LUCKNOW, Jan. 24 -- As Uttar Pradesh prepares to mark its official birthday on Saturday (January 24) once again, the occasion offers more than ceremonial value. First formally celebrated in 2018, the UP Diwas has since become a moment to reflect not only on the state's long political journey but also on how its identity, both in 'name' and substance, has evolved over time.

Few remember that the name Uttar Pradesh, India's biggest state in terms of population, was itself the product of nearly two years of intense and often acrimonious debates in the aftermath of Independence.

Born as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh in 1902 and rechristened United Provinces (UP) in 1937, the state entered free India, weighed down by a colonial name ...