Day theme was 'Uniting Workers for Social and Economic Advancement.'

The history of this significant day dates back to 1886 when a Labour Union in the United States of America decided to go on strike with a sole demand that a worker should not be allowed to work more than 8 hours. The 8-hour working norm had established in the country and India.

In India, the first celebrations began when Chennai-based 'Labour Kisan Party of Hindustan' observed a holiday across the nation to pay respect to India's workforce. Currently, India has over 522 million workers.The Triumph of Labour also known as Labour statue was erected at the northern end of the Marina beach in Chennai. India.The statue shows four men toiling to move a rock, depicting the hard work of the labouring class. It bears a semblance to the famedWorld War IIphotograph of theraising of the flag on Iwo Jimaby theAmerican Marines. It was sculpted byDebi Prasad Roy Chowdhury. The statue is the earliest one to be erected on the beachand is installed close to the site where the country's first commemoration ofMay Daywas held.

It is also known as Maharashtra Day and Gujarat day in Maharashtra and Gujarat respectively.